The Lapsed Clubber Audio Map

Recording the memories of Greater Manchester's rave community, 1985-1995
Powered by Manchester Digital Music Archive

MAP

Help

How do I listen to memories?

To listen to memories simply browse the pins of the map. When you click a pin, the memories associated with it will appear for you to play in the venue heading box in the lower panel of the screen.

You can also use the category filters to find memories that are of particular interest to you.

PLEASE NOTE: you will need to ‘close’ each venue using the X in order to start browsing again. 

Latest memories

You can listen to new memories via the Latest Memories section of the homepage.

How do I pin a new place to the map and add a memory?

Your place could be a club, a festival site, someone’s home, a recording studio, etc. Don’t worry if your venue has been demolished – you will just pin it approximately where it used to be.

1. You will need to create an account by registering with us. This helps us stop spam on the map, but your memory will still be anonymous.

2. Hit the map. You might want to click ‘Find Me’ just to help you orientate yourself. (To use this feature your location services on your device will need to be switched on.)

3. Centre the map on the location you want to add a place to. Use the zoom button to get as close as possible for maximum accuracy. 

4. Next click ‘Add A Place’. If you can’t see the ‘Add A Place’ button click RESET MAP at the top of the page.

(You may also prefer to use the Google Maps ‘Satellite’ view. You can toggle between the main map view and satellite view using the white buttons in the top left hand corner of the map.)

5. Give your place a name, i.e. The Haçienda, and then move your pin to the exact location where you want to drop it. You should zoom in using the + sign as much as possible. 

6. Hit save. You can now pin a memory to the map.

To record a memory:

1. Click your pin to bring up our recording facility.  First give your memory a good title to catch people’s eyes. You can add the club night name below if this is relevant.

2. Then choose a category for your memory. You can choose as many as you like i.e. ‘drugs’ ‘music’ ‘politics’.

3. Next click ‘record’. You have a maximum of 60 seconds to share your memory!

4. Make sure you listen back using the play button and record it again if you are not happy.

9. DON’T FORGET TO SAVE!

I want to pin a memory to an existing place on the map.

1. Locate the place you want to add a memory to. The quickest way to do this it to use the ‘choose a place’ dropdown at the top of the screen.

2. Click the pin to bring up our recording facility. First give your memory a good title to catch people’s eyes. You can add the club night name below if this is relevant.

3. Then choose a category for your memory. You can choose as many as you like i.e. ‘drugs’ ‘music’ ‘politics’. Next click ‘record’. You have a maximum of 60 seconds to share your memory!

4. Make sure you listen back using the play button and record it again if you are not happy.

5. DON’T FORGET TO SAVE!

I can’t play the memories on my desktop/laptop.

Click the play button underneath the memory you want to listen to. The map needs a good, stable internet connection in order to work.

Our map may not be compatible with your browser. We recommend using Chrome or Opera.

If your connection is good, and you are using a compatible browser, there may be another problem. You can report a problem to us at info@mdmarchive.co.uk.

I can’t play memories on my phone/tablet.

Check your phone is not on silent.

Compatibility

You should be able to listen to and browse memories on your most devices, but due to Apple not yet supporting Web RTC browser recording software, performance on iOS is limited.

You can’t record memories using Apple devices yet, but we hope this will change soon.

If you are struggling on non-Apple devices, and your connection is good, there may be another problem. You can report a problem to us here: info@mdmarchive.co.uk.

The map is sticking.

The map needs a good, stable internet connection in order to work.

Try resetting the map, using the RESET MAP button at the top of the screen.

I can't record a memory.

1. Check that the internal microphone on your desktop or laptop is working. For recording purposes, we recommend that you use a desktop or laptop with Chrome as a browser.

2. You will need a good, stable internet connection in order to record.

3. Due to WebRTC recording software being very new is it not yet compatible with Apple products or Safari browser.

If none of these issues are affecting you, you have encountered a bug. You can report a bug by emailing us at info@mdmarchive.co.uk

I can’t think of anything to talk about.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Funniest thing you ever saw in a club
• First time you came up on the dancefloor
• Favourite person you ever met at a rave
• Best-dressed person you ever saw in a club
• Best tune you ever heard played at a party
• Life-changing events
• Politics of the time
• Sense of community

I have spotted a pin in the wrong place.

Please let us know which pin it is and where is should be pinned by emailing us at info@mdmarchive.co.uk.

How can I report a problem?

Please let us know your problem using this form.

How do I reset the map?

If you are using the category filters, you’ll need to click ‘all’ or RESET MAP to return to the normal view of map.

What is the Lapsed Clubber community?

The Lapsed Clubber community is for people who love electronic dance music, appreciate a good DJ set, and enjoy getting lost on the dancefloor. It's for all those who have never fully 'lapsed'. Want to get more involved? Join us here.

What is Manchester Digital Music Archive?

Manchester Digital Music Archive is an online community archive established in 2003 to celebrate Greater Manchester music and its social history.

Which browsers are compatible with WebRTC audio recording?

Firefox 
Google Chrome
Opera
Android Chrome / Firefox / Opera
Microsoft Edge
Safari 11.1 OSX

Not compatible:
Older versions of Safari
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Non-Safari iOS browsers

Coming soon:
Safari 11 iOS

Accessibility Information

We have commissioned a full access audit of this website, which we will share as soon as we get it.

We are already aware that Google Maps is not accessible to visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. This needs to be changed and we hope that Google resolves this soon.

On the home page of this website there is a list of the most recently added audio memories, which we hope will be accessible to visually impaired users. We still need to deepen our understanding of WebRTC's compatibility with screen readers and will report back on this soon.