CRAZE: Step Inside Sydney's Early Raves, Doofs & Festivals

Before flyers went glossy and festivals got fenced, there were the warehouses. In early ’90s Sydney they were dusty, illegal, and alive until sunrise. Craze is the story of that moment—when rave culture hit Australia and changed everything.

Written by long-time Sydney Recordstore owner, underground vinyl DJ, and community activist Stephan Győry (Dury), Craze draws deeply on his personal experiences, as well as more than 50 interviews with punters, DJs, and promoters who helped build the scene from the ground up.

This is the Second Summer of Love as lived by a city that i-D Magazine once crowned the “Dance Party Capital of the World”—before locking itself out of its own nightlife so thoroughly that Madonna couldn’t get into her own after-party.

From 3am eternal to the festival boom, the comedown, and the fight to keep Sydney open, Craze is part memory and part manifesto: a love letter to sound systems, dance floors, and the people who believed music could change the world.

© 2025 Snow Otter (Audiobook): 9798318296390

Release date

Audiobook: 2 December 2025