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From AUDRA festival in Kaunas, Lithuania, Martin Guttridge-Hewitt reports on a long-standing, tight-knit and thriving electronic music scene often overlooked by outsiders

After more than three decades of DJing all over the world, Carl Cox remains one of dance music’s most beloved figures. With a new album on the way, and a fresh emphasis on live performance, Bruce Tantum speaks with the king about his incredible journey so far, and his determination to keep challenging himself

Though arguably most prominent in the ’90s, free parties and illegal raves have never gone away. Despite the increased surveillance from authorities, passionate DJs and sound systems continue to throw events in a similar way that they always have, looking to create a sense of community and an alternative to the commodified dance mainstream. Dave Jenkins heads to a free party, and speaks to some of the illegal rave scene’s advocates about why they keep the fire burning

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

After the tragic events of Astroworld Festival last year, Will Pritchard examines the science, politics and history of crowd crushes at mass gatherings, and asks experts how organisers can make future large music events safer