Electronic music icon Moby recently asserted that the UK played a pivotal role in inventing rave culture. He shared these thoughts during his headline performance at the 2026 On The Beach Festival, marking his first live show in nearly 25 years.
During his set, which included fan favourites such as 'Porcelain' and 'Natural Blues', Moby explained his long-standing admiration for British culture. He noted that while his friend Frankie Knuckles invented house music in Chicago, it was UK figures like Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Pete Tong, and Carl Cox who “invented rave culture”.
Moby described visiting the UK in the early 1990s, recalling his first rave experience at Rain Dance in 1991, where 10,000 people were celebrating. He dedicated his final song of the night, 1994's 'Feeling So Real', to “the spirit of rave culture that you invented, and have kept alive” since the 90s.