Friday, June 17, 2011

Darker Electricity - Spiral Tribe blog

Mark Angelo Harrison, aka Stray Wayward, was involved with early free party sound system Spiral Tribe. So good to hear that he is working on a book about those times called A Darker Electricity. You can check out some extracts at his blog like this one:

'The arrival of the Acid House scene in the late 80s had transformed audiences into participants. At The Hacienda in Manchester and at underground parties in London, I’d experienced a real sense of involvement and social equality. Once that equality had been glimpsed there was no going back to the old rock n roll relationship between performers and audiences. A relationship that – whether intentional or not – reinforced the old power structures of us and them. At the underground parties, the dance floor was no longer the pit for the worshipping minions. No longer a place to gaze up adoringly at some contrived act strutting about on a pedestal. The dance floor had been reclaimed by the people as a free social space – a place where people felt centred, balanced – together. Not a new idea, but one that successive overlords have relentlessly outlawed – and attempted to write out of history'.

2 comments:

Vintage Scans said...

Not your writing, I know, but I thought I'd comment.
The rock 'n' roll, performer/audience relationship reninforces 'the old power structures between us and them'? Really? I'm sure there are quite a few political bands that would be a bit disappointed to hear that.

Jake said...

Ironic that within next to no time partiers were all facing the DJ in much the same was as an audience at any gig. Us and them once again...