Heads In The Cloud

On the 20th July – Boxed Quarter will host a homecoming. A celebration of origins. Of electronica. Deejays. Rave. A return to the source.

Ōtautahi Christchurch.

This sleepy city has an undisputed historical reputation around the world, as a powerhouse for dance music. The history of this story about dance music has been relatively obscured. But while the 2011 earthquake lay waste to the bricks & mortar, memories remain crystal about how highly regarded this city was – and still is – for dance music.

Throughout the 1990s, audiences and fans regularly congregated in Christchurch to absorb the best and the freshest sounds being produced from around the globe. New genres formed as each year unfolded. House, Jungle, Trance, Progressive, Techno, Drum&Bass. We heard it here, first.

Deejays had broken down the traditional notion of music composition and arrangement. Conduits for transformation. Creating dynamic new pathways through tempo, genre and sound pressure. Influencing nearly every popular artist we know today. The art of mixing gave rise to a range of new, exciting sounds, genres, and techniques. Some of which we call our own.

As a result, deejay culture permeated through nearly all other genres of music, elevating electronic music to becoming one of the largest cultural phenomena of the past century. 

Purpose-built venues here in Christchurch such as the Ministry were the largest of its kind, becoming home to an impressive list of first and repeat performances by the very best deejays and acts from around the world. All making their pilgrimage to take centre stage in one of the finest nightclubs in the Southern Hemisphere.

As weekends extended into weekdays, the appetite and capability of the community expanded. Local deejays rose to the occasion, and in many respects, excelled. They became hunters of the latest white labels, promos, bootlegs, and releases. Feeding them to hungry audiences, bent on dance floor annihilation.

This event features names who were there when it all began. Origin deejays. Vinyl deejays. Digital deejays. Leaders in their genres. Making it happen.

For those of you that were there, this is your nostalgia trip.

For those who wished they were there, this is as close as you will get. A reboot.

And for those who are still wondering what it is all about, then consider this THE lesson you needed.

Two of the 3 zones will be stacked with a lineup of Ōtautahi’s original rave and dance DJ legends. A third zone will be specially curated to include a selection of the rising local talent, to give you a fresh earful of today’s flavours. Some haven’t ever played on the same bill, and most won’t have been in contact since the beginning of the millennium.

It’s time to reunite!

Tickets available from fluxcapacitor.flicket.co.nz

RDU50 – FUNDRAISING FOR RDU’S 50^TH IN 2026

RDU. The community platform has championed local music since 1976!

This event marks the lead into RDU 98.5FM’s 50th anniversary. After expenses, all ticket proceeds will be donated to the fund. We encourage you to do likewise, to show your support for this legendary little broadcaster.

YOU CAN SUPPORT THE DONATION DRIVE AT WWW.RDU50.ORG.NZ

Special thanks to our supporters: Flux, Boxed Quarter, Three Boys Brewery, Main Divide Wines, Inner Phase Laser Systems, Subtle Sound, Eyes Down Sound, Boom Candy Sound System, and Pixel Productions.

Tune in to RDU98.5FM www.rdu.org.nz

Heads in the cloud… Feet on the ground.

www.headsinthecloud.nz

For more details, interviews or press kit, please contact: simon@rdu.org.nz