It presents quite a challenge to bottle the essence of a rave and depict it on screen. For us, one film to capture the energy is Beats from 2019. The sequence when the gang eventually reach the late 80s illegal gathering is drenched with a palpable collective euphoria.
Maxime Dangles‘ Les Délivrés isn’t aiming to be a ‘rave’ album, but maybe it possesses a hint of the two fingers up to authority the early rave scene relished. Coincidentally, this is an extension of a soundtrack developed for Thomas Grandremy’s film portraying the struggle of a team of delivery cyclists battling against dire working conditions. Criss-crossing the streets of France, they express their need to denounce the excesses of capitalism.
As a standalone album this excels with contrapuntal IDM and inspired ambient textures. Then, Affrontement and Révolte take up the baton, pushing the bpm into a militant cry for social justice. There it is, the true spirit of liberté distilled into a beat and synth motif; a freedom only music can possess with its ability to elicit profound emotion.
