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At the time, it was unclear why the UK government targeted the Spiral Tribe travelling sound system. Even after arresting many key members and launching one of Britain's biggest court cases against them. Was it really because they were a marauding horde of anarcho-techno-pirates, their outlandish music calling a generation to rise up in rebellion against conservatism, convention, and even consensus reality? Or was it because, as pioneers of the 1990s free party movement, championing the new British breakbeat and European techno sound, they were reclaiming social space in warehouses and out under the stars? Each weekend they pulled ever bigger crowds away from consumer culture. No superstar DJs, no door policy and everyone dancing together as equals. An inspiring, unifying force of creativity. As Spiral Tribe's co-founder and visual artist (or as the Crown Prosecutor described him, 'the criminal ringleader' who'd helped 'mastermind' Britain's 'biggest ever illegal rave' at Castlemorton), Mark Angelo Harrison has a unique perspective to tell their inside story. He vividly charts their nomadic journey and the rapid escalation of their popularity - and notoriety. From small squat-scene parties in London to enormous warehouse raves and free festivals. From one little overloaded van to the mighty convoy of matt-black military vehicles that instigated the teknivals of Europe.
After a five minute career as a cleaner at the Gillette shaving foam factory in Reading, Mark Angelo Harrison put down his bucket and mop and picked up a pen and a bottle of black ink. He jumped on a train to London and fell in with a nocturnal crowd of DJs, musicians and artists. Wherever he went, he carried his pen and would often be seen scribbling ideas and sketching designs into one of his tattered notebooks. Momentarily (after finding a job at a printer on Ladbroke Grove), his life stabilised into a flat-lined nine to five. He was doing well, having just accepted a promotion from tea boy to photocopy operator. But life was about to deal him an unexpected wild card. One night, while alone and working late, he became curious about a new industrial laser copier recently installed in the printworks basement. Unaware that he was only the thickness of a printed image away from a total dimensional shift, he experimented with its zoom capabilities. While digitally exploring the image of an ammonite, he became sucked into its logarithmic spiral – to him, a symbol of life, evolution and chaos. The next day he didn't return to work, choosing instead to throw himself into a new project – something he called: Spiral Tribe.
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