Holly Dicker (GB)

Holly Dicker is a diehard music journalist, club culture programmer, and author of Dance or Die, the first critical study of hardcore rave scenes for Velocity Press. Based on a decade reporting direct from the sleepless shuffle of Berlin's techno bunkers, breakbeat moshpits in decrepit British holiday parks, and the sweat-slicked gabberhalls of Holland, Dance or Die pays tribute to the most urgent (and misunderstood) clubbing communities from the last thirty years – from Tresor and Thunderdome to PRSPCT.
Living in Rotterdam since 2015, working with Speedy J and then as staff writer at Resident Advisor in the pre-pandemic years, with bylines in the Wire, the Guardian, Mixmag, and DJ Mag, Holly is a specialist on Dutch dance heritage as curator of the Google Arts & Culture multimedia exhibition, A Brief History of Gabber, and producer of the IFFR-selected short documentary, Rotterdam Rave Culture: 30 Years of Heritage, filmed and directed by Dennis van Rijswijk. Holly is a reader and raver. And occasional DJ.

Discover more: Dance or Die