I’m not sure that it’s not up to date matters too much, I do think as I said that it falls down at trying to assess the most recent development at the times of its writing, but as an overview of the first 15 or so years of dance music’s reign, it’s brilliant. That observation though chimes with my thinking about that whole sense of progress in music – perhaps most obviously referenced in LTJ Bukem’s Logical Progression series, but also in a myriad other titles and associated attitudes in popular music. I was struck by this the other day when reading K-Punk’s assessment of the new Rufige-Kru album as a brilliant piece of music that fit right into 1996 (I’m probably badly mis-quoting there). Some artists strive for timelessness, but I wonder whether any succeed. Perhaps only in a personal sense in that each of us knows that our favourite artists will endure. Any evidence to the contrary is so gradual in its accumulation that we feel little pain, but perhaps only a certain wistfulness at the recognition of lost loves.

Couldn’t agree less about Rip It Up, which I didn’t enjoy very much at all – I found it annoyingly formulaic and uninspired! Perhaps I’ll attempt to reread that as well one day and see if I’m mistaken. Here’s my post about the book, written when I’d just finished it.

I preferred “Rip it Up” to be honest – he dissected all the bands in that scene with a cool academic analysis, and whilst you could tell he was obviously a fan, time has cemented what was going on at that time. The fact that he starts straight away with PiL is great – it’s like the whole aspect of punk along with all the tedious drivel associated with it is discarded immediately.

Good tracks on the free CD I got with my copy too!