DiY Sound System

DiY Sound System, also known as the DiY Collective, was a British house music sound system, co-founded by Harry Harrison, Rick "Digs" Down, Simon "DK" Smith and Pete "Woosh" Birch, in 1989.{{cite web|access-date=2022-03-07|title=New book explores the 90s heyday of DiY Sound System|url=https://mixmag.net/read/new-book-explores-90s-uk-rave-sound-system-news|website=Mixmag}} The group "divided their activities between free parties and legal club nights, acting as a bridge between counter-culture and the mainstream".ed. Low M. and Barnett C., (2004) Spaces of Democracy: Geographical Perspectives on Citizenship, Participation and Representation, SAGE Publications, {{ISBN|0-7619-4734-5}}{{cite news|first1=Holly|last1=Dicker|access-date=2023-07-11|title=90s rave crew DiY Sound System: 'We definitely sacrificed our sanity'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/19/90s-rave-crew-diy-sound-system-interview-we-sacrificed-our-sanity|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 April 2022|issn=0261-3077}}

History

=1990s=

The DiY Collective was co-founded by Harry Harrison, Rick "Digs" Down, Simon "DK" Smith and Pete "Woosh" Birch in Nottingham in 1989{{cite web|access-date=2022-03-07|title=History of '90s UK rave sound system DiY Collective celebrated in new book, Dreaming in Yellow|url=https://djmag.com/news/history-90s-uk-rave-sound-system-diy-collective-celebrated-new-book-dreaming-yellow|date=10 February 2022|website=DJMag.com}} as a reaction against the growing commercialisation of pay parties, especially Orbital raves such as Biology and Sunrise. DiY's standpoint came from a merging of anarchist principles and a history of attending both free festivals and clubs such as the Haçienda. They wished to form a cohesive, collective, political front against the prevailing anti-rave legislation that was beginning to come into force at that time.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/xd38mq/diy-25th-anniversary-scott-oliver-125 | title= The Raving Crew Who Were Named 'The Most Dangerous People in the UK'| work=Vice | author=Scott Oliver | date=20 August 2014}} This became more marked around the time of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, with DiY playing a key role in the illegal rave at Castlemorton Common Festival prior to the Bill in May 1992.{{cite web|first1=Tim|last1=Guest|access-date=2022-03-07|title=Tim Guest tells the story of how the state crushed the early 90s free party scene|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jul/12/90s-spiral-tribe-free-parties|date=11 July 2009|website=The Guardian}}{{cite web|access-date=2022-03-07|title="It's never too far": The inside story of Castlemorton — history's most infamous rave|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/diy-soundsystem-dreaming-in-yellow-extract-book-free-party-castlemorton|website=Mixmag}} After hooking up with a group of progressive travellers at the 1990 Glastonbury Festival, they began to throw a constant stream of illegal, outdoor parties (often at travellers' sites, quarries and disused airfields) all over the country for many years.{{cite web| url=https://djmag.com/content/diy-can-do-attitude | title= DIY: Can-do Attitude! | work=DJ Mag | date= 4 November 2014}} Simon Reynolds wrote that DiY threw "free parties at abandoned airfields or on hilltops, drawing a mixed crowd of urban ravers and crusty road warriors".Reynolds, S., 1998, Energy Flash, Picador, {{ISBN|0-5712-8914-2}}

DiY also worked in the realm of legitimate club nights, starting with their first night at the Kool Kat, Nottingham on 23 November 1989 on Harry's 23rd birthday.{{Cite book|last=Collin|first=Matthew|title=Altered State|publisher=Serpent's Tail|year=1997|isbn=1-85242-604-7|location=UK|pages=197}} Their "Bounce" began at Venus, Nottingham in February 1991 and ran for five years at various clubs, including nights at the Dance Factory.{{Cite book|last=Collin|first=Matthew|title=Altered State|publisher=Serpent's Tail|year=1997|isbn=1-85242-604-7|location=UK|pages=198}} Bounce also at one point had a network of nights in Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Sheffield, Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter and Bath.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

The Strictly 4 Groovers label put out its first release by Alabama 3 in 1992, followed by records from members of the DiY Collective, as well local artists including Atjazz, Rhythm Plate and Charles Webster.

=Later=

DiY continue to hold occasional free parties, typically to celebrate a milestone date—on 19 September 2009, DiY celebrated their 20th birthday with a free party near their home town of Nottingham, and on 23 August 2014, their 25th birthday with a free party held in a field in Leicestershire.

=Aftermath=

On 3 October 2020, it was announced that Pete Birch (DJ Woosh) had died from cancer.{{cite web|access-date=2022-03-07|title=UK deep house pioneer Pete Woosh has died|url=https://mixmag.net/read/uk-deep-house-pioneer-pete-woosh-has-died-news|website=Mixmag}}{{cite web|access-date=2022-03-07|title=UK free party pioneer Pete 'Woosh' Birch has died|url=https://djmag.com/news/uk-free-party-pioneer-pete-woosh-birch-has-died|date=7 October 2020|website=DJMag.com}}{{cite web | url=https://ra.co/news/73678 | title=UK house and free party scene pioneer Pete 'Woosh' Birch has died}}

Harry Harrison released a biographical history of DiY, Dreaming In Yellow in 2022.

Simon DK died on 6 July 2023, age 60.{{cite web|access-date=2023-07-11|title=Simon DK, founding member of Nottingham collective DiY, has died|url=https://ra.co/news/79267|website=Resident Advisor}}{{cite web|access-date=2023-07-11|title=Simon DK, legendary DJ and founding member of DiY Sound System, has died|url=https://mixmag.net/read/simon-dk-smith-legendary-dj-founding-member-diy-sound-system-has-died-news|website=Mixmag}}{{cite web|access-date=2023-07-11|title=Simon DK Smith, co-founder of DiY Sound System, dies, aged 60|url=https://djmag.com/news/simon-dk-smith-co-founder-diy-sound-system-dies-aged-60|date=7 July 2023|website=DJMag.com}}

DJ Digs continues to DJ as Grace Sands.{{cite web|url=https://ra.co/dj/gracesands/biography|title=Grace Sands - Biography - RA|work=Resident Advisor}}