Apparently music writer Simon Reynolds is following in the footsteps of backward-looking musicians everywhere and reissuing his foundational 1998 rave history, Energy Flash. Seems a little ironic, don’t you think, that a guy who basically book-length yelled at all of us for being a little too stuck in the past is now repeating his own history?
Just kidding! Reynolds is the author of some of the most interesting music writing available these days, including 2005’s Rip It Up and Start Again and 2011’s Retromania. Energy Flash is his essential book on rave culture and dance music of the late 80s and 90s, and it’s been called a “must-read” by all sorts of people who both read books and are known for telling other people what to do. For those unfamiliar with it, the book relies heavily on Reynolds’ firsthand experiences of the early rave scene and features interviews with artists like Aphex Twin and Goldie. The expanded edition has a new section on the rise of dubstep and America’s current obsession with EDM. I, for one, am looking forward to Reynolds explaining the American EDM thing and am seriously hoping that he’ll include a section called “Taylor, Here’s How to Talk to Your Grandmother about footwork,” because, let me tell you, I was at a total loss over Christmas.
The expanded version will be out in bookstores and as an e-book on June 20. If you’re not too stuck in the past, maybe download it to one of your digital devices and read it in between cat videos. The book is published by Faber & Faber, and Reynolds will be reading from the book’s new section at The Faber Social on April 2 in London.
• Simon Reynolds: http://blissout.blogspot.com
• Energy Flash: http://energyflashbysimonreynolds.blogspot.co.uk
• Faber & Faber: http://www.faber.co.uk
