Way back when the iron lady (Margaret Thatcher) was in power, there was a movement called Acid House’ or ‘Rave’. Born in the UK, (not the US as some people believe) it has been regarded as one of the biggest youth revolutions since the sixties.

People of all walks of life came together at these mass gatherings: teachers danced next to footballers, next to gangstas, next to businesspeople, and next to the unemployed. It was a live-and-let-live, hedonistic, and heavily drug-fueled atmosphere. The early 90s anti-establishment movement brought together large groups of people united by the same philosophy of peace, love, unity, respect, tolerance, and happiness.

There's a crusade going on that demands DJs to appropriate the early '90s rave culture by copying retro flyer designs from the past. This aesthetic trend permits emerging DJs instant street cred because it displays naive punters the impression that they've been in the game since the beginning. Despite this, there is still a demand for gritty, low-tech, DIY-style PSD flyer mockups.

The aesthetic of the underground acid rave is a small amount of late 80s futurism combined with an excessive amount of drug consumption, specifically MDMA (ecstasy)! Way back when the rave poster designer was designing the flyer, he or she wanted to convey a surreal experience. At the time they did what they could for inspiration, so they borrowed Salvador Dali surrealism, and the computer-aided revolutionary design of the time: grids, lasers, and heat maps.

This old school rave flyer can be used to create billboards to promote your next rave event, or even make a retro 90s rave t-shirt if you like. Because it's fully editable and hi res (300 DPI) you can also use it for all your social media posts. IE Facebook banner or an Instagram platform. There are plenty of options to choose from so feel free to use it in any capacity you like.

Furthermore, this eccentric electronic dance music flyer is distressed so it looks like it's been kept in a drawer for a period of time. Basically, it looks authentic. The Photoshop file is fully editable, using the latest 2022 Adobe Photoshop CC you can make use of these flyer designs an unlimited number of times 100% royalty-free. You're free to customise the designs however you wish and use in both personal and commercial projects without ever crediting me.

Check out the rest of my shop: https://creativemarket.com/SamCarter I have t shirts and other useful rave flyer and dj graphics you can purchase at your convenience and if you have any questions, please contact me, I will be happy to help you :) Peace out ;)

Technical Specifications

File Type Adobe Photoshop PSD
Layer Structure Organised, labelled and colour coded
File Size: 328 Meg (Flyer + Insta Story)
Size: The flyer is A4 and the Instgram story is 1080x1920px
DPI 300
Colour Model RGB

FAQ

Can I put my own pic in the infra-red style section of the file? Yes, there is a tutorial too in the help file
Are the fonts free to use? Yes they can be used on commercial or personal projects
Does it come with the fonts included? No, however, the help file will have the link for you to download it
Is this 'dance music event photoshop template' vector? Some of the elements are, and Ive tried to use 'Photoshop shapes' as much as possible
Can I print this rave flyer template? Yes its 300DPI RGB (but pls change to CMYK) just import into InDesign. There is 3mm bleed already added
Technique used for the distress? Displacement maps in a photoshop smart object. Don't worry I can provide a tutorial in the help file!
Got any other links about RAVE culture? Yes, there is a great podcast included in the help file to really get you in the mood and I have a Pinterest page full of rave flyer influences and inspiration.