The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (Virgin Encyclopedias of Popular Music) Book

If you need a memory jogger to reintroduce you to the details of the dance music scene from the early 1980s to the present day, then this is the book for you. Colin Larkin manages to steer clear of merely representing the mainstream from this area of music that has, since the mid-90s become the mainstay of our daytime radio playlists. No matter how obscure your memories of the origins of dance music, Larkin is there to back you up with hard facts, most of which you would have struggled to retain at the time let alone 15 years afterwards. So many of the records heard, especially in the early days of dance, were known and loved by sound alone--so it's fascinating to get an insight into the identities and locations of those who were creating the "tunes" that were the soundtrack to this hedonistic era.The prominent releases of most artists are given a star rating and you'll struggle to disagree with those even if you are an aficionado of the artist concerned. It's a shame that some entries don't mention any records at all and so are bereft of any rating but there are few of these. The only other criticism is that some entries don't cover the very recent history of the artist. The Norman Cook section springs to mind, with none of his recent phenomenal success under the name Fatboy Slim represented at all. This aside, if you want to be reminded of everything from A Guy Called Gerald through Hypnotone and on to Wild Pitch Records, if you are a true "trainspotter" or you would like to be, then you should invest in this book. --Tony MartinRead More