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Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House
Altered State tracks the development of Ecstasy culture from its roots in the psychedelic uudergrouud and gay disco movements of America in the '70s, through the utopian frenzy of acid house and the illegal rave spectaculars of the late '80s, to the ultimate creation of a mass drug culture in '90s Britain. The book pulls together the disparate threads of an extraordinary t...more
Paperback, Updated, 320 pages
Published
November 1st 1998
by Serpent's Tail
(first published April 1997)
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*Note: I have the non-updated version from before 1998, so I'm unsure of what was added*
This was a great walk-through of sub-culture life that led to both the explosion of drug-use among party-goers, as well as the influences and party scenes that created the fundamentals for the electronic music scenes. Overall, most of the details are present, but since the author covers so much ground he does run into a few gaps (mostly in the re-telling of the US electronic music stories, due mostly to the l...more
This was a great walk-through of sub-culture life that led to both the explosion of drug-use among party-goers, as well as the influences and party scenes that created the fundamentals for the electronic music scenes. Overall, most of the details are present, but since the author covers so much ground he does run into a few gaps (mostly in the re-telling of the US electronic music stories, due mostly to the l...more
A history of England's 89 "Summer of Love" (Acid House! E' Em Up! etc. etc.) as viewed the lens of UK politics. It's a decent read but a bit too earnest and thesis-y at times. I much prefer the daft oral history of Once in a Lifetime. It's less focused on constructing a sociopolitical narrative but the stories just come through more vividly and you get a much better feel for what things were like at the time. Ecstasy, it's a hell of a drug.
I had to rate this a 5, if only because i am name-checked in the thanks. Matthew has done his research really well - he interviewed all the main protagonists, and got some reliable heresay on those who were eithe too far gone or dead...
I think this is a superb book - it actually is the story of ecstasy and acid house - long gone days, but fondly remembered!
I think this is a superb book - it actually is the story of ecstasy and acid house - long gone days, but fondly remembered!
this book makes you learn new things.
these letters face forward: b c e f h k m n p r s t
these letters face backward: a d g j q u y z
these letters look right at you: i l o v w x
and if you read the ones that look right at you as a sentence, you're saying, "i love wax."
think about that.
these letters face forward: b c e f h k m n p r s t
these letters face backward: a d g j q u y z
these letters look right at you: i l o v w x
and if you read the ones that look right at you as a sentence, you're saying, "i love wax."
think about that.
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Jul 26, 2011
Claire
added it
Probably the definitive account of the explosion of rave culture and its roots. A fascinating read if you've ever waved your hands in the air and fallen off a few podiums in your time...
If you are at all interested in the history of electronic/dance music or just the evolution of musical pop culture and "scenes", you owe it to yourself to check this out. This guy's historical narratives are so tight, he can make the execution of an underground rave in early '90s Britain unfold like the Watergate scandal.
Everybody needs a history. In 20 years this, Ecstasy and the Dance Culture and Fierce Dancing will be the Storming Heaven LSD and the American Dream, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and The Politics of Ecstasy for another generation. Or something. It's very interesting, anyway.
concise history of the UK dance scene from the summer of love into the mid 90s (I haven't read the updated one, which may go further)
A definitive history of the E generation, the late 80s to early 90s ravers, from a British perspective.
review to follow
May 19, 2013
Ana Stasia
is currently reading it
Mar 26, 2013
krzysztof
marked it as to-read
Mar 16, 2013
Kurtzprzezce
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
music
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