Just outside the Design Museum, a sound of old hits me. It’s hard to place at first, distant yet instantly familiar, before memories come flooding back. In them, I’m huddled around friends in the queue for a club, glugging the last dregs of a beer, and the bass is rumbling through the walls, signalling that dancing, that week’s release, isn’t too far away. I hear the same now, except there’s no dancefloor beckoning, we’re reminded to socially distance and masks are required at all times. Despite the limitations, Electronic manages to be fascinating, as well as the closest thing to clubbing we’ve had in the capital for some time.
Scattered across multiple rooms and darkened alcoves that transport goers to vibrant Berlin, Chicago, Detroit and New York, the exhibition loosely spans interactive timelines, technology, audio visual advances, fashion, art and the dancefloor itself, while occasional installations and looping screens invite people to plug headphones in and discover more about each piece.
As a Laurent Garnier-curated mix booms overhead, we’re greeted by huge photos of vast German raves from the 90s, sweaty reminders of what used to be. Early models of synthesisers, amps and analogue gear are flanked by a technological run-down that traces developments from 1901 to the present day, with dub, ambient, post-punk, disco, influential film soundtracks, Jeff Mills, digital downloads and streaming all highlighted, amongst others.
As you progress deeper into the exhibition, it becomes a real treasure trove for aficionados and casual fans alike, as we flit between engrossing footage of Kraftwerk’s 3D live show, iconic Hyperdub artwork, welcome mentions for DJ Lag and RP Boo’s innovative legacies and Aphex Twin’s instantly recognisable imagery. Classic posters line the walls, while hours could be spent studying the cabinets of flyers and shabby membership cards that boast thousands of parties between them. Everywhere you look, there’s an array of visual and audio riches to absorb, before the exhibition’s big finish: an electrifying reimagining of The Chemical Brothers’ recent single ‘Got To Keep On’. With strobes illuminating the darkness and eardrums slightly ringing, for a second, I am home.
But Electronic’s most significant section is also its most poignant and thought-provoking. Labelled Utopian Dreams And Ideals, it outlines the importance of safe spaces for the LGBTQ community, as well as brave acts of resistance, and the refuge that clubs and electronic music institutions have often provided over the years. It’s a sobering reminder of the real stakes still at hand, but also what we can achieve when we all pull together.
Subjecting yourself to an exhibition focused on electronic music and rave culture may seem like a cruel move right now, but early feelings of yearning are soon replaced by inspiration, defiance and a sense of pride at the sacrifice many have made for electronic music to be what it is today. If we show the same ingenuity, we will return to the dancefloor soon enough.
Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers is at the Design Museum, London until 14 FEBRUARY 2021
