In a public square in Dalston, east London, out the back of the kind of bog-standard white van more used to transporting fitted kitchens or cleaning supplies, a crowd of ravers are in a jubilant mood, all sweat-sheen and wide smiles. Inside the van DJs spin tunes characteristic of this itinerant party, dubbed HomeBass: garage, jungle, drum’n’bass. It begins to rain but they remain in place, arms upraised, waiting for the first drop from rising jungle star Nia Archives.
What began with the van pulling up to forest raves during Covid – with all the legal and ethical quandaries that entailed – is now a UK dance music phenomenon. Artists of the calibre of Fatboy Slim, the Ragga Twins and Eats Everything have played out of the HomeBass van. There have been festival takeovers, thousands-strong pop-up raves and subsequent police shutdowns; Sony, MTV and Universal have enlisted HomeBass to add spice to album releases, a record label is in the works and US promoters have been in touch. This weekend they head to a secret Manchester location.
