The Best Electronic Documentaries that will Make you Dance to the Beat

Dec. 31, 2022

Electronic music is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of musical styles and genres that are created using electronic technology. It has a long and rich history that stretches back to the early 20th century, when composers such as Pierre Schaeffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen began experimenting with electronic sounds and techniques. Since then, electronic music has evolved and grown to become a mainstream genre that encompasses a wide range of sub-genres, including techno, house, trance, and ambient, among others.


What differentiates it from other genres?

One of the defining features of electronic music is the use of electronic instruments and technology to create and manipulate sounds. This includes the use of synthesizers, drum machines, and digital audio workstations (DAWs), which allow artists to create and shape their music in ways that would not be possible using traditional instruments alone. Electronic music is also often characterized by the use of repetitive rhythms and patterns, and the incorporation of elements from other genres, such as hip hop, funk, and pop.


What can I gain by watching electronic music documentaries?

There have been numerous documentaries made about electronic music, which have explored the history, evolution, and cultural impact of the genre. These films have featured interviews with a wide range of artists, producers, and industry figures, and have provided insights into the creative process and the cultural significance of electronic music. Overall, these documentaries provide a rich and nuanced look at the history and cultural significance of electronic music, and offer a glimpse into the diverse and ever-evolving world of electronic music.

 

Which documentaries about electronic music can I watch right now?

 

 

Modulations

A comprehensive look at the history and evolution of electronic music, featuring interviews with a wide range of artists, including Aphex Twin, Carl Cox, and Autechre. The film traces the development of electronic music from its roots in the early 20th century, when composers such as Pierre Schaeffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen began experimenting with electronic sounds and techniques, to its present-day status as a mainstream musical genre. Along the way, it covers a wide range of styles, including techno, house, trance, and ambient, and explores the cultural and social impacts of electronic music.


Electronic Awakening 

This is a documentary about the role of electronic music in contemporary spiritual practice and the rise of the global electronic dance music (EDM) scene. The film begins by examining the use of electronic music as a form of self-expression and personal transformation, and delves into the history and cultural significance of the rave scene. It features interviews with DJs, producers, and festival organizers, as well as footage of live performances and dance parties, and explores the ways in which electronic music has been used to create a sense of community and connection among its fans.


I Dream of Wires 

A documentary about the history and resurgence of modular synthesizers, featuring interviews with a wide range of artists and industry figures, including Trent Reznor and Gary Numan. The film traces the development of synthesizers from their earliest incarnations in the 1950s, when Robert Moog and Don Buchla created some of the first electronic musical instruments, to the present day, when modular synthesizers are experiencing a resurgence of popularity. Along the way, it explores the cultural and artistic significance of these electronic instruments and examines the recent resurgence of interest in modular synthesizers and the DIY culture that has emerged around them.


Music, Power and Revolution Part II

The second part of the three-part documentary series “Music, War and Revolution” is dedicated to Russian composers of the late teens and early ’20s of the last century.  The former “young wild ones,” composers such as Arthur Lourié, Nikolai Roslawets, Alexander Mosolov as well as Vladimir Deshevov and Lev Termen remain to this day comparatively and unjustifiably unknown and their lives have remained largely unexplored. However, this generation instilled life into the musical world of that time, greatly leaving their mark. The young composers were audacious; they flirted with futurism, wrote the first twelve-tone chord of musical history, invented the first electronic musical instrument and created sounds previously unheard.

 

What We Started

This is a documentary about the history and cultural impact of electronic dance music, featuring interviews with a number of prominent DJs and producers, including Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, and Steve Aoki. The film covers the early days of the genre, when pioneers such as Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder helped to lay the foundations of electronic music, and traces its evolution through the rise of the global EDM scene. It also explores the role of technology in the creation and promotion of electronic music, and the ways in which the genre has influenced fashion, art, and popular culture.

 


Under the Electric Sky

A documentary about the Electric Daisy Carnival, one of the world's largest electronic music festivals, featuring performances by a wide range of artists, including Calvin Harris and Tiesto. The film follows a diverse group of festival-goers as they make their way to the event, and explores the ways in which the festival has become a place for self-expression and personal transformation. It also examines the cultural and social impacts of the EDM scene and the challenges of staging such a large-scale event, including issues related to safety, security, and sustainability.

 

The Sound of Belgium

Sometimes agitated, sometimes reflective, this documentary, as educational as it is entertaining, is a journey through the world of dance music in Belgium, where modern Europe was born. This mesmerizing documentary explores the rich but untold story of Belgian 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.

 

808 

This is a documentary about the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which has played a pivotal role in the development of electronic music. It features interviews with a wide range of artists and industry figures, including Pharrell Williams and Afrika Bambaataa, as well as with the engineers who designed and built the machine. The film explores the history and cultural significance of the TR-808, and examines its enduring influence on modern music. It looks at the ways in which the machine

 

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