Party Lines
Dance Music and the Making of Modern Britain
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Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
Party Lines
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Ed Gillett
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By:
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Ed Gillett
About this listen
A Guardian Guide Cultural Book of the Year 2023
An Irish Times Music Book of the Year 2023
'A deep, engrossing history' The Observer
'A fascinating deep dive' Jeremy Deller
From the illicit reggae blues dances and acid-rock free festivals of the 1970s, through the ecstasy-fuelled Second Summer of Love in 1988, to the increasingly corporate dance music culture of the post-Covid era, Party Lines is a groundbreaking new history of UK dance music, exploring its pivotal role in the social, political and economic shifts on which modern Britain has been built.
Taking in the Victorian moralism of the Thatcher years, the far-reaching restrictions of the Criminal Justice Act in 1994, and the resurgence of illegal raves during the Covid-19 pandemic, Party Lines charts an ongoing conflict, fought in basement clubs, abandoned warehouses and sunlit fields, between the revolutionary potential of communal sound and the reactionary impulses of the British establishment. Brought to life with stunning clarity and depth, this is social and cultural history at its most immersive, vital and shocking.
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'Excellent' The Sunday Times
'Reminds us why the dance floor matters . . . fascinating' Telegraph
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Critic reviews
What I got with Party Lines was so much more than that and then some.
The stories, the facts, the unknown history and more all come together to provide a comprehensive picture and understanding of not just dance music culture but the way our modern lives are shaped by Britons’ desire to be free and party on their own terms.
It has opened my eyes to the underhanded tactics of successive governments and unnecessary and controlling laws imposed based on lies and misinformation.
It should serve a testament to our modern lives and how we are constantly controlled and in some way help to galvanise us all into clawing back that freedom that we once all took for granted.
I have learned a lot from this book and will definitely be listening to it again in the future when I need to be reminded that we are all free spirits and should live as such.
Wow! Eye opener! Brilliantly researched!
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Writing and narration both really good. Finished in 2 days.
Telling the forgotten & overlooked narratives
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Also, how dare you say Kevin & Perry is unwatchable 🤣
Joking aside it was a great look back at the early days of the scene, feeling like an extended version of the Everybody In The Place documentary which I very much enjoyed.
I totally agree with the authors stance on the massive commercialisation of dance music and have seen some of my most loved events lose their soul chasing the dollar but there are still tons of small, incredible events happening on a weekly basis and the scene is thriving.
Admittedly my experience is very niche in the d&b scene in London and the south coast but after raving for the last 20 years I've never known such a close knit, welcoming, inclusive community as there is now and I don't share the sentiment that rave is on the decline, losing it's power or being suffocated by the government.
Recommended read for any raver
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