Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Reynolds provides an expanded and updated version of his now-classic Generation Ecstasy (1998), chronicling the history of rave music on both sides of the Atlantic, from London to Manchester to New York, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Unlike other music writers, Reynolds, in his self-proclaimed role as participant observer, approaches his subject as both fan and critic, finding the perfect balance between autobiography and neutral eyewitness. He also happens to be a terrific writer. In pungent prose, Reynolds confronts, too, the controversial issue of rave and drugs ( Does this music only make sense when the listener is under the influence? ). Rave, he contends, is more than music and drugs; it is also a lifestyle, and, to its most devoted of fans, it is like a religion. Among the many genres and trends discussed are acid house, ambient, pirate radio, jungle, gabba, happy hardcore, trip hop, sampling, speed garage, and big beat. In addition, Reynolds includes four new chapters covering what happened during the last decade, such as the resurgence of trance, 2-step garage, the retroelectric eighties revival as well as the emergence of new genres of dance music, including microhouse, breakcore, grime, and dubstep. There is also a chapter on deejaying and remixing. Throughout the book, the ever-astute Reynolds offers his ideas, and philosophy, about dance culture. Authoritative.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Reynolds (Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-84) shakes up his landmark 1998 volume on rave culture (Generation Ecstasy) with an expanded and updated edition that promises much and does not disappoint. This pop culture narrative is hip, perfect for the newcomer and old guard raver, and appropriately addictive. While Reynolds's approach is definitely biased-the author candidly acknowledges his anthropologically problematic role as "participant observer-", the result is "a constant shifting.between calm `omniscience' and enflamed monomania," and it makes for great reading. Reynolds guides readers through the early days of techno in late 1970s and early 80s New York, Chicago, and Detroit, to the "pure Balearic" sounds of Ibiza, and onward to the Madchester movement in northern England and 24-hour party people. While the occasional glorification of drugs may polarize some readers, (Ecstasy, or MDMA, is posited as "the remedy for the alienation caused by an atomized society"), Reynolds dutifully chronicles the negative buzz surrounding substance abuse and the inevitable retreat of dance culture back to the underground. Cue mid-90s pirate radio, Euro-Trance, and a tamer but no less soulful post-millennial U.K. garage scene and its compliment across the Atlantic in U.S. nu-wave revivalist movements. Innovatively cyclical in its sampling of the past with eyes on the future, rave music and dance culture continue to morph into new subversive musical forms. For the moment though, Reynolds's guide is the one to beat. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
When it first appeared in 1998 under the title Generation Ecstasy, Reynolds's (Rip It Up and Start Again) work received praise for its insider take on the myriad subgenres of electronic dance music. Critics took issue, though, with its lack of objectivity in describing those subgenres. This reissue, which includes four new chapters covering developments from the late-1990s resurgence of trance to the current dubstep phenomenon, acknowledges that partisanship but does little to rectify it. Nevertheless, you won't find a better all-in-one historical overview of the music, personalities, drugs, and cultural trends that influenced the rave scene in the UK and beyond. Verdict Although this book is neither an academic study nor a scene memoir, Reynolds uses his authoritative voice and ability to draw clear parallels to more established genres to pull off that most difficult of feats: effectively describing a style of music that may be completely alien to his audience. That this music can, as Reynolds himself admits, often be fully appreciated only by listeners in a chemically altered state makes this achievement doubly impressive. Highly recommended for contemporary music collections and all fans of electronica.-Neil Derksen, Gwinnett Cty. P.L., Lawrenceville, GA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
