Write Volume 2 of 'Energy Flash'

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ok, so 'energy flash' came out in '98 for the tenth anniversary of the second summer of love; presumably el reynoldo was drafting the thing c. 1996; any second volume would have to be pitched right about now if it was to be published in '08.

so, er anyway, what would it look like, chapter breakdown-wise?

points awarded for audacious argot.

― Enrique IX: The Mediator (Enrique), Monday, 5 June 2006 09:00 (nineteen years ago)

Chapter 1: Pop Is Dead Because I Woke Up In A Bad Mood One Morning And The M.I.A. Video Was On MTV

Chapter 2: ~~Strafe Fur Rebellion~~ Ariel Pink Will Save Us All

Chapters 3-98: Grime As God

Chapters 99-246: Dubstep As Jesus

Chapters 247-1058: Techstep As A N Wilson

Chapter 1059: Only Two Small Shelves?: Why I Can't Live In The City Of Music

Chapter 1060: The Magic Of The Allman Brothers Band

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 5 June 2006 09:16 (nineteen years ago)

I still hope someone would write a companion piece to Energy Flash on what happened in Continental Europe, especially Germany. Reynolds pretty much ignores that, and what he writes on trance is especially inadequate.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 5 June 2006 09:18 (nineteen years ago)

Why don't you go and write something adequate then, if it's that important to you?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 5 June 2006 09:24 (nineteen years ago)

the hacienda must be built!

― Enrique IX: The Mediator (Enrique), Monday, 5 June 2006 09:30 (nineteen years ago)

(by someone who likes trance)

― Enrique IX: The Mediator (Enrique), Monday, 5 June 2006 09:30 (nineteen years ago)

What, you mean like:

ihttp://www.nci-management.com/clients/photos/gillianmckeith3.jpg?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 5 June 2006 09:33 (nineteen years ago)

Chap 1 – Gentrification, Corporization + Stagnation
Chap 2 - The Curse of Ibiza
Chap 3 - 2-step : How we got Craig David
Chap 4 P2P, MP3 + the blogosphere
Chap 5 - Grime: the collapse of the pirate radio continuum
Chap 6 - Micro-house/Minimal house
Chap 7- Electroclash’s 15 minutes
Chap 8 - Electro-house
Chap 9 - Prog-house + Neo-Trance
Chap 10 - Goth-House

Tim Finney to write it.

― stevo (stevo), Monday, 5 June 2006 10:42 (nineteen years ago)

chapters 6-10 should prob just be condensed into one.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 5 June 2006 11:12 (nineteen years ago)

I agree it's stretching genres to make up the numbers. The whole era seems one of consolidation rather innovation, which doesn't get the juices or ink flowing, despite all the good stuff that that’s been released.

Any suggestions for chaps 11-20, or essential stuff missing?

IDM? Techno’s still going but feels stuck in vacuum, Dub-Techno/Rhythm & Sound? Post-Gabba continental hardcore? (about which I know precious little despite living in Holland, where is Siegbran?).

― stevo (stevo), Monday, 5 June 2006 11:26 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think those chapters should be condensed into one, not at all.

However I'd replace Goth House with "Second Wave Minimal" or something to that effect, cos minimal is really the big current sound.

Probably a need for something on Lindstrom and co.

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 5 June 2006 12:24 (nineteen years ago)

But if you WERE to write that much about these subgenres, why not the late 90s equivalents (assuming Energy Flash ends before Speed Garage, saturation of Big Beat, SMASH HOUSE, impact of Parisians, dedicated UK followers of Goa or hallucinogenic trance etc.) - equivalents in terms of popularity and substance/(sub)cultural impact I mean.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 5 June 2006 13:27 (nineteen years ago)

My point with the trance/Germany reference was that Reynolds largely ignores scenes/genres/countries what I think are very important in the wide view of electronic music (Germany has always been the second home for it), yet spends pages and pages writing about helium hardcore, which (as fun as it was) I don't think was that notable. I guess Energy Flash doesn't claim to be a comprehensive history of electronic music, but almost all other English language books on the subject are as USA/UK centric too. I guess there must be German books with a more balanced view, but unfortunately my German isn't good enough to read those.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 5 June 2006 13:38 (nineteen years ago)

he doesn't seem too big on Germany

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 5 June 2006 13:42 (nineteen years ago)

it would start out w/a chapter devoted to daft punk.

― h.s.art? (artdamages), Monday, 5 June 2006 13:49 (nineteen years ago)

it would end with one on crazy frog

― h.s.art? (artdamages), Monday, 5 June 2006 13:51 (nineteen years ago)

(assuming Energy Flash ends before Speed Garage, saturation of Big Beat, SMASH HOUSE, impact of Parisians, dedicated UK followers of Goa or hallucinogenic trance etc.)

iirc it just about crams most of these in. deffo speed garage.

i can't remember what smash house was.

― Enrique IX: The Mediator (Enrique), Monday, 5 June 2006 13:53 (nineteen years ago)

just kidding - i don't know what i am talking about! xpost

how about each chapter written by a different ilxor?

― h.s.art? (artdamages), Monday, 5 June 2006 13:55 (nineteen years ago)

i can't remember what smash house was.

three records, all either produced or remixed by Jon Carter

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 5 June 2006 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

I guess there must be German books with a more balanced view, but unfortunately my German isn't good enough to read those.

would be interested to know of ANY European journalists writing about dance music on the continent and/or it's history - are there any of note? seems there are none as revered as Reynolds in any case which seems a shame.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 5 June 2006 15:27 (nineteen years ago)

Must be the language barrier: English-language books and articles are easily read by anyone, whereas translating from German to English takes time and money. How many Continental European journalists you know writing about any subject?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 5 June 2006 15:39 (nineteen years ago)

I think Westbam has actually written a book about the subject, together with someone else.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 5 June 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

Ah yes, it's called Mix, Cuts und Scratches.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 5 June 2006 15:43 (nineteen years ago)

Though it seems to be more of Westbam biography than a general history of the German scene.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 5 June 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

This looks more interesting though.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 5 June 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

"This looks more interesting though."

I don't know, Tuomas, to judge by the press release and readers' comments, the book looks pretty cheesy -- unless, I guess, a person wants yet another tome giving a putative 'insider's' glimpse of the social dimensions of rave. Still, do I really need to read another book describing the "we-feeling" of ecstasy and dance culture? The last two reviewers were pretty damning. . . .

But I agree, it would be nice to know more about top German music critics. Any more links, Tuomas? Any suggestions, Geeta?

― tate (Tate), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 06:10 (nineteen years ago)

Well, as I said my German is pretty weak, so I didn't really get the details of that book, just a general idea what it's about. Incidentally, it has been claimed that the first ever (nonfiction) book on the new electronic music is this Finnish article collection called "Tekno", which came out in 1994. It's a pretty nostalgic and occasionally cheesy read with a lot of rave utopianism (there's actually a poem desciribing KLF's music there!), but I guess it gives a more balanced look to the early years of the music than Reynolds.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 07:40 (nineteen years ago)

it would be nice to know more about top German music critics.

Bleed from De:Bug should write it.

(Garnier also wrote one, wonder if that English translation went ahead as planned?)

― Omar (Omar), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 08:38 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

Just now in my inbox:

Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture is rereleased next month in expanded and updated form.

With six extra chapters and 40 thousand new words, the remixed Energy Flash--a.k.a. Generation Ecstasy--takes in developments in dance music in the decade since its original 1998 publication: the trance resurgence, 2step garage, the nu-Eighties electro sound, microhouse, grime, breakcore, dubstep...

Further information: http://energyflashinfohype.blogspot.com/

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 04:46 (seventeen years ago)

40 thousand new words!? Has Reynolds invented a language of his own?

― Tuomas, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 05:51 (seventeen years ago)

omg lol rofl i got this email too.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 08:36 (seventeen years ago)

Just came to post this....

― Raw Patrick, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 09:29 (seventeen years ago)

i hope he's followed marcello's suggestions.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 09:33 (seventeen years ago)

The cover should be Reynolds holding a copy of "A Little Bit Of Luck" up to the camera and giving a Macca-esque "thumbs up".

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 09:37 (seventeen years ago)

Haha, I got this as well.

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 09:38 (seventeen years ago)

I did not get this. I feel OK about it, on the whole, y'know I'll soldier on.

― blueski, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 11:20 (seventeen years ago)

SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU
SIMON REYNOLDS HATES YOU

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 11:28 (seventeen years ago)

psyched!

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 12:10 (seventeen years ago)

I wonder will Simon Reynolds ever write a book that reads like a book rather than a collection of separate essays.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 13:19 (seventeen years ago)

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