by Matthew Collin, John Godfrey

Midwest Book Review:
'When the Ecstasy was first mixed with house music in the 1980s, the reaction triggered the most vibrant and diverse youth movement ever seen. The shock continues to reverberate culturally and politically, affecting music, fashion, the law, government policy, and countless other areas of public and private life. Altered State is the first book on the history of Ecstasy and House Culture and the politics surrounding it, a subject that has garnered much media attention. Appalled by the idea of media lunches but driven by the desire to create a cultural critique that would live long after the pages it had appeared on had disappeared from newsstands, Matthew Collin set about documenting the social history nobody else thought was worthwhile. Not only a talented editor with a flair for spotting and nurturing young talent, and a killer instinct for a story about to break, Collin was also a concerned, informed writer with passion for music and was responsible for the first articles on milestones like acid house, Detroit techno, and the new British electronica.'

A reader: 'Excellent, informative history of the rave scene in England... everything is in here: how influential Ibiza was to the scene, MDMA and its history, smiley faces, baggy pants, all the main players and djs... it brought back a lot of happy memories of my raver days in NYC in the early 90s. A must read for those interested in this scene especially the beginning which shows that it all started in America: Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage, Frankie Knuckles's Warehouse parties, Dr. Shulgin and his MDMA studies... Britian took it to the next level in the 80s beginning with the Summer of Love and raves and was then past back to the US in the early 90s: Frankie Bones and the Storm raves, NASA, and the rest. This book tells you all about it!'

Paperback - 320 pages