9
Sounds of the London Underground
Gospel music and Baptist worship in the UK garage scene
Ciaran O’Hagan
Not everyone understands house music, it’s a spiritual thing, a body
thing, a soul thing.
(Eddie Amador 1998, ‘House Music’)I use the term ‘dance culture’ throughout this chapter to describe the phenomenon
originally referred to in the UK as ‘acid house’ then ‘rave’, which continues to
develop, utilizing various cultural spaces, such as nightclubs, festivals and a range of
unlicensed premises for the production and consumption of various forms of dance
music. In this chapter, I aim to outline the process of scene fragmentation before
providing an overview of the rise of the UK garage scene from an underground
entity to a major element within Britain’s dance culture. Particular attention will be
given to tracing the scene’s origins and providing insight on various practices
possessing cultural significance for its members that have helped to shape the scene.
I begin by examining the formation of UK garage music, highlighting the heavy
influence from gospel music and religious practices within the Baptist church, in
terms of both its musical structure and delivery. I will then pay particular attention
to some of the unique features of UK garage, such as the importance of the Sunday
scene, the constant dialogue developed between MCs, DJs and participants, and the
centrality of pirate radio, which distinguish this scene from others in London. I will
examine the role of the modern MC and explore its link with that of the religious
preacher and consider pirate radio as the spiritual home of UK garage. The chapter
intends to provide readers with an understanding of the spiritual and religious
influences involved in the production and consumption of UK garage and to reveal
the way in which these processes are mediated.
This chapter draws on various primary and secondary sources, and is influenced by
my own experience and involvement within dance culture. I am currently a PhD
candidate researching dance music, drug use and the information needs of London’s
UK garage and underground trance and techno scenes. I have chosen to use
ethnography to examine both scenes through insider status in a similar way to
previous dance culture scholars (Thornton 1995; Rietveld 1998; Malbon 1999;
Bennett 2000; Fikentscher 2000). Researchers who adopt this method are
encouraged to ‘locate or situate’ themselves within the research, establishing their