Exported out of Chicago and Detroit in the late 80s, House and Techno music washed back up on US shores in the early 90s, repackaged as ‘Rave’ (Hardcore Techno) by the English, Belgians, Germans, et al. UK live acts like The Shamen, 808 State, Altern-8 and The Prodigy began to put a face to what most Americans considered to be ‘faceless’ music while the Alternative Dance Music era of American clubbing faded into the background.
Before the World Wide Web made connecting with like-minded heads as easy as a few clicks, news of underground dance culture spread through word-of-mouth and DIY fanzines—called ‘zines—published and distributed by fellow DJs, artists, and insiders at record shops, clothing stores, and other hangouts.
Based in the city of Tampa in Central Florida, one of America’s most fertile scenes, TRiP MAGAZEEN publishers Peter Wohelski, DJ Three, and Grumptronix document burgeoning US rave culture whilst keeping tempo with the global village from 1992 through 1994. Across 16 issues, never before compiled online or in print, TRiP traverses the underground through the eyes of its progenitors during the peak & dissolution of Rave as a major label commodity. Over 750 multi-genre record reviews and DJ/retail charts provide a detailed sonic roadmap along the way.
Created pre-internet on early desktop publishing tools, TRiP conducted over 60 of the earliest American interviews from recording artists, DJs and luminaries including Aphex Twin, The Prodigy, Moby, Richie Hawtin & John Acquaviva (Plus 8), DJ Hell, J. Saul Kane (Vinyl Solution), Cabaret Voltaire, Orbital, The Orb, Autechre, Laurent Garnier, Dubtribe Sound System, Hardkiss Music, Caspar Pound (Rising High Records), Mixmaster Morris, Inner City, Terre Thaemlitz (aka DJ Sprinkles), Paul van Dyk, Seefeel, Black Dog Productions, Future Sound Of London, Global Communications, jungle/drum n bass pioneers Dan Donnelly (Suburban Bass), Rob Playford, A Guy Called Gerald, and the late psychedelic explorer / counterculture author / rave philosopher Terence McKenna.
In over 2 1/2 years of publishing, TRiP’s coverage garnered the attention of bigger UK dance culture bibles DJ Magazine, Mixmag, and Jockey Slut, as well as German fanzine Size, with credited quotes from its interviews appearing in stories on Aphex Twin, Future Sound of London, and Laurent Garnier. TRiP even received a postcard from enigmatic Underground Resistance co-founder Mad Mike Banks expressing his utmost respect for TRiP’s coverage of Detroit artists and releases.
After becoming immersed in the London rave scene in the early 90s, TRiP Magazeen founder Peter Wohelski returned to his adopted hometown of Tampa, Florida, inspired by the vibrant sights and sounds of live electronic bands The Orb, Shamen, and Orbital, late-night pirate radio, and Colin Dale's KISS-FM show. Looking to capture this exciting new culture hitting US shores, he took the culture's DIY spirit to heart, using early desktop publishing tools to create TRiP out of his apartment with the help of fellow electronic evangelists Wayne Consiglio and DJ Three.
Finally closing the fanzine in December 1994 to accept a role as Director of A&R at American label powerhouse Astralwerks, he became the steward of The Chemical Brothers' early American success.
As a respected electronic music industry figure, Peter later left his mark on developing iconic electronic artists, labels, and brands in the US, such as Detroit techno legend Carl Craig, Damian Lazarus' Crosstown Rebels, Soma, Beatport, and others.
He is now retired from the music industry and lives in Denver, Colorado.
DJ Three has been tirelessly holding the flag for underground electronic music in the US since his rise out of the sunny state of Florida in the early 90’s. In that time, he’s emerged as one of the brightest DJ talents from the US and continues to be a true inspiration around the globe. His rare, but celebrated production credits include classic remixes as Three AM for Rabbit In The Moon and the Multiple Mirrors EP by Second Hand Satellites. He’s been involved or, at the helm, of three of the most beloved underground American record labels since 1992 until now with Hallucination Recordings, Hallucination Limited and Hallucienda.
DJ Three's tour dates show both diversity in audience and a genre-bending passion for good music. He’s held residencies at New York City's Twilo, Cielo (Robots), Love, Blk Market Membership and Output in Brooklyn, as well as Florida’s legendary Simons in the 90’s, Snatch in Tampa in the 00’s and The Electric Pickle in Miami all while playing lauded guest spots at San Francisco’s Wicked, fabric London, Panorama Bar, Public Records in Brooklyn and forward thinking festivals like Labyrinth Festival (Japan), Sunset Campout (USA), Day Zero (Mexico), Rainbow Serpent Festival (Australia) and Houghton Festival (UK).
As a Florida teenager in the late 80’s, Grumptronix discovered the music of New Order and became obsessed about anything to do with The Haçienda or Factory Records. He’d spend weekends at the mall searching for Transmat and Trax Records releases and then head home to compile warm-up mixtapes for his school basketball team. Seeking new sounds at the local teen club on weekends, he quickly became frustrated by what the DJ was playing. This led to bringing a handful of his own records to the club and stepping into the booth when the DJ needed a break. Soon he'd be offered his own DJ residency. Additionally, he’d attend the ever eclectic Alternative Dance Music nights throughout Central Florida until eventually linking up with DJ Three in 1991 to take part in some of the first one-off raves in the Southeast. A month long trip to London in 1994 would feature gigs at famed underground club Megatripolis inspiring him to start his own label. Here he began to share his own productions through Erotic City Communications, his electro-focused sub-label of the mighty Hallucination Recordings. Word of mouth about his specialized DJ sets began to spread through a series of still in-demand electro and drum & bass mixtapes like Reflective Skin and Blueprint. Despite an intentionally low profile, Grumptronix releases are known far and wide, played by the likes of the late, great Andrew Weatherall, DJ Hell, Ellen Alien and of course, DJ Three. In 2020, Scotland’s Craigie Knowes label released a three-part vinyl retrospective showcasing the Grumptronix sound. Today, in addition to a career in graphic design, he owns & operates the Body Works imprint releasing underground dance music from the likes of Kirk Degiorgio, Timothy J. Fairplay, Tracey and Luke Slater.
