Whether you’re new to the scene and curious about experiencing the excitement your Mum and Dad raved about, or if you were there from the very beginning and simply want to reminisce about the incredible memories of years gone by, one thing is for sure: indulging in a couple of drinks while cranking up the home sound system to an iconic rave movie with an amazing soundtrack is an unparalleled experience.
That’s why we’ve curated a list of the top 5 rave movies available on Amazon or Netflix
All movies are available via Amazon
- Human Traffic
Yes, it’s our number one for a reason, it’s a perfect snapshop of Generation X in the 90’s. It has an amazing soundtrack, the Carl Cox cameo, laughs and spurred a slew of sayings we probably still sya today…. “Nice one Bruvva!!”
For Jip, Lulu, Koop, Nina and Moff, the dead-end jobs they endure during the week just kill the time until Friday night. That’s when they cut very loose and get on the crazy roller coaster ride that takes them right through to Monday morning. An adrenaline-pumped comedy, “Human Traffic” chronicles the ups and downs — both chemical and emotional — of five friends whose weekends are filled with endless clubbing, pubbing and partying where there are no rules, no limits and no saying “no.”
2. 24 Hour Party People
Supremely entertaining, amazingly true story of the raucous music scene in Manchester, England- circa 1979-1992 and the man, Tony Wilson and the bands behind the movement that changed the history of pop culture forever. Wilson, as played brilliantly by Steve Coogan, narrates the movie; which has a fast paced, unconventional style of narrative in which Wilson speaks directly to the audience and explains what’s going on. He basically has to, because it is often hard to tell what has just happened or what is happening from moment to moment.
Surprisingly enough, this type of narrative works very well and adds a certain flair that accompanies the visceral, in-your-face style of filming, perfectly. It helps if you know something about some of the bands shown in the film (Joy Division, New Order,The Happy Mondays) or if you at least have a vague interest in learning about them. Of course, it also works on a basic comedic level too- with frenetic party scenes fueled by sex, drugs and pulsating new wave music. If you ever wanted to know what happened to The Hacienda, it’s an interesting story.
3. Kevin and Perry Go Large
A Television comedy spin-off about two desperate teenagers who travel to Ibiza to expose their musical talent to a wider audience and, more importantly, to lose their virginity. Despite having adult supervision along for the ride, the pair soon cross paths with a world famous DJ (Eyeball Paul, a piss take on Tall Paul name) and spot the girls of their dreams. A brilliant soundtrack and full of silly laughs to wash away that Sunday come-down.
4. Berlin Calling
Our Editors favourite. A story about Berlin techno DJ and producer Martin Karow (nicknamed Ickarus) played by Paul Kalkbrenner, is touring the techno clubs of the world with his girlfriend Mathilde while working on a new studio album that he plans to release soon. In order to be able to work and party day and night, Ickarus takes all kinds of drugs, mainly supplied by his friend Erbse at the clubs in Berlin.
After consuming a PMA-containing ecstasy tablet, Ickarus goes into a drug-induced psychosis, eventually finding himself naked in a Berlin hotel where his antics attract the attention of the hotel staff. He is taken to a psychiatric hospital in Berlin, which puts his album and upcoming live performances in danger. With an incredible soundtrack, that Paul took on a world tour in 2008, this movie has become a timeless classic and music that hasn’t aged a day!
5. Ecstasy
Last up is Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy, a 2011 Canadian film adaptation of the short story “The Undefeated” from the best-selling book Ecstasy by Irvine Welsh. Frustrated with her boring middle-class and loveless marriage, Heather Thompson (Kristin Kreuk) seeks a change in her life. At a club, she finds just that in happily partying with Lloyd Buist (Adam Sinclair), a drug user. Heather falls hard for Lloyd despite most of their time spent together being under the influence of illicit substances. As they experiment with this new lifestyle, they are faced with the question of whether they love their drugs, and each other, or are just drugged into loving each other. It’s a little bit darker, but for the fans of Trainspotting and looking for more substance, it’s a great watch.
