MUSIC DOCU

Reel Old School is a documentary made by college students John Cotton and Brady Effler. It investigates the transition in the music recording world from analog to digital. Interviewing well known musicians and engineers such as Steve Albini (The Pixies, Nirvana, Shellac, Bush) Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) Bil VornDick (Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss, Marty Robins, Bela Fleck) Claire Lynch (IBMA Vocalist of the year) Derek Webb (Independent Christian artist) among many less known independent artists and engineers. Showing correlation between the democratization of recording technology and the fall of the music industry. As well as highlight two conflicting paradigms. The analog paradigm of devotion and dedication to craft and the digital paradigm with the dividing of life into app sized proportions.

A documentary that explores how the digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent of people in an unprecedented way.

'The Sound of Belgium' explores the rich but untold story of Belgian electronic dance music. From the grand dance halls with Decap organs to the golden days of Popcorn; From dark and cold Electronic Body Music and New Beat to Belgian House and Techno An alternative chronicle of unique popular music, 'The Sound of Belgium' goes in search of the spirit of a nation and the people that danced to it.

A documentary on the fabled recording studio that was located in Van Nuys, California.

A contemporary documentary covering the Great British punk rock explosion of 1977.

Roots Rock Reggae depicts an unforgettable moment in Jamaica's history when music defined the island's struggles and immortalised its heroes.

Rhythm of Resistance examines the vital role of music in the lives of black South Africans under the oppressive regime of apartheid.

Documentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90s

'PUT THE NEEDLE ON THE RECORD' is an award-winning documentary which explores the evolution of electronic music and the rise of the DJ in pop culture. Filmed in Miami during the hot and sexy Winter Music Conference, a yearly week-long event attended by over 20,000 electronic music professionals and fans, the film takes an inside look at a growing global phenomenon in the world of music. Interviews with top artists, footage from events around the globe and a brilliant soundtrack are combined to create a highly energetic piece of filmmaking. First-time director Jason Rem brings an unexplored genre of music to the masses for a glimpse at a movement that is driven by passion, creativity and business. The film has been called "A rock solid documentary," and "An event to savor in wonderment," and is not to be missed.

Bob Moog shaped musical culture with some of the most inspiring electronic instruments ever created. This "compelling documentary portrait of a provocative, thoughtful and deeply sympathetic figure" (New York Times) peeks into the inventor's mind and the worldwide phenomenon he fomented.

A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument and his subsequent life after he was abducted by the KGB as well as a history of his instrument.

The music business can be ruthless. Musicians are desperate for success while their management are desperate for the spoils. Artistic integrity is encouraged, while the accounting can get complicated. Controversy can be developed as a selling point until the wrong feathers are ruffled. And when the lines between art and commerce are blurred there's inevitably Blood on the Turntable. This new series, narrated by DJ Shaun Keaveny, investigates three of the most contentious music industry battles, told by those on the frontline. All feature the usual ingredients: money, power, greed and ego.

One man changed history. One machine, created by the Nazis, helped him do it. One film tells the story of how the world of music was changed forever.

From Dr Who to The Dark Side of the Moon to modern day dance music, the pioneering members of the Electronic Music Studios radically changed the sound-scape of the 20th Century. What the Future Sounded Like tells this fascinating story of British electronic music. What The Future Sounded Like mixes experimental visual and sonic techniques with animation and never-seen-since archival footage. A sonic and visual collage, this documentary colors in a lost chapter in music history, uncovering a group of composers and music engineers who harnessed technology and new ideas to re-imagine the boundaries of music and sound.

With a folk singing Janis Joplin, the 13th Floor Elevators, peyote, LSD and the first psychedelic music venue in Texas, Austin was a fertile ground for the emerging counter culture of the 1960s. Seen as nonconformists, Beatnik inspired students were drawn together by folk, country and Blues music while dabbling with peyote and later exploring with LSD. Traditional values became challenged as they sought a lifestyle outside of the system. Civil Rights and the war in Vietnam were galvanizing factors in 1960s American society, but the advent of psychedelics made it electrified! This is how Austin became groovy.

American Music: OFF THE RECORD features theorists Noam Chomsky and Douglas Rushkoff in an interrogation of the American music industry. The film covers a great deal of ground from the authenticity of live music to the circumvention of the corporate machine by indie distribution, to the demise of the privately owned music store.

The lives and struggles of touring musicians as they expose a little seen face of the music industry, and how it is changing.

'People Who Do Noise' is a film about the experimental music of Portland, Oregon. Extensive interviews and intimate performance footage provide an intense portrait of the motivations, emotions, and methods that go into this uncompromising, sometimes brutal musical form. Unwavering in its focus, the film brings to light an art form unfathomable to many, with only the words of the musicians themselves providing any explanation for the pulsating sonic chaos they create. The unflinching cinematic style defies any trend-setting or commercial representation, opting instead for a stark portrayal of a musical underground at its most genuine and vital.

A documentary feature examining why over 3000 independent record stores have closed across the U.S. in the past decade. Many sources all pose threats on the very well being of our favorite record stores. Will these stores die or will they survive?

Electronica Reykjavik traces the history of the electronic music scene in Iceland's capital from the early 90's until today. The Film deeply reflects a music genre that the general public knows little about but nearly everyone has participated in, one way or the other. The electronic music scene is on the edge, free from commercial values.

Through interviews with over 40 key names on the history of dub, electronic music and hip hop, "Dub Echoes" connects the dots between of the otherwise fragmented relation between all this genres.

Following a generation of post-punk musicians who went to form successful electronic bands in the 70s and 80s and had a profound impact on present day music.

From radical turntablism (Otomo Yoshihide) to laptop music innovation (Numb), via classic instrument hijacking (Sakamoto Hiromichi), Tokyo's avant-garde music scene is internationally known for its boldness.

The 50 year struggle between rock pioneers and powerful business/government interests for the soul of music radio, told by America's favorite deejays and the artists they made rock stars.

'Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet' is a feature length documentary which delves into the movement known as ChipTunes, a vibrant underground scene based around creating new, original music using old video game hardware. Familiar devices such as the Nintendo Game Boy and Nintendo Entertainment System are pushed in new directions with startling results. Using New York as a microcosm for a larger global movement, 'Reformat the Planet' maps out the genesis of the first annual Blip Festival, a four day celebration of over 30 international artists exploring the untapped potential of low-bit video game consoles. With floor-stomping rhythms and fist-waving melodies, trailblazers of the ChipTune idiom descend upon Manhattan to pen a new chapter in the history of electronic music.