Nocturnal Wonderland Anniversary Flyers Remixed

The flyer has been a cornerstone of rave culture for over 20 years. Its job is to entice, inform, and sear a small but indelible memory into the cerebrum of those who view it. This party looks amazing. No matter what happens, there’s no way I can miss this. These days, companies can rely on all manner of marketing tactics, from teasers and trailers to fully immersive websites, but the flyer was always the first—and in most cases the only—promotional volley.

To honor Nocturnal Wonderland’s milestone, we commissioned three artists to create their own 20th anniversary posters. Below are the fruits of their labor and the inspiration for their work, in their own words.

TYKE WITNES AWR

“My inspiration came from the early- and mid-‘90s Los Angeles rave flyers, which were created at a time when Mac or PC computer graphics had just started to be used. Many of these old rave flyers were often knockoffs or parodies of commercial products like laundry detergents (Tide, Cheer), cereals (Trix) or candies (Life Savers). For my flyer, I decided to knock off the famous ice cream sandwich IT’S–IT!

“I designed it to look like a real flyer one would get back in 1995, before kids had the internet and cell phones—the days of dirty pay phones and pagers. Flyers would give you the voicemail number that would lead to the map point for tickets and directions. Sometimes you’d get the flyers by hand in a filthy, sweaty warehouse; sometimes you would submit your name and address to promoters, who would mail them to you. To honor that tradition, I left a mail sticker on.”

ROB PYBUS

“Looking at the old flyers from the mid- to late-‘90s, it was easy to get caught up in my own nostalgia of all the comics and images I was poring over at that time—things from the detailed and brightly colored comic book world that inspired me, as well as finding a new appreciation for books I looked at when I was younger.

“Seeing what Nocturnal used during this time—with their strange and psychedelic characters—I wanted to meld those things I was into with the imagery Insomniac had used. What came out was a surreal scene high above a woodland at night, with people eagerly racing to the top of a tree trunk to get to a party—a bit like a trippy version of The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. The scenes portrayed in the Nocturnal flyers always seemed to feature these strange and slightly creepy animals or people, full of energy. I tried to emulate this.”

XPRES

“This piece is a throwback to the warehouse parties of the early ‘90s that took us from Venice Beach to remote parts of the city covered in graffiti. I was always inspired by the beautiful girls, psychedelic light shows, flyers, props and theatrics. There was usually a bit of adrenaline in the air and a sense of adventure. Pasquale, I and a handful of friends and rivals would have dance battles and b-boy—a competitive energy that also crossed into the graff scene.

“I have been influenced by a variety of artists that created posters in the ‘60s and evolved into surf and skateboard art. I also like the pen-and-ink graphics on punk flyers from the previous era that are more morbid. I tried to keep the dark carnival vibe fun and seductive on this piece and tap into the way those early raves would make me feel.”