This Sunday, April 17, 2022: two of jungle drum & bass culture’s foremost forefathers return to one of London’s most iconic venues and events where the music took seed and was given time and space to develop and flourish into the global movement it is today. Destination: Rage at Heaven.
Following their successful return to the historic rave in December 2019, Fabio & Grooverider continue the brand’s 30+ year anniversary celebrations, curating another line-up that joins the dots between the foundational sounds of acid house, jungle, drum & bass and all things in between.
Expect a veritable rainbow of legends, veterans, pioneers and a few new names to join them including Adamski, Altern-8, Bailey, Brandon Block, Bryan Gee, Charlotte Devaney, DJ Rap, DJ SS, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, Jumpin Jack Frost, Millz, Nicky Blackmarket, Smokin Jo, Trevor Fung, Rozalla, Ray Keith and Top Buzz.
“Rage is the birthplace, the reason we are all here so each time we go back to Heaven it really means something,” state Fabio & Grooverider. One of dance music’s longest running DJ duos, they’re currently in the thick of one of their busiest years to date. Their collaboration with the Outlook Orchestra was one of the most talked about live drum & bass performances in recent years and will be touring festivals this summer.
“It’s more than just another rave. We’re looking forward to going in on all the classics we don’t get to play on a regular basis and educate anyone who missed out on the Rage era. The last Return to Rage was just before pandemic and was a really special night, and this one will be no different.”
To get an understanding of how important Rage was for the birth of jungle, check this new short video interview with the duo about the roots of the music and how it was fused out of hip-hop,, house and a melting pot of people and cultures. It’s an essential insight into social integration, the massive influence of the queer scene and the reality that most clubs did not welcome black people at all prior to acid house and rave culture.
The fusion of breakbeats, hip-hop, house and techno was the soundtrack to a youth revolution and Fabio & Grooverider were at the helm.
“It ruffled more feathers when we started bringing more breakbeats in. That’s when the purists started to get upset,” explained Fabio in an interview we did with him and Grooverider about Rage back in June 2019.
“The younger kids coming through were well into that and the purists who loved just straight up house didn’t like that. We didn’t care, we could just see it getting busier and busier in there. That’s all we cared about; we were bringing in the young cool crowd, we didn’t want the old purists. The promoter was happy, we were happy because we could push things as far as we wanted. We had the place every week to try these things and it was amazing.”
The history surrounding Rage and Heaven is immense and will be celebrated in full force this Sunday. For more insight into duo’s influence during this time, and every era since, you can also check our Origins interview with them last year. Meanwhile, for a flavour of just how much the last Return To Rage event kicked off, check this video…
Last remaining tickets for Return To Rage, April 17 are available here
