One thing that you would have remembered if you ever went there was it had a flat backed lorry right in the middle of the big room and people would turn up early just to reserve their space for the night.

The Dj’s played from an office that overlooked the whole dancefloor and from the ground it appeared that there was a video screen but in reality it was just the Dj’s playing from behind the window in the office, great inexpensive effect! Rave at The Cave was a proper Acid House party and not a place for standing round. The crowd always had it big time and steam could be regularly seen bellowing out the side of the building.

As the weeks went on The Cave became a very popular place so another room was opened and now the venue could hold another 150 people. Ellis Dee & Chalky White were the resident Dj’s at the Cave, The Ratpack from Trip City (islington) that were friends with Ellis played sets there as well as Lennie Dee from Unit 4 in Battersea who was Chalky’s connection, not forgetting the man that taught Ellis how to mix, The Token Jester.

The Rave at The Cave lasted quite a few months before it was subject to one of the Metropolitan Police’s first Acid House Raid’s codenamed “Operation Dica” Acid spelt backwards. The Police raid essentially finished off the Rave at the Cave as somewhere to party until the early hours but at least it went out with a bang. Ellis Dee and the boys came back to there own side of the river and put on events in the Dungeons in Lea Bridge Rd Hackney but hey, that’s a whole other story.

There is footage of the actual Police raid on the Cave that is in the public domain, if anyone has this footage please contact Fantazia as we would like to obtain a copy. For those interested there is a facebook group dedicated to the Rave at The Cave.

written by Ellis Dee