Harry Harrison - Dreaming In Yellow: The Story of the DiY Sound System (book, Velocity Press)

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Written by Harry Harrison, one of DiY’s founding members, Dreaming in Yellow traces their origins back to early formative experiences, describing in detail the seminal clubs, parties, festivals and records that forged the collective. Dreaming in Yellow is an attempt to distil the story of DiY’s tumultuous existence and the remarkably eclectic, outrageous and occasionally deranged story of them doing it themselves.

Emerging from Nottingham in the summer of 1989, DiY were one of the first house sound systems in the UK. Merging the anarchic lineage of the free festival scene, the cultural and political anger of bands like Crass with the new, irresistible electronic pulse of acid house, they bridged the idealistic void left by the moral implosion of the commercial rave scene. 

From Castlemorton to the Café del Mar, the DiY sound and DJs became internationally renowned and beneath their banners of liberty, collectivism and untrammelled hedonism achieved an underground cult status that endures to this day. Having celebrated their thirtieth anniversary in 2109, DiY continues to challenge the idea that dance music is apolitical and to celebrate the ideology of liberation through fun.

Written by Harry Harrison, one of DiY’s founding members, this book traces their origins back to early formative experiences, describing in detail the seminal clubs, parties, festivals and records that forged the collective. Dreaming in Yellow is an attempt to distil the story of DiY’s tumultuous existence and the remarkably eclectic, outrageous and occasionally deranged story of them doing it themselves.

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“Culturally, the most dangerous people in the country” – Tony Wilson’s In the City Music Festival brochure, 1997

“If ever a name encapsulated an ethos, it was DiY. Set against swallowing the prêt-à-porter pleasures of consumer society – clubbers too militant about what they want, what they’ve paid for, their consumer ‘rights’ – they set out on an adventure that was simultaneously musical, psychic and social. An experiment in conviviality. No master plan or manifesto, other than: Do it yer’sen.” – Scott Oliver, VICE Magazine

“Full of wild tales from the highest of times, Dreaming in Yellow is the story of an intrepid crew of idealistic hedonists whose quest for freedom and joy created some of the peak moments of Britain’s rave counterculture.” – Matthew Collin, author of Altered State and Rave On

“Harry’s hysterical tale of the adventures of anarchist pranksters DiY takes us on a sharp-witted, semi-mystical trip through the urban party dives of the north and the ancient pathways and sites of the southwest. Embracing the misfits and freaks it meets along the way with a massive hug, Dreaming in Yellow bounces somewhere between a magical memoir, acerbic cultural commentary and a rollicking rave story. It slaps us right back to a time of utopian and hedonistic counter-cultural exploration which, despite the acid spectacles of nostalgia, might just help us to reimagine the shitstorm we’re living through now. A riot, a scream, a fucking amazing party!” – Aaron Trinder, director of Free Party: A Folk History

“They had the longest guest list in history and were the only outfit to be thrown out of the Hacienda on their own night. Twice. They were home to the lost and found, the travellers, the groovers, the lovers and the ravers. They put the “E” in Free and the “Ooooo” in Groove, and, sailing under the banner of the Love Cabbage, spread beautiful chaos wherever they landed. DiY – the true Robin Hood pirates of the underground scene.” – DJ Vertigo

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Available in paperback and digital.

Velocity Press has more interesting books on electronic music culture as well, I've mentioned some earlier, e.g. Join the Future, State of Bass, Bedroom Beats & B-Sides, and Synthesizer Evolution. Highly recommended.

I'm also looking forward to Jim Ottewell's Out of Space: How UK Cities Shaped Rave Culture.