Virtual reality and rave are not words you would ordinarily hear together, so I was immediately intrigued by this experience, albeit slightly nervous, to discover how much raving participation would be involved in a room full of people wearing VR headsets. As it turns out, as much as one would like!
In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats is an award-winning VR adventure described as an immersive experience that ‘transports audiences on an electrifying journey back to 1989’, but I hadn’t realised before attending that it was actually a music documentary. Created by immersive artist Darren Emerson and produced by East City Films, the experience takes you on a journey through the eyes of a ravegoer seeking an adventurous night of…you guessed it, raving. In this case, to acid house.
We were asked a few health questions and given a short briefing before being whisked down a neon-lit corridor to the room where the magic happens. Designed for up to four people, you’re given headphones, a VR headset, a haptic vest to mimic the sound of the bass, and controllers, allowing you to interact within the film.
Each participant has a different coloured avatar to help you see each other and prevent any accidents from occurring (we were politely informed we wouldn’t be able to run through each other). Potential concussions aside, the multisensory experience begins with you placing a vinyl record on a record player. When you hit start, the grooves on the vinyl transform into a motorway, and you’re transported, driving on a trip with friends to find an acid house party somewhere across Coventry.
The VR experience provides you with informative, digestible stories from the real-life promoters, police, event organisers, and ravegoers who lived through the illegal rave scene in the late 80s, giving you a real sense of the emotions at a time when acid house and rave culture were beginning to gain traction in Britain.
Various visuals guide you as you move through the film, lighting up to prompt each action, from picking up posters to answering a ringing payphone to find out the rave’s location. Not knowing where the rave would be held was all part of the adventure, and you truly feel the anticipation that once surrounded these illegal events for the people who were at the right place, at the right time (usually congregated at a service station), as if you were experiencing their excitement in real time.
The haptic vest provided the most immersive experience, replicating the sensation of feeling the thumping bass at a live music event. While this could have been due to a technical difficulty, at times, the visuals were slightly fuzzy and left something to be desired (maybe feeling a little less dizzy).
That said, what made the VR experience feel so special was the detail included in each scene. From the posters on the walls to the cassette tapes to the Peugeot 205 you’re hurtling down the road in, it really did feel like you’d been transported to a different era, and it’s evident why the film is internationally acclaimed.
The sound was mostly clear, although movement occasionally caused some interference. I would have interacted more with all the elements, scenes, and music had I not been anxious about making this worse or damaging the equipment, which I was acutely aware of throughout the event.
Overall, I felt the 40-minute film struck the right balance between guiding toward specific actions and allowing them to fully absorb everything the documentary has to offer.
In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats was interactive, interesting, and ultimately a great rainy day activity if you’re looking to experience a piece of history.
I left with a sense of nostalgia for a time I wasn’t actually alive for, and if that’s not an achievement, I don’t know what is!
The Wolfston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre, until the 23rd of November. Book your tickets on the Wales Millennium Centre website.
