An upcoming book by Ed Gillett will chronicle the social and political trajectory of dance music in the U.K. Party Lines, as it’s titled, will arrive by way of Picador, a division of Macmillan Publishers, in 2023.
Gillett has set out to tell the story of how dance music “went from the egalitarian, ecstasy-fuelled Second Summer of Love in 1988, to its vastly different role in 21st-century culture, where wealthy DJs with links to the aristocracy play techno by night and evict tenants from increasingly gentrified neighborhoods by day,” according to The Bookseller. Rather than limit its narrative to the confines of rave and the industry surrounding it, Party Lines aims to examine complex issues from the unique vantage point of dance culture.
Having penned a scathing piece for The Quietus that brought the antithetical business practices of some of Housekeeping‘s members to light, Gillett is all too familiar with the aforementioned topic matter. He has also written for The Guardian, FACT Magazine and Frieze in addition to serving as senior researcher for the 2018 documentary Everybody in the Place.
Picador Associate Editor Paul Martinovic purchased the rights for Party Lines from Charlie Brotherstone of Brotherstone Creative Management.
“I’m absolutely elated to be working with Picador on my first book,” said Gillett in a statement. “Several of its titles, in particular the original publication of Simon Reynolds’ Energy Flash, have been hugely inspirational for my own writing: following in those footsteps is honestly a dream come true.
“From the moment I started talking to Paul, it was clear that he and Picador understand intuitively what Party Lines is about: treating dance music as not merely a musical or cultural phenomenon, but a unique lens through which to re-examine Britain’s social and political history,” he went on. “It’s a story which I’m thrilled to explore, and can’t wait to share with readers.”
Neither Ed Gillett nor Picador have announced a concrete publication date for Party Lines at the time of writing.
Image credit: Alexander Popov
