Subscriber Playlist, October 2023: Rave Unto the Lord
A selection of Christian techno, dance, and electronic music from the ’90s.
One of my goals with Opus is to shine a light on art, and music especially, that flies under the radar and might otherwise be overlooked. That usually means writing about stuff like Swedish dark ambient, Japanese city pop, and German video game soundtracks. However, it’s very apropos when talking about non-mainstream Christian music from the ’80s, ’90s, and early ’00s, and even doubly so when talking about Christian electronic music from that era.
Think of any music genre and you can probably find Christians at work in it, even seemingly “anti-Christian” genres like goth, industrial, and black metal. Another genre that has often been considered antithetical to Christianity, due to the debauchery and excess that often surrounds it, is electronic music. And specifically, techno and house (and to a lesser extent, jungle and drum n’ bass). Believe it or not, though, there was actually a thriving Christian electronic music scene in the early-to-mid ’90s led by labels like Myx and N*Soul, both of which were overseen by Scott Blackwell (who’s been credited as the first DJ to produce techno/dance music for the Christian market).
The fact that such music encouraged dancing — an activity frowned upon in conservative circles like those of my childhood — immediately made it suspect for many Christians. And I have no doubt that many secular fans also saw it as suspect because of the artists’ blatant proclamations of their Christian faith. Christian electronic music could be very evangelistic in nature, what with all of the earnest and heartfelt shout-outs and rave-ups to God. Indeed, both Myx and N*Soul released numerous praise and worship albums with titles like A Myx’d Trip to a Gospel House and Ultimate Nitro Praise that often featured dance-friendly versions of classic hymns and worship songs.
Thus, much like their cohorts in the indie and alternative realms, Christian electronic artists existed in a sort of parallel universe all their own. Which, on the one hand, featured an explosion of artists like Antidote, Bubblebaby, The Echoing Green, Faith Massive, Jyradelix, Prodigal Sons, Prophecy of P.A.N.I.C., and Zero, to name a few. On the other hand, it’s incredibly niche nature means that this music can be very hard to find these days, especially on streaming services. (You might have better luck tracking it down via YouTube or the Internet Archive.)
In any case, I have very fond memories of this music, some of which I probably danced to until the wee hours of the night in the Cornerstone Festival’s rave tent. (Yes, Christian raves are/were a thing, though hopefully with far fewer mind-altering substances involved.) It’s a fascinating chapter in the history of Christian music, and one that many — even many Christians — might scoff at. But far be it from me to let this era pass by unknown, unmentioned, and unloved; it’s simply too weird and unique for that.