Raindance Re-Union

Catalogue note

Original double-sided flyer for the Raindance Re-Union at The Berwick Manor & Gardens, Rainham, Essex, on 10 May 1997. The main room bills Slipmatt, Mogsey, Martin P, Stomp and Pete Foxen, while a separate Video Room shows classic rave footage from 1989. Design is physically credited to Design Asylum / PEZ, and the flyer advertises free funfair dodgems, framing the event as a deliberate revival of Raindance's early rave identity.

Advertised programme: Main Room: Slipmatt (The World), 10:30pm–12:00; Mogsey (Powerhouse); Martin P (Stratosphere's); Stomp (Raindance Original); Pete Foxen (4 Things 2 Come). Video Room — showing old classic rave footage from 1989: Jack Bass (Dungeons Original); Ollie B (Flirtatious); Wesley Parnell b2b Andy Burns (Future Dance); Simonski (The Zone).

Graphic-design significance: The front uses a playful computer-generated robot assembled from a globe, smiley face, peace sign, clocks, loudspeaker-like limbs and PEZ-branded shoes against a clouded sky. Rainbow 'RAINDANCE RE-UNION' lettering reinforces the revival theme. The printed Design Asylum / PEZ credit is especially significant because both are established TMR design authorities and the object captures a late-1990s collaboration between two important strands of rave-flyer design.

Historical context: Raindance's own current history identifies the organisation as established in 1989 and describes its continuing role in UK rave culture. Contemporary and retrospective histories place its first major parties at Jenkins Lane in East London and connect the name to the formative hardcore generation, including Slipmatt. TMR already preserves The Spirit of Raindance from 1995; this 1997 reunion shows the organisation moving further into explicit heritage mode, with a room devoted to 1989 footage and promotional language aimed both at original ravers and a younger generation that knew Raindance by reputation.

Production note: Full-colour commercial print on coated paper/card stock; exact printing process and stock weight not established.

Condition note: Good to Very Good appearance, ungraded. Noticeable but moderate corner and edge wear, including creasing at the upper-right and lower-right front corners, light surface scuffing and a localised area of surface abrasion/print loss on the right side of the reverse around the Video Room billing. Colours remain strong and the flyer is complete and fully legible overall.

Confidence / uncertainty: The exact date, hours, venue, admission, main-room and video-room names, free dodgems, information contacts, next-reunion date, Design Asylum / PEZ credit and 'Photography by Skippy' credit are physically verified. The flyer does not state that PEZ alone executed every visual element, so the design attribution is preserved exactly as 'Design Asylum / PEZ'. Lower-bill performer identities are retained as printed and not expanded without further evidence.

Through the flyers

Explore the club-culture timeline to follow advertised dates, places and billed performers across the held flyers.

Event details are drawn from the held object and the qualified catalogue research above. A printed bill establishes an advertised booking, not confirmation that a performer appeared.