Early UK Rave Culture Film 'Beats' Surfaces

Picture the Scottish free party rave scene in 1994.

A black and white photo of a crowd with the words little south on the bottom

Produced by Steven Soderbergh, directed by Brian Welsh ( Black Mirror ) and written by Welsh and Kieran Hurley, the coming of age film takes place in Scotland during the summer of 1994 and follows two friends who dive headfirst into the free party scene.

Making their film debut, the movie's lead actors Cristian Ortega and Lorn Macdonald play best mates Johnno and Spanner - two enthusiastic ravers with a deep bond who are on the cusp of adulthood. Soon to be separated, Johnno and Spanner decide to spend their last summer together living it up at the rave and participating in the UK's massive counter-cultural youth movement.

The soundtrack features tracks from The Belleville Three, Carl Craig, Leftfield, The Prodigy, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Plastikman, LFO, Hudson Mohawke and Orbital.

The film first premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival and will screen at the Dublin International Film Festival and Glasgow Film Festival and before its UK release on May 17 2019.

Credit: Mixmag

The little south logo is on a blue background.

Written by

Editorial Team • 27 January 2019

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