74: What does it take to run a clubnight for 20 years?

For 20 years, Mantra and Double O have been running Rupture, the London-based party that’s become guiding light for 160-inclined ravers. As any promoter will tell you, that’s a damn good shift.

Next month they celebrate two decades with a book – We Are Rupture: Signals From The Heart of the Rave – which gathers stories and reflections from their community, from international pilgrimages to processing grief on the dancefloor.

They’re also working on perhaps the world’s first junglist play, Ferry to the Underworld – a theatrical prelude to their London and Bristol parties this November. A play!

The blurb for their book asks: why do we rave, and why does it matter now more than ever? That felt like too big a question to ask of Mantra and Double O on a Tuesday morning, but we did find out what makes Rupture such an unusual D&B night and what’s kept them going for two decades.

We also pried into both of their individual histories: from Dubs bringing Detroit techno to the Doncaster Warehouse in the early ‘90s to Indi’s hippy-Sikh upbringing, and the chance Xbox Live encounter that led to their first ever party in – ahem – Windsor.

Plus, in this episode’s lengthy intro: Tom and Chal return to the conversation about proteinmaxxed dance music and what makes a festival a festival, with added insights from the listener mailbag.

Our next 180 Studios listening session takes place on 11 November with NTS residents Nadia Ksaiba and Sofie K! That’s sold out already, but you can keep an eye out nearer the time for resales. Follow us on IG if you want a better chance of nabbing tickets next time.

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