Join the Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music

by Matt Anniss

Since the dawn of the 1990s, British dance music has been in thrall to the seductive power of weighty sub-bass. It is a key ingredient in a string of British-pioneered genres, including hardcore, jungle, drum & bass, dubstep, UK garage and grime. In Join The Future, dance music journalist Matt Anniss traces the roots, origins, development and legacy of the sound that started it all: the first distinctively British form of electronic dance music, bleep techno. A mixture of social, cultural, musical and oral history, Join The Future reveals the untold stories of bleep's Yorkshire pioneers and those that came in their wake, moving from electro all-dayers and dub soundsystem clashes of the mid-1980s to the birth of hardcore and jungle in London and the South East. Along the way, you'll find first-hand accounts of key clubs and raves, biographies of forgotten and overlooked production pioneers, stories of bleep outposts in Canada and the United States, and the inside story of the early years of one of electronic music's most iconic labels, Warp Records.

Genres: Music, Collections, History

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Anniss' chronicle of the birth of bass-centric dance music in the UK is outstanding in its scope and detail. The foregrounding of race and class is integral to the unfolding of the story and the author is perennially aware of the pitfalls inherent in the received narrative of acid house. Excellent lists of tunes to dig into and entertaining anecdotes abound. Great work from Anniss and Velocity Press.

[Emma Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic reorganisation of the established dance music story, putting Yorkshire – and the dancers – back into the heart of things.

[Katrien Schuermans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total recommended read for anyone with an interest in the UK bass-sound and its history of bleep techno. The book comes with plenty listening suggestions. Unmissable!

[DJ_Keyser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Anniss gives a thoroughly researched and incredibly detailed analysis of the origins of modern UK dance music through Bleep and Bass, a movement that itself owes great debt to Jamaican soundsystem culture. An essential read for anyone with a love of electronica and a desire to soak up any and all available knowledge about a timeless genre whose influences can still be felt strongly today in labels such as Warp, Ninja Tune and Stones Throw.

[Ben H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so interesting to hear about how the birth of bleep techno happened in the North of England. Hearing about the socio-economic aspects of the region at the time and how it all progressed through the years. All starting with Blues events in people’s gaffs and then expanding out and with all the dance crews, blending different groups of people together and forming some of the most inventive music of the time.

Also serious shout out to the bleepography as I’ll be coming back to that for years to come.

A great read for anyone interested in rave and electronic dance music and it’s history throughout Britain.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book, full of insight and was an easy read. Also really appreciate the detailed suggested listening for each chapter in the back of the book. Looking forward to delving into that.

I kinda wished it didn't just end like it did though, it'd be interesting to have more of an investigation into what these artists are doing now and how the sound evolved or is still going. It was touched on a bit but it felt like the focus was very much in the past.

Still, great book with vital research.

[George Bate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst reading this book I've (re)familiarised myself with a lot of the music discussed within. Whilst undoubtedly influential, I think it's fair to say that much of it has aged (very) badly. Nevertheless, Anniss' book is a well written and fascinating account of the genre.

[Joe Downie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading about a music scene I barely even knew existed... Very cool.