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New rave

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Nu-rave)
Not to be confused with New wave music.
New rave
Klaxons live in concert, 2007.
Other names
  • Nü rave
  • nu rave
  • neu rave
  • nu-rave
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid-2000s (decade), United Kingdom
Typical instruments
Regional scenes
Other topics

New rave (also known as nü rave, nu rave or neu rave) is a microgenre of electronic music, commonly applied to a British-based music scene between 2005 and late 2008. Characterized by fast-paced electronica-influenced indie music that drew influences from 1980s Madchester and rave scenes. New rave later influenced the development of blog-related music genres such as bloghouse and blog rock.[1]

Notable acts include Klaxons, Trash Fashion, New Young Pony Club, Hadouken!, Late of the Pier and Shitdisco.

Etymology

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The term was coined by Klaxons founder Jamie Reynolds, who later declared they were not new rave, describing it as a "joke that's got out of hand,"[2][3][4] stating that[5]:

The whole idea of new rave was to take the piss out of the media by making them talk about something that didn't exist, just for our own amusement. And they'd say, I appreciate that, but can you tell me more about new rave?

The genre is a play on the term "new wave" as well as being a "new" version of rave music. During the late 2000s, music blogs and press such as the NME and the Guardian further popularized the term.[6][7][8] Though several artists associated with the scene rejected the label.[9][10][11]

Characteristics

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New Rave is characterized by the musical fusion of electronica with indie rock and dance-punk styles, described the Guardian as "an in-yer-face, DIY disco riposte to the sensitive indie rock touted by bands like Bloc Party." The aesthetics of the new rave scene are similar to those of the original rave scene, being mostly centred on psychedelic visual effects, glowsticks, neon lights. Artists often dress in extremely bright and fluorescent colored clothing.[12][2] New rave has been defined more by the image and aesthetic of its bands and supporters, than by its music.[13][14][15][12][16][17]

Bands such as The Sunshine Underground,[18] CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy)[19][20][21], and Hot Chip[22] have also been labeled as new rave, while M.I.A. has been described as "a new raver before it was old."[23] Stylist Carri Mundane described it as funny, stating:

Vacant in retro. It’s just a marketing machine.... I guess it was a fun time but I’m more excited about what happens now. The next level - the next generation. There’s a mood of neo-spiritualism and futurism that excites me.

Los Angeles Times critic Margaret Wappler comments that the "minimalist dance-punk of LCD Soundsystem, the analog classicism of Simian Mobile Disco, the fanatical electro-thrash of Justice, the international amalgam of M.I.A., the agitated funk of !!! (Chk Chk Chk) and the art-schooled disco-sleaze of Cansei de Ser Sexy" contributed to the thriving 'new rave' dance scene, which led to a rediscovery of indie rockers, and a critical and intellectual revolution in dance music.[24] Artists in the genre overlapped with other musical developments during the 2000s such as dance-punk, blog rock,[25] and bloghouse.

History

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Origins (2000s-2010s)

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New rave originally emerged in the 2000s British electronic music scene, with artists such as Klaxons, Trash Fashion, New Young Pony Club, Hadouken!, Late of the Pier and Shitdisco. The term was coined by Klaxons founder Jamie Reynolds, who later declared they were not new rave, describing it as a "joke that's got out of hand."[2][3][4] The NME later further popularised the term throughout 2006 and 2007, though later claiming in mid-2008 that "New Rave is over". The movement would later influence the contemporaneous bloghouse scene.[1][26][27][28]

On October 13, 2006 music critic John Harris stated in the Guardian that the genre is nothing more than a "piss-poor supposed 'youthquake'" that will soon go out of fashion in the same way as rave.[25] In reaction to the media overkill of the "genre", Klaxons banned the use of glowsticks at their gigs in April 2007.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "What Is Bloghouse? - PAPER Magazine". www.papermag.com. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  2. ^ a b c The Guardian. February 3, 2007. "The Future's Bright... Archived 2009-03-19 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  3. ^ a b Entertainment Wise. November 1, 2006. "Klaxons: We're Not New Rave Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  4. ^ a b Popworld interview. 13 April 2007. "Music News Archived 2008-10-19 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 14 April 2007.
  5. ^ "Klaxons: "Ban All Glowsticks!" - MTV UK". mtv.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  6. ^ Boston Globe. 6 April 2007. "Meet the NEW Rave. Same As the Old Rave? Archived 2009-06-27 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 12 April 2007.
  7. ^ "Was new rave a joke - or Britain's last great youth movement?". The Independent. February 29, 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18.
  8. ^ "Does nu-rave travel?". the Guardian. November 13, 2007.
  9. ^ "The nu-rave generation: where are they now?". Time Out London. 8 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Ten nu-rave songs that still sound good in 2016". Time Out London. 22 June 2016.
  11. ^ The Observer. 28 January 2007. "New Rave is Dead; Long Live the Klaxons Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  12. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (5 October 2006). "Rousing rave from the grave". The Observer. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  13. ^ Times Online. 12 November 2006. "Here We Glo Again Archived 2011-05-01 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 131 February 2009.
  14. ^ BigShinyThing. October 12, 2006. "God Help Us All: New Rave Archived 2009-04-17 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  15. ^ "Seven Nu Rave Songs That Still Actually Bang". Clash Magazine. 22 March 2021.
  16. ^ BBC News. 3 January 2007. "Sound of 2007: Klaxons Archived 2009-04-26 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  17. ^ The Guardian. January 5, 2007. "2007's Original Soundtrack Archived 2007-10-15 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 12 April 2007.
  18. ^ "Sunshine Underground gig review". NME. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  19. ^ "The Queer Legacy of Indie Oddballs CSS". INTO. 31 July 2018.
  20. ^ "CSS reveal truth behind band split". NME. July 11, 2008.
  21. ^ "Brazilian bands, No.1 - CSS | JOE.ie".
  22. ^ Smoughton, Rob (24 July 2007). "Times Online Hot Chip Review review". Times Online. London. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  23. ^ Collins, Hattie (2007-08-18). "Blog Rockin' Beats". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 4 June 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  24. ^ Wappler, Margaret (20 September 2007). "Turning the beat around again". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015.
  25. ^ a b Harris, John. 13 October 2006. "New Rave? Old Rubbish Archived 2011-11-22 at the Wayback Machine". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  26. ^ Elan, Priya (2016-03-24). "New Rave: the moment fashion and music both got their act together". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  27. ^ Wray, Daniel Dylan (2021-02-24). "The Glorious, Messy Rise and Fall of New Rave". VICE. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  28. ^ "Was new rave a joke - or Britain's last great youth movement?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-12-28. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
[edit]
  • "Rave Dog" - a documentary about Trash Fashion and new rave on the Channel 4 (UK) programme FourDocs
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