Level 23 was an Australian lifestyle program that aired briefly on Network Ten in 1994, featuring news, stories and interviews for a contemporary youth audience. This segment explores the rapid rise of the electronic dance scene and a striking new video created to promote safer raving.

It offers a glimpse of one of Australia's most distinctive and visually arresting public service videos, designed for ravers who may have been inebriated or distracted by the environment’s intensity. Funded by the AIDS Bureau, the NSW Department of Health and the AIDS Trust of Australia, the computer-animated Rave Safe PSA was screened at dance parties nationwide. Amid kinetic, psychedelic visuals, flashes of text deliver concise messages including SAFE SEX, NEW FIT SAFE HIT and H2O.

The excerpt reflects Level 23's relaxed, youth-focused style, which sought to engage directly with the interests, concerns and attitudes of its demographic. Rather than reporting from a distance, its young hosts are immersed in the rave scene, chatting with prominent figures from the 1990s dance community. Casual banter and interviews with popular DJs such as Ming D and Peewee Ferris – both supportive of the campaign's harm-minimisation message – help make the public health messaging feel more accessible and relevant to its young audience, who may otherwise find official health messaging too dry.

Capturing Level 23's blend of trend reporting, arts coverage and expert commentary, the clip reflects the series’ focus on issues shaping the lives of young Australians.

Explore more of After Dark – a Deep Dive into Australian nightlife that draws on decades of material from the NFSA collection.