There’s a multitude of incredible music documentaries in the universe well worth watching. Maybe too many to choose from, even. If you’re in need of a few recommendations, some of our fave local and international DJs are on hand to reveal their top picks for a night in front of the telly.
Anja Schneider
Recommended: Conny Plank: The Potential of Noise (2017)
What’s it about? This is an interesting story about the German genius [and producer behind the likes of Kraftwerk, David Bowie and Brain Eno], who has, for me, been one of the most impactful people in electronic music from the very beginning. It’s a very personal story made and co-directed by his son, Stephen Plank. This angle gives a different perspective – how Stephen dealt with having such an idol as his father, as well as the struggles he experienced given the lack of time he ever got to spend with him due to his father’s intense work schedule.
Why should I watch it? Because he inspired a whole generation of music. He was a man who tried everything, no risk was ever too big for him. Personally, for me, it’s great to be able to watch something about most of the bands that I grew up with, so it brings back many memories. Conny Plank was a true pioneer.
Woodle
Recommended: Drum & Bass: The Movement (2020)
What’s it about? It charts the history of drum & bass through its roots, entwined with jungle, techno, reggae and soundsystem culture.
Why should I watch it? Whilst there are a few controversial omissions, it’s a concise account of how drum & bass has evolved from the early-’90s through to the present day. A must-see for any basshead, whatever your musical inclinations.
Lobito Brigante
Recommended: Scratch (2001)
What’s it about? The art of turntablism, scratching, crate digging and hip-hop culture.
Why should I watch it? Many hip-hop documentaries leave a lot to be desired production-wise but ‘Scratch’ is a very well put together and entertaining documentary that accurately describes turntablism as a culture featuring the main figures in the movement, including a lot of friends and pioneers I’m lucky to know personally. Directed by Doug Pray, it also captures the creative attitude and quirkiness that gave birth to the movement as a counter-cultural phenomenon. The DJ is placed front and centre as a musician and instrumentalist. A little known fact is the companion DVD – ‘Scratch All The Way Live’ – which features live DJ performances, also features the street artist OBEY (Shepard Fairey) long before his mainstream success!
Mick Wilson (PaperMacheTiger)
Recommended: Hip-Hop Evolution (2016 – 2020)
What’s it about? This series chronicles the birth and rise of hip-hop – from its embryonic emergence from the disco era to its global impact. The story really comes to life through some amazing interviews with a number of hip-hop legends. This is a must-watch for anyone interested in the music industry as a whole and not just fans of hip-hop.
Why should I watch it? Inspirational for anyone interested in the music industry, this delves into how a scene created on the streets of New York, LA and beyond became a movement in the US at a time of political unrest and turmoil, and went on to dominate the world.
Eats Everything
Recommended: Modern Times – LTJ Bukem Documentary (1996)
What’s it about? It’s about LTJ Bukem and the beginning of his career as a touring jungle DJ and producer – and all that comes with it. (The bootleg mixtapes scene is a proper throwback, as is the narrator describing how Bukem and his MCs could earn “up to £1000 a gig” – Ed)
Why should I watch it? I really enjoyed this one, as it gives the viewer such an insight into the scene in the mid-’90s. Tony Fordham, his manager, is great in it.
Anthony Pappa
Recommended: What We Started (2017)
What’s it about? How the dance music scene that we know today evolved. It compares and contrasts the very different career journeys of veteran DJ Carl Cox and EDM posterboy Martin Garrix.
Why should I watch it? For me, as a DJ in the fourth decade of my career, l could really relate to this documentary. I started buying records in the ’80s and began DJing in 1986. This music documentary explains how house music evolved from the disco scene and the subsequent dance music movement, from the early illegal raves to the UK’s superclubs to the massive dance festivals that now take place around the world. It also covers the evolution of DJing as an artform – from going to record shops to get your music and playing it on two or three turntables to the modern world of downloading the music at home and playing it out via a USB stick. A must-watch for the younger generation who don’t know the history dance music.
Anfisa Letyago
Recommended: Maestro (2003)
What’s it about? It focuses on the beginnings of house music in New York, how the underground dance scene was born and the key people behind it.
Why should I watch it? For the lovely stories about David Mancuso and The Loft, Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan and Paradise Garage, and many others. Also, it shows very well the core values of our scene – love and diversity!
Alan Fitzpatrick
Recommended: The Chemical Generation (2001)
What’s It about: A journey through rave and acid house from Manchester to Ibiza and beyond.
Why it’s worth watching: A really interesting and educational piece about the earlier roots of dance music and the rise and early high of it.
Mark Shakedown
Recommended: The Defiant Ones (2017)
What’s it about? It’s a four-part series that gives an in-depth insight into the careers of Dr. Dre and music mogul Jimmy Lovine, who co-founded Interscope Records and went on to set up Beats Electronics with Dre. It tells of their ups and downs in the music industry, their struggle and success.
Why should I watch it? It’s inspirational. It shows you how the music industry has developed over the years, how it has changed, how those changes were influenced. It also reminds you that if you work hard on your dreams and you keep at it, they actually become true.
