281 pages Edited by Duncan Dick Text(s) by Holly Dicker Designed by ST-DUO 19.8 x 12.8 cm Language: English Paperback Publisher: Velocity Press 2025
Dance or Die is the first critical history of hardcore: the loudest, fastest, and most uncompromising branch of electronic music. From its birth in Frankfurt’s warehouses in 1989 to outlaw raves in Britain, squats in Amsterdam and Paris, and the brutal soundscapes of New York’s outer boroughs, hardcore has always been more than music, it’s been a refuge, a rebellion, and a community for the marginalised and the diehard.
Through exclusive archival material, first-hand accounts from pioneers and new-school innovators, and stories from the trans trailblazers and women who shaped the scene, author Holly Dicker charts hardcore’s evolution across borders, genres, and generations.
Tracing its convoys, clashes, and convictions, from gabber in the Netherlands to Scotland’s “tartan techno,” Italy’s Hardcore Warriors, and the DIY record stalls that fuelled a global network, this book uncovers a culture forged in defiance, solidarity, and sheer devotion to sound.
