What was the Second Summer of Love?

The Second Summer of Love (1988–89) was a cultural explosion in Britain centred on acid house music and MDMA. After a small group of DJs including Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway, and Johnny Walker discovered Balearic Beat in Ibiza in 1987, they returned to London and launched a series of clubs (Shoom, Spectrum, The Trip) that triggered a mass movement — from sweaty London basements to illegal outdoor raves attended by tens of thousands.

Which DJs started the acid house scene in the UK?

The catalyst was a trip to Ibiza in 1987 by four DJs: Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway, and Johnny Walker. They encountered DJ Alfredo playing a genre-blending mix of Balearic sounds and acid house at the club Amnesia. Returning to London, they opened their own nights — Danny Rampling launched Shoom in January 1988 and Paul Oakenfold opened Spectrum — which are widely credited as the origin of the British rave movement.

What music defined the Second Summer of Love?

Acid house was the core sound — driven by the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer's squelchy, alien tones, popularised by Chicago tracks like Phuture's 'Acid Tracks' (1987). In the UK, artists like 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald ('Voodoo Ray'), S'Express, and The Shamen mixed it with pop elements. By 1989, the sound had mutated into harder rave, hardcore, and eventually jungle and drum & bass.

The Second Summer of Love

Genre: acid house, rave, Balearic, 1988, UK dance, Ibiza

February 16, 2026

When four DJs traveled to Ibiza in 1987, they discovered a sound that would spark the Second Summer of Love and change British youth culture forever.

Tracks

1. Ride on Time — Black Box
2. Big Fun — Inner City
3. Promised Land — Joe Smooth
4. Strings Of Life — Derrick May, Mayday, Rhythim Is Rhythim
5. Can You Feel It — Mr. Fingers
6. Theme from S-Express — S'Express
7. Beat Dis — Bomb The Bass
8. Voodoo Ray — A Guy Called Gerald
9. In Yer Face — 808 State
10. Pump up the Volume — M/A/R/R/S
11. Chime (Edit) - Remastered — Orbital
12. Loaded — Primal Scream
13. Born Slippy (Nuxx) — Underworld

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