Prolific music journalist Simon Reynolds returns with a collection of essays detailing the evolution and development of a wide variety of electronic sounds with Futuromania. Having already covered the post punk genre spectacularly with Rip It Up and Start Again, I knew Reynolds would cover electronic music with the respect and aplomb it deserves and he doesn’t disappoint. Covering the classic heavies like Moroder, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, and Jarre to more modern artists like Rustie, Burial, and Daft Punk, there’s a whole spectrum of history here. I appreciated how much time Reynolds devoted to some of the outlier subgenres as well, like industrial and minimal techno. Definitely a must for genre nerds.

**I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review. Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books**

My thanks to both NetGalley and Hachette Books for an advance copy of this new musical history dealing with electronic music, its creators, and why trying to be ahead of the music of the future is so hard.

Blade Runner was probably the first place that I became aware of electronic music. From the opening the slow almost whine along with the visuals and I was enthralled. I started looking though all the music racks looking for more, probably starting a love of soundtracks that has continued to this day. To my father, electronic music was something else. I remember the first time he head some techno, from a sampler disc I had brought home from work at the music store. My dad was enthralled. "This", he told me in all honesty, "Was how I used to think." At the time he was dealing with cognitive issues and migraines, for some reason really hard and fast techno gave him some respite. For that reason alone I would be a fan, but it is the sound, the beats and skill that keep bringing me back. From the earliest experiments, to the music of tomorrow. And now I know alot more about where electronic music came from, and where it is going. Futuromania:Electronic Dreams, Desiring Machines, and Tomorrow's Music Today by music writer Simon Reynolds is not only a good introduction to electronic music, a guide to many of the innovators, and even more a look at what might be coming.

The book features articles written over the years by Reynolds featuring different genres, creators, trends, and styles. Some are straight articles, some are even obituaries, and two essays. The book follows a rough chronological order from the early days, up to tomorrow. Reynolds starts with an introduction to the producer Giorgio Moroder whose work with Donna Summer especially on the song I Feel Love, changed much in the music industry. Reynolds has an interview with Moroder, and some of his partners, explaining where the ideas came from how the songs came about. And of course it's influence on people like Brian Eno and David Bowie, who would almost change career courses, working with electronics in their own music. There are profiles on Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tangerine Dream, of course Kraftwerk, and others. The rise of synths, and the problems that many of these bands had with these burgeoning technology, how easily they were to fail, or perform with. The final essays were very interesting to me, dealing with electronic music and even music in science fiction. One essay dealt with movie soundtracks, the other about how hard it is to write about music of the future especially for science fiction, as most trends just start in experimentation, and roll out from there.

Something else I liked about Reynolds is that he admits he is not a musician, doesn't get how these things make sound and just writes about the music itself. I find that in alot of music books my eyes tend to glaze on the studio discussion, this was quite a relief. Reynolds has a real gift for bringing different ideas together, discussing music, art, history and linking works by different people in ways that I had not thought of. Reynolds is a very good writer, and brings a lot of things I never knew, or put together on almost every page. One can tell he knows his subject, and enjoys writing and sharing what he knows. Another treat is the Spotify playlist at the end sharing most of the music discussed in this book. I have a lot of music to listen to now.

Recommended for music fans of course, or those who have heard a few songs, liked it and want to know a lot more. This is a great place to start, as one meets the creators and through the playlist gets to hear their creations. A really fun book, and one I know my dad would have liked to have heard also.