The film was directed by Joe Massot,[1] who originally wanted to do a film only about the band Madness, whom he met during their first US tour. Massot later changed his plans to include the whole 2 Tone movement. The film, shot in 1980, comprised performance footage of Madness, The Specials, The Selecter, The Bodysnatchers, the Beat and Bad Manners on tour throughout the United Kingdom. A soundtrack album of the same name was released the same year, featuring fifteen of the songs that were featured in the film. Later versions of the soundtrack album do not contain the Madness tracks, adding tracks credited to the Special AKA, a later incarnation of the Specials.
In 2023, Dance Craze returned to cinemas, and was released on Blu-ray and DVD.[2]