In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats | Barbican

A groundbreaking immersive virtual reality experience, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, has opened at London’s Barbican Centre as part of its Frequencies programme—a series of events and exhibitions exploring “the sounds that shape us”.

Running until 3rd August, the installation invites visitors to step back in time to 1989, the peak of acid house and UK rave culture. Groups of four share the virtual space and interact as if they were there themselves, experiencing the rush of this transformative scene.

Created by Darren Emerson and East City Films, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats first premiered in Coventry in 2022. Now described as “the UK’s biggest VR experience”, the latest version is joined at the Barbican by Feel The Sound, a wide-ranging exhibition investigating the physicality of sound, as well as performances and events spanning everything from Jeff Mills with the London Symphony Orchestra to a celebration of London’s pirate radio stations.

“I find music documentaries about acid house a bit boring,” Emerson told DJ Mag. “They’re always the same: someone in a studio telling you how it was amazing. My feeling is frustration—I don’t want to hear about it, I want to be there.”

Set in 1989, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats is pitched as a “living documentary” that whisks users from a suburban bedroom to a rave and beyond. Wearing VR headsets, headphones, haptic vests, and controllers, participants can put a record on, leaf through mixtapes and flyers, and eventually join a crowded dancefloor. Positional audio gives the sense of a phone ringing from one side of the room, while a fan simulates the wind of a car ride. The soundtrack is a nostalgic rush of era-defining tracks like Orbital’s Chime and RHYTHMATIC’s Demons.

The project’s roots in the West Midlands reflect both its initial Coventry run and a desire to highlight acid house beyond its better-known scenes in London and Manchester. Featuring talking heads from Coventry and Birmingham, the VR environment brings to life first-hand memories and insights into how rave culture broke down local tensions and football rivalries, all through the immersive storytelling of flyers, posters, and the scene’s unmistakable sound.

But In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats transcends time and place, incorporating dreamlike sequences in which visitors stride along record grooves and glide through neon cityscapes. The visuals draw from real rave flyers—some inspired by library textbooks and science fiction covers—tapping into the sense of futuristic idealism that defined the scene.

“These flyers promise a kind of New Age transcendence,” Emerson said. “It’s something I felt back then—like you were discovering a spiritual part of yourself through dancing and connection. The flyers captured that, and I wanted the VR experience to do the same.”

After its initial tour of Birmingham, Brighton, and Belfast, the installation has exceeded expectations, resonating with older ravers and younger newcomers alike. Following its Barbican run, it will travel to Leeds, Warwick, and Cardiff.

Complementing the VR experience is the Feel The Sound exhibition, open until 31st August, which features works by artists including Jan St. Werner, Elsewhere in India, Alejandra Cardenas, and Tatiana Heuman. The show explores alternative ways of sensing sound, from haptic experiences to reimagined musical instruments and holographic choral pieces that invite visitors to add their own voices.

Meanwhile, the Barbican’s underground car park has been transformed for the first time into an exhibition space. Max Cooper’s Reflections of Being installation here combines audience-sourced words and projections to explore unspoken expression, alongside Joyride by Temporary Pleasure—a neon-lit spectacle of hot rods and pulsating beats.

In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats and Feel The Sound are part of Frequencies at the Barbican Centre, London. In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats runs until 3rd August; Feel The Sound until 31st August. After London, the VR experience will visit Leeds Testbed (15th August – 17th September), Warwick Arts Centre (29th September – 13th October), and the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (24th October – 22nd November).

Find out more and book tickets on the Barbican website.