After 2003’s Love Saves the Day, Tim Lawrence continues his detailed exploration of NY dance culture. His first book, which "excavated" dance music from 1970 - 1979, has become a definitive, must-read guide for DJs and those with any sort of an interest on the topic, and Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor is sure to follow suit, with its detailed, meticulously researched spotlight on the vibrant creative melting pot that was the post-disco party scene in the early 1980s. From reconciling the fall of disco to the rise of rap and "punk’s aesthetic exhaustion," Lawrence once again profiles a prolific phase of New York. UK’s Greg Wilson praises the book for placing "the pieces of the jigsaw into a wonderfully coherent whole, finally illuminating" what’s been described "as the crossroads between what came before (soul, funk, disco, jazz-funk) and what would follow (hip-hop, house, techno), and we couldn’t agree more! Recommended.

• definitive guide to early '80s NYC dance culture
• 600 pages
• also available from Tim Lawrence: Love Saves The Day: A History Of American Dance Music Culture | Hold On to Your Dreams: Arthur Russell & The Downtown Music Scene

reviewed by donut savage 10/2016

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