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Techno Shuffle: rave culture and the Melbourne underground
During the ’90s, Melbourne’s warehouse party scene was at its peak. Every weekend in ‘Techno City’, thousands of ravers expressed their freedom through music, ecstasy and dancing the Melbourne shuffle.
Techno Shuffle traces rave’s evolution from tiny underground clubs to vast waterfront wonderlands sparkling with creativity. We meet the personalities and places that shaped a subculture and we learn how bitter rivalries, the internet and a city on the move ultimately tore the scene apart.
Techno Shuffle unfolds against a backdrop of post-war migration, gay and lesbian rights, the AIDS crisis, Australian drinking culture, the Melbourne gangland killings and the global ascendancy of dance music. During these anxious times in our post-truth age, ’90s rave teaches us the value of freedom, community and respect. Let the party begin.
Techno Shuffle traces rave’s evolution from tiny underground clubs to vast waterfront wonderlands sparkling with creativity. We meet the personalities and places that shaped a subculture and we learn how bitter rivalries, the internet and a city on the move ultimately tore the scene apart.
Techno Shuffle unfolds against a backdrop of post-war migration, gay and lesbian rights, the AIDS crisis, Australian drinking culture, the Melbourne gangland killings and the global ascendancy of dance music. During these anxious times in our post-truth age, ’90s rave teaches us the value of freedom, community and respect. Let the party begin.
- GenresMusic
328 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 29, 2024
Ima be honest, this book is actually very well researched and written (I would have liked more on the melbourne shuffle but that's not here or there).....but the main reason it gets 4 stars is for how many times it brought a smile to my face remembering my misspent youth 🙂
December 21, 2020
Of negligible interest to those who didn't live through this.
March 14, 2019
It’s always good when ravers also happen to be academics and write books about the experience as it means the topic gets the analysis it deserves! Fleckney meticulously researches the history of the Melbourne rave scene and writes in a very enjoyable, easy to understand, relaxed style. The book includes some brilliant direct quotes from people who were there, as well as photos.
I liked this book so much that I read some parts twice.
Fleckney really captures the universal spirit of raving, the context from which rave emerged and was sustained, and the benefits that the scene gives to people. I raved in Perth (and went to the odd rave in other parts of Australia, London and Europe) and could relate to everything he was saying.
That said, I was equally fascinated to read about raves being held in places in Melbourne that I’ve only known as apartment blocks and tourist precincts.
The book will bring back all your rave memories and gives a number of examples where people older than your usual idea of a raver are still raving. You’ll be inspired to get right back into it all again!
I liked this book so much that I read some parts twice.
Fleckney really captures the universal spirit of raving, the context from which rave emerged and was sustained, and the benefits that the scene gives to people. I raved in Perth (and went to the odd rave in other parts of Australia, London and Europe) and could relate to everything he was saying.
That said, I was equally fascinated to read about raves being held in places in Melbourne that I’ve only known as apartment blocks and tourist precincts.
The book will bring back all your rave memories and gives a number of examples where people older than your usual idea of a raver are still raving. You’ll be inspired to get right back into it all again!
November 19, 2024
I highly enjoyed reading this book about the beginning of the Melbourne rave scene. I caught the tail end of the scene described in the book so it was fantastic to hear about its origins in detail from the people who were there. I was quite nostalgic as I read it because it really did take me back hearing about parties, places and names that I hadn’t heard or thought about in a long time.
The book is so well researched, making links to the various people and places that internationally laid the ground work of inspiration for the Melbourne scene. It also is written in a way that truly honors the wonder and uniqueness of our scene that changed everyone’s lives who entered into it fully. Thank you Paul for writing this book with such a genuine curiosity and interest of our scene. It is rare to find a book, documentary or film they captures the essence of the Melbourne rave scene and I believe this book does.
The book is so well researched, making links to the various people and places that internationally laid the ground work of inspiration for the Melbourne scene. It also is written in a way that truly honors the wonder and uniqueness of our scene that changed everyone’s lives who entered into it fully. Thank you Paul for writing this book with such a genuine curiosity and interest of our scene. It is rare to find a book, documentary or film they captures the essence of the Melbourne rave scene and I believe this book does.
November 12, 2020
Yay, I love it!
A very detailed and concise book. Paul has done an amazing job and put together a really fantastic book that will become part of Melbourne's history. He has highlighted and captured the essence of this amazing scene and its history and evolution in Melbourne.
It's so special to have been part of it, even just as a punter enjoying a memorable time. That's what it was all about, having a good time and feeling life!
A very detailed and concise book. Paul has done an amazing job and put together a really fantastic book that will become part of Melbourne's history. He has highlighted and captured the essence of this amazing scene and its history and evolution in Melbourne.
It's so special to have been part of it, even just as a punter enjoying a memorable time. That's what it was all about, having a good time and feeling life!
May 19, 2020
As a young fan of the rave this was a very interesting book, telling me the history and the changes in the rave scene. With great anecdotes and stories this book is awesome!
May 5, 2019
Techno Shuffle is the DEFINITIVE history of the Melbourne raving culture/scene.
If you've lived through it and have trouble recollecting the finer details or if you've missed out on it and want to understand what it was all about - than look no further.
This book has been impeccably researched - from interviews with every major figure of the scene to exhaustive use of existing sources, be it in print, video or multimedia form.
The discography section is a thing of beauty and worth the price of admission alone.
But most importantly this isn't simply a chronological account of the Melbourne Schuffle in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. This is a thoroughly honest attempt to understand why, not just how, this Melbourne generation partied through its formative years.
If you've lived through it and have trouble recollecting the finer details or if you've missed out on it and want to understand what it was all about - than look no further.
This book has been impeccably researched - from interviews with every major figure of the scene to exhaustive use of existing sources, be it in print, video or multimedia form.
The discography section is a thing of beauty and worth the price of admission alone.
But most importantly this isn't simply a chronological account of the Melbourne Schuffle in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. This is a thoroughly honest attempt to understand why, not just how, this Melbourne generation partied through its formative years.
February 17, 2025
gas
actually took some track IDs from ts, getting historical
actually took some track IDs from ts, getting historical
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews