6. MILTON KEYNES: Worth Raving About

This episode contains references to drug use.

Raves, drugs, and a youth culture revolution. In Milton Keynes?

Anouska’s hometown of Milton Keynes (or MK to the locals x) isn’t known for being particularly cool… But in the nineties and the noughties it was home to a warehouse venue at the centre of UK club culture. From 1992-2004 the Sanctuary Music Arena hosted events that welcomed thousands of ravers every week.

What happened when house music and MDMA collided to create UK rave culture in this era? And as someone who has constantly been told that the only exciting thing about Milton Keynes is its roundabouts, will this piece of rave history make Anouska more proud of her hometown?

For the last episode in this series, History Hun (Anouska Lewis) on her homecoming trip to Milton Keynes as she speaks to locals at the site of The Sanctuary Music Arena (now a blue and yellow furniture shop), chats to Happy Hardcore DJ Billy Daniel Bunter about his memories there, and visits a local Drum and Bass venue that hosts Sanctuary reunion raves.

History Hun is on a mission to prove that no hometown is boring. Because everywhere has a history and history’s never boring!!

She’s spotlighting hidden histories from misjudged places across the UK and supplying you with a few history-hun-facts along the way x

Hometown Boring? is a Mags Creative production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab

Written, produced and presented by Anouska Lewis

Senior Producer – Ryan Nile

Editors – Kit Milsom and Sarah Myles

Executive Producers – James Norman Fyfe and Kit Milsom

Theme Music and Sound Design – Kit Milsom

Artwork – Ellie Walmsley

Additional – Amanda Birbara

Commissioning Editor – Khaliq Meer