Book of the Month: “Selling The Night” by Andy Crysell

Andy Crysell’s “Selling The Night” is the first book to properly examine how club culture intersects with advertising, tourism, design, fashion and the creative industries at large. Released through Velocity Press in April 2025, it’s a timely exploration of how brands have infiltrated the dancefloor and what that means for underground creativity.

Crysell’s central argument challenges the idea that nothing good happens after midnight. Instead, he positions nighttime culture as fostering a different kind of creativity: something urgent, spontaneous, carved out of necessity. The book traces this dynamic from disco’s early days through to today’s venture capital-backed mega-clubs, examining how after-dark innovation migrates into mainstream creative industries.

Drawing from nine months of research and over 100 interviews, Crysell presents a forensic analysis that avoids easy answers. His interviewees range from New York disco veteran Nicky Siano and celebrated producer King Britt to Hacienda designer Ben Kelly and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova, alongside marketers, academics, activists and policymakers. This breadth of perspectives gives the book both historical depth and contemporary relevance.

The author’s unique position as both former music journalist (NME, The Face, Mixmag) and brand strategist (having founded agencies working with Nike, Apple, Netflix and Spotify) allows him to avoid simplistic condemnation whilst maintaining critical distance. He doesn’t just examine how brands like KFC, Fiorucci, Absolut and Red Bull have engaged with club culture, but questions whether these relationships can be more symbiotic and less parasitic.

Two key narratives emerge. First, how brands increasingly integrate into club spaces, raising questions about authentic collaboration and meaningful partnerships. Second, how club-born ideas and individuals influence industries from fashion to gaming, examining both the benefits and costs of this cultural transfer.

Perhaps most crucially, Crysell grapples with whether club culture still provides pathways into creative careers for working-class and marginalised communities, or if gentrification has closed these doors. In a world where operating without privilege becomes increasingly difficult, he asks how creativity born from necessity can survive in an increasingly commercialised landscape.

Industry leaders have recognised the book’s significance. Kazim Rashid from Resident Advisor notes it offers “a very timely look at the role that brands and culture marketing have played in the past and will play in the future.” Finlay Johnson from the Association For Electronic Music calls it “necessary reading” on how consumer brands and cultural ecosystems exchange time and money.

The timing feels particularly relevant. With venues under pressure and traditional funding models failing, brands can be both saviours and profiteers of nightlife. The trouble is, not everyone wants them there. Crysell’s analysis provides the framework necessary for navigating these complex relationships, making it essential reading for anyone invested in understanding how underground movements survive and thrive in an increasingly branded world.

Rather than offering easy solutions, “Selling The Night” provides the analytical tools needed to think critically about culture, commerce and creativity. It’s a book that respects the intelligence of its readers whilst remaining accessible to anyone curious about how the night continues to shape wider culture.

Available here

by Decoded Magazine

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