130 x 198mm, 240 pages Black & white printing, Perfect bound, Softcover, 2025

Drawing on interviews with dozens of DJs, producers, vocalists, club owners, and record store-owners who shaped the Baltimore club genre, Tough Breaks is an in-depth exploration of one of the US’s most infamous and understood cities by way of its thriving music scene.

Revealing the untold stories behind Baltimore club, Al Shipley reveals story of how Black and White and gay and straight Baltimoreans found a common musical language on the dancefloor, how a tightly knit community of self-taught, working-class musicians created a sound that changed American pop culture.

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