In Ambrosia, Montreal author James Cummins attempts to give readers a snapshot of the history, music, and culture of electronic dance music while also contextualizing it with other music and art movements throughout history. Using his own experiences, as well as interviews with international industry players large and small, Cummins approaches this world with a zealous desire to see what he calls “electronica culture” realize its full potential for mainstream acceptance.
    Weighing in at less than 200 pages, Ambrosia faces the tough challenge of covering a very large topic in a small space. Unfortunately, instead of either drilling deep into certain aspects of the culture or providing a comprehensive survey, Ambrosia is alternately too narrow and too broad.
    Cummins’ own experiences with the scene seem to limit him from going into depth on more than a few aspects, and his perspective on things outside his own experience comes across as misinformed and thin. In particular, his views of music scenes outside of Western Canada are frequently one-dimensional, and his take on the relationship between drugs and electronic music seems confused at best. (He moralizes about the dangers of drugs while also downplaying their role in the scene.) Ambrosia is also too broad in that as Cummins attempts to put electronic dance culture in context, he’s included so much background research – ranging from the ancient festivals of Demeter to the theories of Marshall McLuhan – that the writing loses focus, and electronica becomes a bit player rather than the star of the show.
    Cummins’ passion for the music scene is clear, but as an attempt to sell the importance of electronica to the reader, Ambrosia is wooden and overwrought. Enthusiasts of electronic music and its culture will want to hold off on this version, and hope for a remix.