Altered State · the Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House

From its first publication in 1997, Altered State established itself as the definitive text on Ecstasy and dance culture. This new edition sees Matthew Collin cast a fresh eye on the heady events of the acid house 'Summer of Love' and the rave scene's euphoric escalation into commercial excess as MDMA became a mass-market narcotic. 

Altered State is the best-selling book on Ecstasy culture, using a cast of memorable characters to track the origins of the scene and its drug through psychedelic subcults, underground gay discos and the Balearic paradise of Ibiza, to the point where Tony Blair was using an Ecstasy anthem as an election campaign song. 

Altered State critically examines the ideologies and myths of the scene, documenting the criminal underside to the blissed-out image, shedding new light on the social history of the most spectacular youth movement of the twentieth century.

"This well-written social history will become a standard for those wanting to understand British youth culture and music" -Library Journal "An astute blend of media reportage and oral histories into a tale as irresistible as the culture that inspired it." - Wired "Altered State is not just timely; it was crying out to be written." --Independent

Matthew Collin is the author of the critically acclaimed books Guerrilla Radio, and The Time of the Rebels. He has worked for the BBC from Georgia and has written for a wide range of newspapers and magazines. He now reports for Al Jazeera from Georgia.