This book is a detailed and close examination of the rave club drugs market as it took place in nightclubs, dance parties, pubs and bars and among friendship networks in London, in the mid to late 1990s. It focuses on the organisational features of drugs purchasing and selling and differentiates anonymous drugs trading in public nightclub settings, from selling among extended networks of friends and others. The stories of different people and friendship groups illustrate the varied drug selling roles and highlight the enterprise and entrepreneurship supporting their involvement. It is argued rave club participants were economic actors who seized both the legal and illegal money-making opportunities presented through club culture and the widespread demand for drugs from within it. The camaraderie that underpinned rave club membership, alongside the busy nature of the London urban setting greatly assisted drug selling activities to expand; sometimes into thriving commercial style operations.
Told from the perspective of author's own membership in this night-time leisure culture, and embracing the disciplines of urban sociology and cultural criminology, this book contributes to our knowledge of recreational drugs markets and night-time leisure cultures. It will be of interest to students and academics with interests in these fields, as well as the many other people whose lives became a part of this vibrant leisure scene.
Northern Soul: Music, drugs and subcultural identity
Andrew Wilson
