Energy flash - Simon Reynolds

The first critical history of the music as well as the drugs, Energy Flash charts the journey from Chicago house and Detroit techno to the blessed-out daze of acid house and 'Madchester', through the mass hysteria of early nineties hardcore rave and the birth of jungle, right up to today's glorious confusion of styles and scenes: trance, trip hop, gabba, big beat, speed garage, and more. From the crusty-raver free-party scene to pirate radio, from the politics of Ecstasy culture to the dark side of recreational drug use, Energy Flash is the definitive chronicle of rave music and dance culture.

Incorporating interviews with the prime movers in electronic dance music - Derrick May, Paul Oakenfold, Mr C, 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, Primal Scream, Orbital, The Prodigy, Spiral Tribe, Goldie, 4 Hero, Aphex Twin, Tricky, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin, DJ Shadow, Alec Empire, to name just a few - Energy Flash celebrates rave culture's quest for the perfect beat and the ultimate rush.