Fuel Records' Dom Elton on Spiral Tribe & the History Of Modern Club Culture
Author: Tim Colman
Monday, February 18, 2002
"With the free party scene stamped on, the dance movement went into the clubs and festivals and became commercialised then, all of a sudden, it was serious business. The spirit of the raver lives on though and the power of music is everlasting. Which is why I still DJ."Coming up through Britain's legendary free party scene, Fuel Records label manager and acclaimed breaks DJ Dom Elton chatted to Skrufff's Tim Colman (3D World) recently about his own fascinating journey through international rave culture.
Introduced to dance music via Britain's free party scene of the early 90s, specifically the DIY and Spiral Tribe posses, Dom immersed himself fully in the outdoor scene, following its move to the cities when authorities clamped down. Going on to set up Easy Tiger Records, specialising in tech breaks and drum n' bass he next relocated to the free party scene of SE Asia and Australia, before returning to the music business as label manager of Fuel Records. More recently he toured the US with car stereo/ sound system madman Tipper and is now back on his way to Australia.
Skrufff: What attracted you to the early free party scene in Britain-
Dom Elton: "Growing up in the sticks (countryside) surrounded by combines (combine harvesters) meant the local nights out involved lots of rounds of "I'm a cider drinker..." and barn dancing! When the free party movement invaded our countryside it was truly mind blowing. Hanging out in pubs 'til closing time then off to a meeting point usually at some service station on the motorway, along with thousands of other like minded heads then someone gives the word and you're off in a huge convoy to some secret location to find a dirty great sound system set up in a warehouse/field with maybe a strobe or two and loads more heads.
Everyone was on E it seemed (which was clean MDMA in those days) with lots of smiles and hugs with random people and a true feeling of oneness. You'd watch the sunrise with your new found "mates for life" then slowly make your way back to your sleepy little village feeling reborn. The DJs were just the blokes with the tunes, while the tunes were old skool breaks or house made to make you rush. The decor was nonexistent, with the setting usually beautiful."
Skrufff: In what ways did the Criminal Justice Act change your attitude to parties and DJing-
Dom Elton: "The Criminal Justice Bill was set up to stop the above from happening. It seemed really cynical and typified the attitude of authority at the time. The truth was, the free party movement was out of control. Thousands of kids would descend on an area unannounced and in the case of Castlemorton (England's biggest and best free rave, from 1992) partied for three days non-stop, out of their minds on drugs.
What the powers-that-be didn't like about it was the fact that police had no control over it and it disturbed the serenity of the countryside. Most people living in these areas were wealthy landowners with lots of weight (influence) in parliament. However, the parties did get us of town centres and stopped us from getting pissed up (drunk) and fighting."
The CJB showed how blind authority was to the needs of the youth. With the free party scene stamped on, the dance movement went into the clubs and festivals and became commercialised then, all of a sudden, it was serious business. From the ticket prices on the doors with stringent security searches... to buying your drugs off a dodgy bloke thinking of profits rather than good times. DJs became the focus, and lights and decor came to the fore until you reached the point where we're at today with so- called super-clubs and superstar DJs. The spirit of the raver lives on, though, and the power of music is everlasting. Which is why I still DJ."
Skrufff: How did the move to the city and clubs change the type of parties you put on-
Dom Elton: "In a confined space people want more things going on around them to compensate, so you'd set up< Tags