NO SLEEP: NYC NIGHTLIFE FLYERS 1988 - 1999 by Adrian Bartos AKA DJ Stretch Armstrong and Evan Aurbach
Powerhouse Books, 2016, First edition. 224 pp., 8 1/2" X 10"
Fine
"No Sleep" is a visual history of the halcyon days of New York City club life as told through flyer art. Spanning the late 80s through the late 90s, when nightlife buzz travelled via flyers and word of mouth, "No Sleep" features a collection of artwork from the personal archives of NYC DJs, promoters, club kids, nightlife impresarios, and the artists themselves. Club flyers, by design, were ephemeral objects distributed on street corners, outside of nightclubs and concert halls, in barbershops and retail shops, and were not intended to be preserved for posterity. Through the 90s, they became both increasingly prevalent and more sophisticated as printing technology evolved. Overnight, however, with the advent of the internet, the flyer essentially disappeared. This book represents an important record of an art form that, because of it's ephemeral nature, is now increasingly rare. Highly recommended!