Experience the illicit thrill of an underground Acid House gathering at the Barbican's novel immersive event.
On a chilly morning drive in a friend's red Peugeot, I found myself navigating London's streets, guided by cryptic instructions that led me to a clandestine gathering near an industrial estate. The year was both 1989 and 2025 as I embarked on an extraordinary journey back to the heyday of Acid House, thanks to the innovative immersive virtual reality (VR) experience, "In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats."
Located in the Barbican Centre, this 45-minute journey took us through a series of transformative scenes, evoking the throbbing pulse and unbridled energy of illegal raves held in warehouses, fields, and deserted factories. Led by its artist and director, Darren Emerson, the VR production seamlessly blended documentary-style recollections with an intensely trippy experience, all set to an irresistible backdrop of seminal tracks like Joey Beltram's "Energy Flash" and Orbital's "Chime."
"In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats" is a celebration of the Acid House era, creating an immersive, multi-sensory environment for users to interact with and experience firsthand. By employing cutting-edge technology, participants were given the opportunity to 'pick up' cassettes, pluck records, and move their bodies in sync with the beat, generating an exhilarating, almost surreal journey.
As one of the veterans of music television, Darren Emerson has an intuitive grasp of the magic that happens on the dancefloor. In a post-experience conversation, the 48-year-old artist emphasized that "In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats" was an attempt to create a living documentary, a collective experience for fans of music and dancing, rather than a traditional music documentary relying on memories tainted by time.
The summer-long Frequencies season at the Barbican boasts a host of events revolving around the theme of music and community, including immersive installations, workshops, talks, and a number of DJ events. Each strand aims to foster an institutional connection, much like the shared passion that underpinned the massive dance parties of the '80s and '90s. Emerson commented on the paradoxical situation we find ourselves in today: "We live in a time when we feel connected through our devices but lack human connection. So it's interesting to use technology to bring people back to a communal space where they can connect on a deeper level."
"In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats" will continue at the Barbican until August 3 before touring to Leeds, Warwick, and Cardiff—a testament to the enduring allure of the Acid House era and the transformative power of music. The experience captures the essence of the Second Summer of Love and serves as a poignant reminder of the ecstatic togetherness that defined that groundbreaking moment in history.
In the immersive virtual reality (VR) experience, "In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats," technology is employed to create an engaging lifestyle venture, blending elements of entertainment and documentary-style recollections. During the experience, participants can interact with the environment by 'picking up' cassettes, plucking records, and dancing in sync with the music, cementing the technology's role in fostering a sense of community reminiscent of the Acid House era.
