Following the release of the 3rd edition of our Acid House Love Blueprint Ian and Sonny from Dorothy sat down with music journalist and author Jm Ottewill to discuss their shared experiences of mapping dance music and club culture. The full article was published in December 2025 in Jim's Deeper Into Outer Space Substack.
Image © Dorothy
Ian 'Entanglement is a term that describes an approach to history where everything is considered connected, culture is hybrid and reciprocal, and where everything is influenced by everything else. This seemed to sum up what we try to do with these blueprints nicely. It’s an idea that also acknowledges the lesser known and more marginalised stories and their significance to the history.’
In terms of the new sections, what did you look to showcase/highlight? Were there particular clubs and scenes that you’re pleased to have featured? How did you go about selecting them?
Sonny 'The first stage of identifying gaps in the blueprint starts with our own record collections/what we’ve been listening to. I’d been digging into a lot of Shinichiro Yokota’s catalogue on Bandcamp and picked up a copy of Soichi Terada’s ‘Sounds From the Far East’ compilation whilst in Tokyo prior to starting work on the new edition of the print, so I was eager to carve out a Japanese scene.'
Image © Dorothy
Ian 'I wanted to improve a couple of the main sections. So a few of Chicago’s lesser-known clubs such as Sauer’s, Bismarck Hotel and Medusa’s have been added, as have the Music Institute’s Friday and Saturday clubs Next Generation and Back to Basics in the Detroit section. Having read Matt Annis’s book on Yorkshire bleep and bass I knew I wanted to update the Warp and Sheffield section to connect with Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield, and to get Rob Gordon’s name central to the scene.'
Ian 'We like to include some personal micro stories. In this version I felt confident enough to feature The Western Star Social, which was a Jamaican social and domino club in St Pauls that hosted Bristol’s first full acid house night in late summer of 1988.'
Image © Dorothy
Ian 'Both Sonny and I were keen to highlight the Italian scene. I’d learnt more about it via the research for the disco blueprint, and I’d been to Cocorico when I’d been interrailing in 1990 and remembered that Rimini was getting hailed as the new Ibiza in the style mags around that time. Reading about the club Baia Degli Angeli was fascinating.'
Image © Dorothy
What have been your most memorable clubbing moments?
Sonny 'Seeing Kerri Chandler and Ron Trent at Knockdown Centre in New York'
Ian 'Dancing with mates in a tiny club in Bath that played early techno. Just a strobe and a smoke machine that we could operate ourselves from the side of the DJ booth. Alfredo at Amnesia in 1989 lived up to expectation.'
I’d love to know what you’re listening to at the moment?
Sonny 'I love US-born/Berlin-based Garrett David (protégé of the legendary Chez Damier). He’s making what I would consider the best house music out there at the minute...Then Alex Kassian is someone who we both have equal appreciation for….Very happy to have gotten him on the print too.'
Ian 'Right now, the new Asa Tate and Musclecars releases on Rhythm Section, and a track called ‘Ceibo’ by Auntie Flo. The Payfone album has been a go to since the summer. Most things by Alex Kassian. A beautiful album by Tommy Perman and Morgan Szymanski called ‘Music for the Moon and the Trees’. I’ve listened to a lot of Roy Ayers and Max Romeo this year too (RIP).'
Image © Dorothy
Read the interview via Jim’s Substack here and make sure to support the cause and subscribe to Jim’s page for regular articles.
Jim Ottwell is a freelance music journalist with more than 15 years of experience writing for the likes of Mixmag, FACT, Resident Advisor, Hyponik, MusicTech magazine and more. Jim published his first book, ‘Out of Space - How UK Cities Shaped Rave Culture’ through Velocity Press in 2022.
You can follow him on instagram here and you can read and subscribe to his Substack articles about electronic music and club culture here.
The 3rd edition of Dorothy’s Acid House Love Blueprint is available to buy here.