Dream Machines: British Electronic Music from Doctor Who to Acid House

An expansive and illuminating account of the development of electronic music, told with passionate enthusiasm by Matthew Collin, the critically-acclaimed author of Altered State and Rave On.

Dream Machines tracks the music’s evolution from early avant-garde experiments after World War Two through psychedelia, art-rock and synth-pop to electronic dance music, sampling and the techno era. As well as profiling the sonic futurists who pioneered new styles, it documents the scenes and underground movements that built a thrillingly diverse electronic music culture in its formative decades.

Based on interviews with key players and a wealth of in-depth research, Dream Machines explores genres as diverse as space rock, electro-pop, ambient, dub, industrial music, prog, electro, hip-hop, hi-NRG and house, highlighting how developments in electronic music were shaped by changes in society as well as technological advances.

Matthew Collin has been writing about electronic dance music culture for over three decades. His critically-acclaimed books include Altered State and Rave On. He has written for many newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The Observer, The Wire, Mojo, and Mixmag.