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cyranoreads's review against another edition
3.0
Reynolds is an amazing writer. In journalistic capacity he flows with verve, but what amazes is his grasp and descriptiveness of the myriad of fractionating genres and subcultures, the types and combinations of sounds, the associated sensations (aural, pharmacological, emotional), etc. It's beyond just hip, discriminating prose: Reynolds must be a synesthete.
But the book’s immersive analysis and lengthy artist-chronicling was more than this novice wanted (plus the subject has an ugly side I don’t want to spend time on)—so I just surfed the book, select-focusing on more interesting sections and skimming others.
I longed for more memoir-reportage on the experience. (There’s some, but not much). Frustratingly, the author acknowledges (in an epilogue) this regret about what he’d have done differently: “I’d have more about the experiential side… The structure of a night, the journey you go on. The adventures, the ephemeral encounters, the fleeting perceptions…” Oh, well.
While I wish this “journey” was written more as journey (hence only 3 stars)—for the niche chronicle it aims to be, it’s top shelf.
But the book’s immersive analysis and lengthy artist-chronicling was more than this novice wanted (plus the subject has an ugly side I don’t want to spend time on)—so I just surfed the book, select-focusing on more interesting sections and skimming others.
I longed for more memoir-reportage on the experience. (There’s some, but not much). Frustratingly, the author acknowledges (in an epilogue) this regret about what he’d have done differently: “I’d have more about the experiential side… The structure of a night, the journey you go on. The adventures, the ephemeral encounters, the fleeting perceptions…” Oh, well.
While I wish this “journey” was written more as journey (hence only 3 stars)—for the niche chronicle it aims to be, it’s top shelf.
bigboobs's review
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
good read on some of my fav music genres but i feel like this book should've ended at around 380 pages lol
mscarle's review against another edition
2.0
Can't decide what it is. Bits of really engaging stuff but overall scattershot and interminably long.
jango102's review
4.0
An exhaustive personal history of the rave era. The first few chapters are a straightforward history, but once the narrative reaches the point where the author himself was participating it becomes much more gonzo and nonlinear. Lots of deep dives on specific subgenres and movements that were occurring in parallel and stories of what he got up to in those milieus. I found the endless lists of track names daunting, eventually tiring of highlighting every single one I couldn't recognize, but I suspect I'd get even more out of this book with a complete playlist of the hundreds of tracks he rattles off to characterize the various eras. It's amazing that Reynolds never became a selector himself, given his obvious gift for curation. A fun although often tiring book, it took me a couple of years of dipping in and out to read it.
matt_bitonti's review against another edition
5.0
When this book was originally published, the reader could nod along and be impressed by author's selection of songs (flip directly to the discography, it's all classics). The reader could be transported by the author's lush and uncannily accurate descriptions of the tracks. But the reader probably couldn't hear the music in real time to verify how accurate these descriptions are, or if the song was to their personal taste. Simon Reynolds can convey in words how great, for example, Green Velvet's "Flash" Remixes were. But when this book came out there was no way to experience it, on demand, as the reader makes their way through the book. Sure, a person in theory could go to a record store but these were often low pressings and inventory was spotty. Many of these all time tracks were snapped up quickly and not repressed for years. It's a totally different experience to read this book and hear the songs in real time, I guess that's my point. It's a guidebook to early EDM: the roots of house, techno, breakbeats, everything. Check it out if you can find a copy. I rescued my copy in a used bookstore in Rhode Island.
donaman99's review
4.0
Way more thorough than 'Last Night a DJ Saved My Life,' 'Energy Flash' will give you the score on no small number of electronic genres and sub-genres, though Reynolds, by his own admission, focuses disproportionately on hardcore and her stylistic offspring. I personally sought out this book to read what he has to say about UK Garage, but what I found was rather unsatisfactory compared to what he wrote in his 1999 article for The Wire (https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/the-wire-300_simon-reynolds-on-the-hardcore-continuum-series_6_two-step-garage_1999_), which was surprisingly more in-depth and entertaining to read than his book chapter on garage in 'Energy Flash.'
The ideal way to read this book would be to go chapter-by-chapter, listening to playlists with the songs name-dropped in each section before moving on to the next, in-order to get the full-understanding of what Reynolds is talking about. Some kind soul has already compiled a master-playlist with every song mentioned in 'Energy Flash' (that are available on Spotify at least), but not sure about individual chapter-themed ones.
On a literary level I'm pleased that Reynolds does a nice job of tempering his revery for each style of music by highlighting its faults, and vice versa, but readers beware: in addition to some unsavory anachronistic terminology, Reynolds gets pretty heavy-handed with the adjectives (often of his own coinage). In a single paragraph you might get words like "orgasma-tronic," "eroto-mystic," "pornotopian," and "avant-lumpen" tossed around in fast-succession. When he gets this terminological bombardment right though, it can be pretty funny, and at its best, quite artful.
The ideal way to read this book would be to go chapter-by-chapter, listening to playlists with the songs name-dropped in each section before moving on to the next, in-order to get the full-understanding of what Reynolds is talking about. Some kind soul has already compiled a master-playlist with every song mentioned in 'Energy Flash' (that are available on Spotify at least), but not sure about individual chapter-themed ones.
On a literary level I'm pleased that Reynolds does a nice job of tempering his revery for each style of music by highlighting its faults, and vice versa, but readers beware: in addition to some unsavory anachronistic terminology, Reynolds gets pretty heavy-handed with the adjectives (often of his own coinage). In a single paragraph you might get words like "orgasma-tronic," "eroto-mystic," "pornotopian," and "avant-lumpen" tossed around in fast-succession. When he gets this terminological bombardment right though, it can be pretty funny, and at its best, quite artful.
kyle_fowle's review
3.0
As a detailed and passionate trip through a long history of dance culture, this is a great read. As an introduction to dance genres/culture for newbies, it will prove daunting in its scope and intellect. 'Energy Flash' is more for those already interested and versed in EDM; in that sense, reading it is like talking to an impassioned friend while sharing a pint.
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