Rave America: New School Dancescapes

by Mireille Silcott

For the last three years, the sale of Technics 1200 turntables (used by DJs in clubs) have outstripped those of electric guitars. Raves have gone from parties involving a few hundred people to commercially sponsored festivals drawing tens of thousands of fans. Rave America is the first book devoted to this massive phenomenon. Through hundreds of interviews with DJs, recording artists, producers, promoters, drug lords, club celebrities, and nightworld casualties, this book takes readers into the deepest recesses of the electronic dance culture, uncovering secrets and stories never before seen in print. Rave America begins with a whirlwind tour of North American club culture in the 70s and 80s, then plunges into the diverse sounds, sights, and histories of some of the most vital rave territories: the deafening walls of sound of DJ Frankie Bones’s earliest New York Storm raves; the acid-fuelled dreams of San Francisco’s hippiefied Full Moon beach parties; Florida’s DJ Icey and his factions of teenage breakdancers on Ecstasy; the dark Satanic techno rituals of the Midwest’s Drop Bass Network; the twelve-hour post-aids “muscle raves” of the cross-country gay circuit parties. Rave America examines both the dreams and nightmares of a pre-millennium continent after dark. Written by noted music critic and dedicated club culturist Mireille Silcott, Rave America: Inside Club Culture will appeal to everyone from the most jaded scenester, to those who just want to uncover a bit of nighttime drama. A definite must for anyone who’s ever wondered what’s been lurking beneath the gleam of this decade’s dance floors.

Genres: Music

188 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 1999

Reviews

[Alejo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be outdated, and as the author notes, Energy Flash gives a more in-depth look of the Electronic Music genre. Anyway, it takes into account other details that other books overlook, and is especially interesting for those into Hardcore Techno (check the chapter about the Midwest).

[Tony G · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book, as a very dedicated student of dance music it exposed me to a period of american dance music history i really didn't know much about.

[Marcus Conover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up for a few bucks at Amoeba in Hollywood, not expecting much from a book written about the rave scene in 1999 (a couple of years after I fell in love with electronic music). To my surprise, this ended up being quite the page turner. Extra points for the author including a section about gay circuit parties. 🏳️‍🌈 Highly recommended!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

rave on. mandy's picture is in this book!