There’s no doubt that the summer of 1988 marked a watershed moment in the history of dance, as the house rhythms of Chicago, artistic exuberance of Ibiza, and electronic soundscapes of Detroit surged through club culture.

With this in mind, 909originals presents ‘Postcards from 88’, a series that will see leading DJs, promoters, journalists, club owners, photographers, and of course the clubbers themselves, shed some light on just what went on during those halcyon days, 30 years ago.

This week’s ‘Postcards from 88’ features an individual that helped soundtrack much of the UK dance movement in the late 80s and early 90s, as a member of seminal Manchester outfit 808 State (which, by the way, you can catch on tour during the months of November and December)… Andy Barker.

Also, in case you’re wondering, in the picture below, that’s him in the back, on the right!

When the Summer of Love started in 1988, I was DJing – mostly playing hip-hop, electro, house music, and hip-house. I started to realise that something was changing when I heard some early acid house records, which I really liked, and that swung me more into that kind of stuff and leaving the hip-hop behind.

Q. Was there a particular tune from the Summer of 1988 that stood out for you? Why?

I think the big tune for me in 88 was Rhythim Is Rhythim’s Strings Of Life – it had lots of energy and was completely different from anything else around at the time. It was actually released in 1987.

Q. Why do you think that people are still so interested in the origins of the dance scene, old school and everything that goes with it?

I think people are still interested in the origins of it because it has a good story to tell. For lots of young people that are getting into dance music – like any other music – you want to find out where this music started… where it came from.

Q. If the ‘you’ from 1988 could give the ‘you’ from 2018 a piece of music-related advice, what would it be?

I can’t believe this music scene is still going, 30 years on… and you’ve been able to have a career in it!

[Words: 909Originals]