Rave was life; Germany’s thriving dance music community centred around parties at Frankfurt’s legendary Omen and Berlin’s Berghain predecessor Ostgut. The scene was soundtracked by then-new labels such as Ata and Heiko MSO’s Playhouse, WestBam’s Low Spirit and Mousse T’s Peppermint Jam, as well as raves like Time Warp, Mayday and the Loveparade. And the rest of the continent felt the call of the dancefloor, too. London’s Ministry of Sound opened in 1991, inspired by the musical innovations — and hedonistic thrills — of New York’s Paradise Garage, and, in Ibiza, clubs like Pacha, Amnesia, DC 10, and Space set the island alight. Meanwhile, current electronic music mainstays such as Amsterdam Dance Event and Sonar Barcelona debuted in 1996 and 1994 respectively, on a smaller and more affordable scale. A more modest cost of admission made nights out “a regular weekend activity” for many, says Ades. “There’s this table culture now that we didn’t have so much in the ‘90s. It’s 5K or 10K to book a table behind the DJ booth. Back then it was more important to be in front of the DJ booth.”