Hardcore disciples keep the fires of rave burning

When members of the strange Ibiza-based Bhagwan Rajneesh cult lost their leader in the mid-Eighties, they were a bit stumped as to what to do next. The cult used 3,4-methylenedioxy methamphetamine, or MDMA, in its brainwashing rituals and, though they had no guru to guide them, they did still possess pocket-loads of pure ecstasy.

Happily for today's clubbers, they discovered a disco in Ibiza called Amnesia, where DJ Alfredo was playing a wild mix of styles - from early US house to reggae to disco - to unsuspecting holidaymakers and local boho types.

Members set about spreading their chemical love to all and sundry. Never before had there been a club where so many people were on ecstasy at the same time. If rave had a year zero, this was it.

No one could have predicted the longevity of this new wave of clubbing though. More and more people heard of the hedonistic hoedown in Ibiza and Alfredo's sets (and the pill-munching) became the blueprint for London's "second summer of love" acid explosion.

What began in a hippy bar in the Balearics turned out to be the biggest youth music movement ever seen. Forget the hippies and punk - it's ravers who properly stood the test of time.

The really surprising thing, though, is how popular the original acid house and rave tunes are today. Every week, speakers still ring out to the sounds of original hardcore, drum&bass and acid house.

This weekend alone there are three parties celebrating the best of old school. Tonight, check out the 15th birthday celebrations for AWOL at Ministry of Sound. Micky Finn and more from the cream of Britain's deebee posse will be dropping decade-old tunes that still sound fresh today. For those who prefer the bleeps, squelches and sinister hoover noises of hardcore, then 20 Years Of Rave at Brixton's Mass club should satisfy all your aural needs.

With four arenas and dozens of DJs, including Top Buzz, Swan E and Grooverider, it's a killer line-up that equals anything seen at the raves of old.

Meanwhile, at the Southside Bar on Brixton Hill, DJs Traffik and Sadia host From '88 to '92, another taste of early dance music.

While music should always move forward, it doesn't hurt to look back once in a while, particularly when the tunes of yesteryear still send shivers down the spine. The cult of rave needs no leader, its hardcore acolytes will keep the fires burning forever.