Electronic dance music has a vibrant history that has spanned the better part of over four decades. Dance music is a genre of music that is driven by technology, and as genres like techno and house have come of age so has the auxiliary technology used to capture every moment of it.
This means fans of this style of music are luckier than almost any other genre of music throughout history, because so much of the earliest days of EDM have been recorded and captured on film for us to watch.
So here is out list of the 20 best documentaries covering electronic music all in one place so that you can learn everything you need to know about its roots and culture without ever having to leave your couch.
Documentaries On The History Of Dance Music
To start, these documentaries cover the general history and cultural phenomena associated with underground dance music. In these documentaries, you’ll learn about Carl Cox, early London club culture, how synthesizers and drum machines revolutionized the world, and a TON more.
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Documentaries On Techno Music
Here is deep dives into the origins of techno and house. You’ll hear from Juan Atkins, Matthew Dear, and other pioneers of the genre while exploring the inner workings of techno capitals like Berlin and Detroit.
Documentaries On Trance Music
These documentaries explore the trance-inducing genres of, well, trance music.
You’ll hear from the original melody creators and learn the history of Goa and the effects psychedelics had on one of dance music’s most loyal communities.
Documentaries On Drum & Bass
This series of documentaries dives into the true underground of dance music, unpacking the life and culture behind genres such as jungle, drum & bass, and breakbeat rhythms.
Through these five videos you’ll learn about the biggest players in the scene, where the scene is at now, and the staples of the earliest days of the genres.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
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