Customer Reviews

Searching for the Perfect Beat: Flyer Designs of the American Rave Scene

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's like a completed coloring book for grown-ups. This is the most colorful book I have seen. I am tempted to cut out all of the pages and pin them on my wall as a huge collage. For now, it sits on my coffee table and almost everyone that stops by, picks it up, pages through it, and strikes up a conversation about their fondest rave memories, "Yeah, remember that fresh Japanimation flyer when so and so was spinnin'...that was a super-dope party." It was also cool to see some flyers from Colorado events. Although the graphics are great, one aspect that would have enhanced the overall book is to have had comments and interviews from the promoters, designers, DJs, and ravers about each bass-filled underground gathering. I like the fact that it is well organized and lists the name of the party, the location, the promoter, and the designer. The contact info is a great resource. I'm looking forward to an international edition. It's definitely a worthwhile purchase. Enjoy!

I found the flyers to be generic. Not as hardcore as would have hoped for.

Just a warning, this book does not trace a history of the rave flyer. There's a primer about 2 pages long at the beginning of the book and that's it. This is just pictures upon pictures upon pictures of rave flyers from all over america. I was happy to see Philadelphia so well respresented. This book was an inspiration to me, by and large because this is the kind of design I love, and want to do for myself. This would make an excellent coffee-table book, and a great conversation piece.

The book is a really well designed document of the rave scene spanning from coast to coast. The flyers were well picked and well described.I have seen other books of rave flyers before and I think this book is better than all the rest by far. It's nice that someone finally did something for specifically the North American rave scene and not just Europe. Buy this book, you will love it! Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, Responsibility <3

The book was a really good view on the progression of flyer designs during the 1990s. It presented us with the big names in design, and a bunch of the smaller ones... Thanks for putting the contact info at the bottom

A true perspective from the underground of what the rave scene encompasses and the music that is its center. A glimpse into a counter-culture which has infiltrated the mainstream and changed the way people think in this country. A must read for anyone interested in finding what makes this think called techno tick.

I came across this at a used book store, and freaked out on the spot. Flipping through the pages, I saw dozens of familiar east coast flyers - including the flyer for my first rave, Ultraworld's Glow (eastern Maryland, 1994), flyers for other parties I'd been to, parties I wish I'd gone to, parties my brother went to, parties I'd forgotten about, and of course plenty that I had never seen (including a fair share of west coast flyers). The flyers are organized chronologically, which is a nice system; you can see a progression in style from the bubblegum-and-fractals aesthetic of the earlier years, to the slicker, more sophisticated look of more recent work. There's no commentary, aside from basic information (year, location, promoter) - just lots of eye candy.

The rave scene has always treated flyer design as an art form, and it's cool to see it collected like this. Someday I'll show this book to my grandkids and try to convince them that I used to be cool.

so much more than the layout, so much more than the design, searching for the perfect beat captures the feeling and the atmosphere of the party times and eloquently placed it into a binding.

i so appreciate the work these guys have provided. <cr>_people ask me about the rave scene - why, what, how. the introduction is so well written, i may simply just send them to this book to read it - it really captures so much of my experience over the last 8 years. <cr>_i have not been entirely happy with the quality of american rave flyer design, but there are many pieces in this book that are wonderful to spend time looking at. and of these, the corporate world would oh so want to be a part - to exploit; but really cannot successfully - because of their inherent nature...

This book is a testament to the complexity and beauty of the underground rave scene. Although the culture has become commercialized and watered down over the past few years, true beat-heads will appreciate the nostalgia and nods to those in the know. Definitely a must-have for those true to the underground.