Electronic dance music was once the utopian frontier of pop culture. But three decades after the acid house 'summer of love', it has gone from subculture to the global mainstream. Does it still have the same power to inspire?
From the pleasure palaces of Ibiza and Las Vegas to 'new frontiers' like Shanghai and Dubai, raving is now a multi-million-dollar business. But there are still hardcore believers upholding its DIY ethos - the techno idealists of Berlin and Detroit and the queer subcults of New York, the post-apartheid party people of South Africa and the outlaw techno travellers of France.
In Rave On, Matthew Collin travels the world to experience these unique scenes first-hand, talk to the key players and hear the story of how dance culture went global - and find out if its maverick spirit can survive its own success.
"At last somebody has written the real history of the last ten years, and written it with such wit, verve, empathy and profound intelligence. I can't recommend this marvellous piece of work enough." --Irvine Welsh
"Altered State remains the definitive story of the last decade's love affair with MDMA and mucking about in fields just off the M25" --Q
"The first book to forensically document the acid house explosion ... written with the authority of the first-hander" --Mixmag
"Altered State is not just timely; it was crying out to be written" --Independent
Matthew Collin has a reporter's eye, a critic's erudition and a fan's passion -- Dorian Lynskey, author of 33 Revolutions Per Minute
Matthew Collin is the author of Altered State, the definitive story of acid house and rave culture in Britain. He has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, Al Jazeera and Agence France-Presse, and as editor for i-D magazine, the Time Out website, the Big Issue and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. He has also written for many newspapers and magazines, including the Wire, Guardian, Observer, Mixmag and Mojo.