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The UK festival landscape is in crisis, with over 40 events cancelled ahead of this year’s season according to recent figures from the Association of Independent Festivals. Amidst the insurmountable rise in the price of production, and the ongoing cost of living crisis, how are organisers and punters feeling about the current situation? What has caused it? And what solutions are being considered that will help us save the sector?

1st May 1994 was the first big London protest against the looming Criminal Justice Bill, the piece of legislation that first proscribed a genre of music — rave music, “wholly or predominantly categorised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats” — in law. Despite widespread demonstrations at what was seen as draconian power-grabs by the UK authorities, the Bill became law later in 1994. Here, Harold Heath looks back at the reaction from the dance music community at the time, and the Act’s lasting impact on the rave scene today

For DJs with a packed touring schedule, gigging at one iconic club after another, finding the time to sit down in the studio can be nearly impossible. But when Kerri Chandler wanted to work on a long-delayed album, he hit on a solution: he’d transform those clubs into temporary studios, creating tracks attuned to each space. The result is ‘Spaces And Places’, and it’s some of his best work yet

It’s an exciting time to be both a new and old fan of African music, but how does it feel for African artists raised and working in the diaspora? As producers and consumers, these artists have a unique vantage point on this cultural shift. Jessica Kariisa speaks to Nazar, Hagan, Juba and Chief Boima and asks: what does music from “back home” mean today?

Before headlining international festivals with his immense live techno sets, Reinier Zonneveld cut his teeth on the Dutch underground rave circuit. Megan Venzin catches up with the artist to learn about his approach to performance, and why his fans can always expect the unexpected