A short educational documentary on early electronic composition and synthesizers.
Social & External
The people behind it
Jean-Claude Risset
Himself
Actor and writer Stephen Fry explores his passion for the world's most controversial composer, Richard Wagner. As a life-long fan can Stephen, who is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust, salvage Wagner's music from its dark associations with anti-Semitism and Hitler?
Elli works as a techno DJ and loves electronic music. She has a daughter named Toni, who mostly grows up with her father. The 9-year-old girl is only with her on weekends. They have planned a mother-daughter weekend, but suddenly Elli is offered an important gig at an electronic music festival. Finally playing in front of a big audience again, feeling the ecstasy and intoxication of the night. Through the music she escapes the stagnation, the desolation, the role model of the conventional mother and the narrowness of the provincial town. Torn between maternal missing her and asserting herself in her life, Elli tries to be there for Toni and at the same time to live her dreams without restrictions.
The story of young composer, Johannes Brahms, and his relationship with, Robert and Clara Schumann, the famous music couple that aided in his rise to fame.
Machine Soul is a documentary film about Finnish Electronic musicians. It is a glance at the methods, rituals and philosophy behind the music, but most of all at the burning passion that drives the artists forward year after year. Electronic music is discussed from the point of view of the artists. What are their early influences? How did their style develop? What has been the role of their environment? It is a form of music that is often perceived as cold and lifeless by outsiders, but in the eyes of the artists it is a multifaceted and soulful way of life. The movie is not an overview of the Finnish Techno scene nor a chronicle. Many of the artists are virtually unknown in Finland, but have a large fanbase outside their home country. Machine Soul is a homage to the pioneers and newcomers of the Finnish Electronic music scene.
For Passengers, The Blaze sets up its equipment in the Grotte de la Salamandre cave in the Gard region. This session provides an opportunity to explore the duo's second album, Jungle, in the manner it deserves.
Paris, 1978. In a male-dominated music industry, Ana uses new electronic machines to make herself heard, thus creating a new sound that is destined to mark the decades to come: the music of the future.
This documentary chronicles the rise, fall, and rise again of the soft rock epitomized by artists such as Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and Toto in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Retroactively dubbed "Yacht Rock," the easy-listening genre came to be gently mocked and even dismissed by rock lovers and critics. However, it has since reclaimed its place in music history and is celebrated in this groove-infused film.
In 1971 September met four young men in a garden in Gentofte. They wanted to make a band. And they soon found out that they could joke his way to one hit after another. A handful of years later had their playful approach made them Denmark's largest orchestra. But if success came easily to them, it was also their biggest problem. For besides they were hit by alcoholism and stage directing, they faced one overriding dilemma: Should they stick to the happy drengerøvs tone (young men who appear to be young, immature or inexperienced or who behave childishly), they had so much luck, or trying to become adults?
Pro-shot live recording of the now infamous gig of legendary industrial band Skinny Puppy. Performed in Dresden at Germany's Doomsday Festival. This performance marked the reunion of former bandmates, cEvin Key and Nivek Ogre. It was the first Skinny Puppy concert since 1992, first in Europe since 1988, and first ever in the former East Germany.
40 years after he last played the Wembley Arena, Gary Numan staged the comeback of a lifetime. Follow Numan on his road back to Wembley and follow his turbulent careers, from the crushing lows to the exhilarating highs.
Two friends who worked in the vinyl record shop Panamá Radio remember the post-II World War days when they entered the working scene of the city, the music of the times and all the artists that visited the shop.
In the early 1970s, rubber was still king in Akron, Ohio. But just a few short years later, Akron's most important product was, ever so briefly, music. In the mid-1970s, a group of local bands took over an old rubber workers' hang-out in downtown Akron called The Crypt and created a mix of punk and art rock that came to be known as "the Akron Sound." And for a while, it was almost "the next big thing." Almost. It's Everything, and Then It's Gone, a Western Reserve PBS production written and directed by Phil Hoffman., takes viewers back to a time when the music really did mean everything. And for the men and women in these local bands, it was a way out of the factory.
The documentary tells the story of one of the most striking and successful rock bands in the world: KISS. Framed by rare private recordings, studio sessions and impressive live performances, the two KISS founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons tell the stories behind their decades-long and turbulent band history. Four made-up musicians with platform shoes, lots of fire and glam and melodious rock 'n' roll: KISS are no ordinary band, they are a phenomenon. For over 40 years, the band led by bassist Gene Simmons and singer Paul Stanley has been one of the most popular live bands in the world. Since 2019, KISS have been on their multi-year "End of the Road" farewell tour. Time for a look back at the long and turbulent history of this extraordinary band!
On Aug. 28, 2016, Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii, graced the stage of the Ushuaïa nightclub in Ibiza for what would be his final performance.
Hamlet and Ophelia reckon with their doomed narratives. Adapted from the 1977 East German Heiner Müller play of the same name.
A documentary film about Andreas Schneider's infamous 'Schneider's Buero', the boutique electronic musical instrument shop in Berlin.
Born in 1960 in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Nena, whose real name is Gabriele Susanne Kerner, grew up under the influence of a father who encouraged her from childhood to follow her instincts. As a teenager, she tried her hand at music. It wasn't long before a band was formed, The Stripes. 99 Luftballons, their second single, launched Nenamania in Germany and around the world.
A musical documentary and tribute to Hugh Le Caine. The story of early electronic instruments, and the nearly forgotten Canadian music pioneer who created the first synthesizers. As told through interviews with three modern-day modular synth musicians.
I am sitting in a room is a sound art piece by American composer and sound artist Alvin Lucier composed in 1969. The first performance of the work was in 1970 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. In collaboration with his partner Mary Lucier. The piece features Lucier recording himself narrating a text, and then playing the tape recording back into the room while re-recording it. The new recording is then played back and re-recorded, and this process is repeated. Due to the room's particular size and geometry, certain resonant frequencies are emphasized while others are attenuated. Eventually the words become unintelligible, replaced by the characteristic resonance of the room.
In April 1989, in a liminal town near Mexico City, young teenager Violeta finds a way to bring her mother's synthesizers back to life with disastrous consequences for her and her father.
His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.
After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.
A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.
Spike Lee pays tribute to Michael Jackson's Bad on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the epochal album, offering behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson recording the album and interviews with confidants, musicians, choreographers, and such music-world superstars as Kanye West, Sheryl Crow, Cee Lo Green and Mariah Carey.
Rising musician Jeff Buckley had only released one album when he died suddenly in 1997. Now, never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and accounts from those closest to him offer a portrait of the captivating singer.
Pull back the curtain on the remarkable history of six decades of James Bond music, from Sean Connery’s Dr No through to Daniel Craig’s final outing in No Time to Die.
Though legendary lyricist Howard Ashman died far too young, his impact on Broadway, movies, and the culture at large were incalculable. Told entirely through rare archival footage and interviews with Ashman’s family, friends, associates, and longtime partner Bill Lauch, Howard is an intimate tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent and a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself.
With the help of more than 10,000 dedicated Zappa fans, this is the long-awaited definitive documentary project of Alex Winter documenting the life and career of enigmatic groundbreaking rock star Frank Zappa. Alex also utilizes in this picture thousands of hours of painstakingly digitized videos, photos, audio, writing, and everything in between from Zappa's private archives. These chronicles have never been brought to a public audience before, until now.
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film's director and interviewer Ice-T. Taking us on a deeply personal journey Ice-T uncovers how this music of the street has grown to dominate the world. Along the way Ice-T meets a whole spectrum of Hip-Hop talent, from founders, to new faces, to the global superstars like Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He exposes the roots and history of Rap and then, through meeting many of its most famous protagonists, studies the living mechanism of the music to reveal 'The Art Of Rap'. This extraordinary film features unique performances from the entire cast, without resorting to archive material, to build a fresh and surprising take on the phenomenon that is Rap.
A documentary chronicling the Beatles' rehearsal sessions in January 1969 for their proposed "back to basics" album, "Get Back," later re-envisioned and released as "Let It Be."
Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.
Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.
Daft Punk Unchained is the first film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy Awards. Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV. This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution revealing a duo of artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom.
Experience the iconic rock band's legacy in the first major documentary to tell their story. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
On a January night in 1985, music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." This documentary goes behind the scenes of the historic event.
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.
