modulations: cinema for the ear

POST YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE FILM

VIEWER'S FEEDBACK:

I just watched Modulations at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland. Enjoyed it more than a little bit. I had to consult your website, which I found also quite interesting.

I am very interested as to when the book you mentioned on the site, covering the development of electronic/electroacoustical music, will be available with its accompanying CD collection. Depending on the price, I will probably be very interested in purchasing this product. Do you have an e-mail teaser service to let interested buyers know when your product becomes available?

Thank you so much. I believe what you are doing is a very good thing, especially bringing together first wave artists like John Cage and Stockhausen with third wave artists starting with Kraftwerks, etc.. Really cool, really exciting ideas flowing through Modulations.

Thanks,

Matt

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i think that the film was a good connection between the public and the performers.. it allowed people to see that performers do have thoughts and feelings and not everything is hollywood. I also liked the photographic interviews that displayed each artists face and body. I always liked to see the source of a sound.

dj keleba

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the carl cox screening of modulations went very well. he appeared an hour before the show started and fans got the chance to have a talk to him. a lot of young new dj's cornered him and they sort of got into the technical terms which left the normal fans with nothing to say. cox on the other hand really enjoyed giving advice and sharing his ideas and love for the music to true supporters of the scene.

once again congrat's on a rad film.

cape town film fest- south africa

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Ive seen Modulations on the B.A International Independent film festival, and i have to say that its the best movie ive seen in my entire life, it has the perfect combination between a documental movie (with all)the theoretical point of view) and a movie of a electronic music fan. Ive been trying to get a copy, i tried even to bribe a person from the festival and no one can tell me how to get a copy and suddenly i find this page, well i thank god for this congratulations, and i still dont get, why modulations didnt get an award here.

Mariano Amartino
Buenos Aires Argentina

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Hello,

I enjoyed this movie very much as it opened a whole new area of music for me. I feel something important was missed though - and that is a whole genre of music that appears to more or less have died - and that is what I will call "representational" electronic music. "Switched on Bach" comes to mind - as well as friends and neighbors who were composing music with electronic instruments along similar lines - a lot of original compositions. This music I feel is a branch of electronic music that is a real part of electronic music history, that, as I have said, appears to have died.

regards,
Deborah

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Finally I saw Modulations, after seeing the banner on the Arcade America site for half a year.

I liked it a lot, nice documentary, nice montage and of course nice content. One thing really caught my eye; all the persons who where interviewed looked really unhealthy...

Regards
Jan

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I just thought I'd pass along a story.... My friend Elysha in Vancouver is a seventeen year old diva in the makings, singing for years now in clubs with drum n' bass djs, throwing parties... generally being that girl on the scene. It's amazing to me how much freedom some parents (her mom's is Malaysian and her dad's Israeli) give their daughters.... especially Canadians and their very innocent-seeming raver girls.

Well, she brought her dad to see Modulations... the same weekend she took her mom to get a tattoo! I think it's gonna become a trend! Her dad could relate especially to the John Cage referencing and the old Moog dudes. Everyone I know who's seen it wants their parents to also, in hopes they'll better understand the obsession with sound in that context. Now her parents are gonna let her go to Miami for WMC to perform... and the rest could be history!

That's all. Wish you the best, and drop a line whenever, for whatever!

Roland

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Mom, Dad and Modulations!

Hello! guess what? My mom and dad went to see modulations! They said the theatre was packed. They liked it, and compared it to cubisim in paintings (they're both visual artists). Their favorite quote is the same as mine about our society being really good at taking things apart and not so hot at putting it back together.

val - toronto

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i just saw this film myself yesterday at the nuart. pretty good film, best parts were comparing the different kinds of techno youd hear depending on where you were in the world, hearing the different opinions on raving (such as from alec empire and panacea), invisibl skratch piklz sharing words of wisdom, and one of the autechre guys picking his nose while he spoke

i thought some of the ideas were a little bit too intellectualized, moreso than need be imo, and for some parts, i couldnt quite grasp what the film was really about. seemed like stockhausen's ideas regarding sound and music and the evolution of rave music from disco to house to acid to jungle were like two different things, two different aesthetics at work and i didnt really see much of aconnection

another thing that bothered me is that they talked about the 80s as if it was some large vacuum regarding any sort of experimentation with electronic music. hearing some of the german guys discuss their theories, i expected them to go into some industrial stuff which i was reminded of. what about bands like einsturzende neubauten? i think some of the stuff they did was a pretty good example of turning random sound into music

still a good film that i liked a lot though. i want one of those movie posters now

joe

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I thought the film brought up many intresting comments and was a real influence to me, I am training to become a DJ and your movie moved me, alot. It was one of the most deep and meaningful works of art I have ever seen and am looking forward to your next production. If only more of modern day cinema could be influenced by todays youth culture the way you were the it would be a better world to live in, thank you for your time and I am truely grateful for thr time and effort you put into your film. Yours lovingly,

Gibson Haynes

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comments=Modulations was the single most inspirational piece of art I have ever had the privilige to experience.I am an aspiring DJ/Producer and you really helped to open my mind.THANK YOU.

cillian moore.

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I saw 'modulations' as part of the UK Birmingham Film and Television Festival, and found it really inspiring. I'm in my final year at University of Birmingham doing Cultural Studies, for which I'm doing a dissertation about youth culture/dance culture. The documentary stood out to me as important because it emphasises how it is technology, and the advances and movements within music that really shape youth culture, which is a strong force in society. It is an area that deserves a lot more attention and recognition ( mainly why I'm currently researching it) I think it's great that films like your's can be screened and appreciated...there was huge applause at the showing I went to. The documentary is fascinating in it's diversity - you must have had a good time making it. I'll look out for further productions. Thankyou. As part of my research it would be amazing to know some of your ideas/opinions....if you have the time could you e-mail me and let me know if you 'd like to communicate some thoughts about music/youth culture and help me in my research.

Bekka x

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I have enthused about 'Modulations' ever since first learning of the project from Iara. As someone involved in researching previous documentaries for television, I understand what's involved in the process, and 'am delighted to assist in whatever way I can. 'Modulations' is a remarkable film, documenting a revolutionary period. As a 19 year old I left my (temporary) home on a reservation in Washingston State in August 1987, and travelled throughout America. I eventually arrived in Detroit, hearing an incredibly emotive music escape from an economically devastated city. These alien sounds of motion and machines were everywhere: broadcast from hi-fi speakers on window-ledges, coming from car radios, gathering an audience on street corners. I returned to northern England armed with two 12" records and a secret I longed to share. It was not until years later when that impact finally hit. Having since travelled the world in pursuit of this music, I find that 'Modulations' reflects many of my experiences of the last 11 years.

d e s m o n d k. h i l l [ m a n a g e r o f J e a n J a c q u e s P e r r e y ]

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I am a composer/researcher of electronic/electroacoustic music currently doing a doctoral dissertation at NYU. I recently saw the movie Modulations which I loved. It was about time to produce such a document on the history of electronic music... I personally think that the role of Pierre Schaeffer in the whole thing was largely underestimated since his concepts of sound object/musical object seem to be more and more pertinent in nowadays electronic music's production and analysis.

Anyway, take this as constructive criticism because I really appreciated the effort in putting out such a document. I would like to know if you are intending in putting out a video version of the movie, since I might use it as a source of information in my dissertation.

Carlos Guedes

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I loved the movie. especialy MixMaster Moris pieces. i know morris quite good, and i always entertained see his mental projections when he is been asked good questions. i also was amazed by the RANGE of artists you guys interviewed. it was one of the best collection of quotes about the subject and was edited in a very interesting way. kept me going throughout the movie. my only criticism is that it is very 'underground' or i would say that it fits perfectly to the people that are interested in that kind of music.. but if i was starnger to the scene, i would probably get lost. but hey-- who cares about people who like Spice Girls.. ;-)

spider- zavtone

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The movie was a technotrip I really enjoyed watching it. The timeline layout & DJ interviews were really good; the whole movie was the shiznit really thight. I hope you continue to make good movies like this one. Movies that communicate to people what the not so underground anymore is like, but specially how techno & house or jungle came about.

garfield

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I just got home from watching Modulations, here in Vancouver BC Canada, and was very excited to see such great exposure for the electronic "scene". Hopefully we will begin to see a new generation of similar movies...

thomas

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the movie was really really honestly impressive. way better than i thought it would be. it provided with a clear, interesting and well-informed view of the history of electronic music with great visuals, music spanning everything from the underground to the mega-stars and interviews with the who's who of the scene now and then. it was so neat to see all sort of people at the screening and to hear them comment on the bands they knew, had heard of, wanted to know now, etc. too few heads nodded to the beats but hey. that's just me :P

i liked the editing, not too split-second mtv but still flowing very nicely with the tight beats. honestly, the only drawback was due to its topic... i guess people must have complained that you talked too much about such and such genre and not enough about another. of course. it was strange not to see the orb, the chemical brothers or dj krush (if i remember correctly, it's already been a while since i've seen it...), big names as they are but it was also neat in a way. actually, i think a few genres should have been skipped. non-initiate must have been thoroughly puzzled by the very quick and very abstract definitions of gabber, hard house, etc. (and i guess people complained about not seeing intelligent, progressive, etc. in more details)

ah, what to say. i've suggested it to all my friends and they all loved it too :)

it's three thirty am and my pet frog just squirted on me from my bunk-bed so i'll take that as a cue and get to sleep.

olivier

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Thank you for an excellent historical treatment of such a huge and varied musical movement/genre(?). I've come at it all from the trajectory of an appreciation for early Industrial (Throbbing Gristle, Einsturzende Neubauten), free jazz, early sound experimentalists (Cage, Stockhausen), later sound experimentalists (Nurse with Wound, Coil, Zoviet France), Japanese Noise (from Keiji Haino[more dark psychedelic] to Merzbow), and lately I've been getting more and more interested in the harder, darker side of techno as well as trance and ambient. Thank you for filling in the many gaps in my understanding of contemporary electronica. Very enjoyable, thought provoking movie!

shannon.

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Sorry for not writing sooner. _Loved_ "Modulations!" What a strong movie! And what an incredible amount of work it must've been. Looked like some of it was shot on Digital Beta? - (or was it Beta SP) I've a new DV camera and couldn't help wondering about the possibilities...

Now I'll have to go back to your website and see what your company is up to next. I've written and produced a couple of films myself and am now involved with an excellent "noirish" comedy in the spirit of "Fargo" and "Blood Simple" to be directed by my brother, Steven-Charles Jaffe. ( Bill Paxton's committed to starring but financing is not complete in case you guys are ever interested in that sort of thing.)

"Modulations" would be a great film to own on DVD.

Congratulations on a great project.

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Hello and greetings from Vancouver BC Canada... I just saw Modulations last night at full house reception, luckily I had purchased tickets in advance. I thought it was very good but not as good as Synthetic Pleasures... I am still glad I went though.

Actually by the end of the film I wanted to go out clubbing because I haven't been out dancing for almost a year.

Excellent work again, cheers for now and look forward to future works,

Josef (^_^)

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Seen it! I saw it as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival. Very good work. You did well to capture the feel/ethos of the electronic scene without leaning too much towards one genre or another. I liked also the way you referenced John Cage et. al. Good to see the originators acknowledged without being overly sentimental.

Cheers, Michael Coburn

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Thank you for the message, New music is a subject I'm very interested in, since George Antheil- one of the pioneers of using machines in music, with his "ballet mechanique" in 1923, and also one of the inventors of spread-spectrum communications, with the actress Hedy Lamarr, was my father.. Thank you! I'm planning to go.

chris beaumont

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I saw the film at ZKM /Karlsruhe, Germany for the first time. And what can I say, it was an experience nobody should miss. A wonderful combination of mostly classic tunes, perfectly cut pictures and scenes and nice interviews (okay, except embarassing Panacea). I think everybody who's seriously interested in music in general, no matter if she or he is experienced in today's electronic music or not, should try and see this film, probably best viewed in a cinema with a brilliant PA. When I first saw the press invitation I thought: "how can they be that crazy and make the effort to summarize the whole history of electronic music in that time?" And they managed it, congratulations! :)

.. .and I guess that 55 year old journalist still can¥t sleep today, whenever he tries to, he¥ll probably hear the "shadowboxing" sample and the mindblasting bassline to follow, huh? ...

Thanks a lot for your great work!

Dominik

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I enjoyed Modulations. I sure did! For one thing, it's a great, in-depth overview of the evolution of the cutting edge of today's pop music scene, - especially for tired old motherfuckers like me who may not be in touch with techno, rave, and the like.

bob moog

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Pete Quicke, Philippa, and myself went and checked out Modulations last night. I thought it was excellent. It does a great job of connecting the lines between the various influences/progressions of the different genres. I was glad to see the inclusion of pre-80's electronic musicians like Stockhausen, Cage, Can, etc...Hopefully the kids will be inspired to search some stuff out. Favorite parts...

-Sean (or Rob?) Autechre picking his nose
-Morris looking like a kid who has to pee the entire time
-Panacea's 'sometimes I scare myself' scene
-Alex Empire's anti love parade comments
-pompous F.S.O.L bit
-Holger Czukay dancing around like a freak
-Picklz talking about the 'Naked Penguin' scratch and the 'Lips on the Back of the Bear' scratch

Anyway, we all enjoyed ourselves,

jeff

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In terms of image associated to electronic music i have only been excited and deep moved two times. One with the concept behind the work of HEX and now with your documentary modulations. HEX create images with the mind of a musician and made electronic music narrative (wich is one of the big lacks of techno). With modulations you have not only made a documentary about electronic culture, you have made techno with the tv language. For me Modulations is an example of the future of TV . Even a documentary about the "growing market of carrots in Australia" can be made with the stile of Modulations. It is a new way of narrate things based in how is composed a session or a theme of electronic music: Something chaotic , lots of things in disorder that after a progression becomes full of sense. I am a spanish free-lance tv director, 30 years old but involved in Pop culture since 12, and belive me, i can not stop recomending your work to everybody with a little idea of what is going on. My most sincerly congratulations. Also your work is made with and incredible love to the subject of the program. Again, this love to the work i have only see it in the concert of Portishead in New york, wich is made with lots of love from the director to the group, and the watchers with sensibility we used to perceive this things.

alejandro

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how are you? i STILL haven't seen Syntheic Pleasures yet. i'm SO LAZY!!!! i'll have to go TONIGHT and see if i can find the movie and if not, you'll be hearing from me soon. what do u do @ caipirinha? how did caipirinha start..... i can't wait to see "Modulations"! it should be interesting and enjoyable. the list of djs that are in this film is FAB!!! i can't wait. being that i guess u could call me a "retired old kid" from the whole party/dance scene, but the music remains one of my loves of interests. is there a cd out for modulations?

thank you for the info.

have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!

maria

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I watched Modulations on Arte TV (German/French Culture Channel) but only caught the last 45 minutes or so. I was wondering if this film is available on video cassette yet, or when you are planning to release it. Thank you in advance for your help!

Nicklas Weic

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saw modulations in cologne, you were really busy. nice pice of history, with techno as a cut.... and the whole as a night to celebrate. so holger czuckay made his own performance, he is always around you only sometimes know what he is talking about, but anyway everybody likes him. i would like to invite you to the disco b . event at rhenania at the 15/8 at cologne, where i make a live video mix with a friend. video in progress...........

greetings

dirk

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I respect the philosophy of caipirinha as sound scientests, I enjoy listening to new and innovative beats and sounds. I myself have been influenced by the sounds of synthesizers, drum machines, turntables, proccesors, samplers etc.... I have been expermenting myself with elecronic music and must say it is fun. I have been playing for two years but unfortunaly i live in a shithole town where the is very little going on for the electronic scene I find myself ordering all my Cd's off the internet because the stores never seem to have what im looking for. For the past two years Ive been recording on an anolog four track, I must say i have improved but still have alot to learn, fortunenaly I am taking a class this semester at the University at Texas of El Paso for advanced audio production, basically my professor is going to produce me digitaly. My question is if you all accept demo tapes? If so where do I send them? I like the ideas that you all have and hope you get alot of new listeners in the future, Will Sythetic Pleasures or Modulations be out to rent on video like at a Blockbuster Music or Hollywood Video or do I have to purchase the tape myself? thanks for your time.

Sir Luna

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I went to a screening of the PREMIER of 'MODULATIONS'. It was very impressive indeed. It managed to convey the excitement of the world of electronic music and had many a quality tune. Some of the more obscure aspects of electronic music where fascinating....its not often that one sees the THEREMIN in action on the big screen. Is there any liklihood of MODULATIONS being shown in the EDINBURGH/UK again?

twan

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Hello, I have been really excited about the film Modulations. I was curious if there is any way I could purchase this video from you in VHS format? Is it currently available?

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Can i just say that modulations is the best documentary i have ever seen. I saw it at the Film Fest recently in Melbourne and thought itwas amazing. It captured the excitement and euphoria of the techno scene as i never thought possible. Can someone please tell me if there is going to be a release of it in Australia (not likely hey?) or if i can buy the video or something. The images were so fast and vibrant i want to watch it - and drink it up another 100 times

chelsea | australia

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I enjoyed your film very much. I appreciated that you included so many current artists (giving a helpful overview of the scene) and also put their work in a historical context. I've been saying since the '80s that hip-hop was contemporary musique concrete, and I've been fascinated to watch my favorite musical genre from the '70s--the electronic stylings of Can, Kraftwerk, et al--continue to grow and evolve. You did a great job showing the density and complexity of recent electronica, and it's a shame that ex-rock critics like NY Times film reviewer Stephen Holden still have to get in their digs about the music being "so much noise." His parents doubtless said the same thing about the rock and roll he now considers classic. Also thanks for the timeline on your website.

tom | nyc

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I just saw Modulations @ the NuArt. How cool, highly recommended. The German scene seems a bit odd, neo-fascists and all. Go see it, you won't be disappointed.

Seppo

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I just got back from Modulations also. My favorite comments were from lec Empire and some "ghetto house" DJ from Chicago. Those that saw the movie know what I mean.

Allen

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Wonderful film, Ms Lee! However, one of the great (and recently rediscovered) contributions to the medium of synth was made by a team of musicians, Beaver & Krause. For all practical purposes, they took one of Moog's early instruments and literally introduced it to the pop music and film scene in Hollywood, NYC, London and Paris. They also had much to do with the avant garde meanderings of the mid-60s to 70s.

Wondered if you knew about these folks and, if so, why they weren't referenced in your otherwise marvelous ouvre?

All best,

Uri Solomon Fish

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today i find the time to pass you a few considerations on (")modulations("). First , let me tell you that i think you know very well how to apply the methods to make filmic sense and built up tension. Congratulations,.... i guess it must have been difficult to cut and paste this heterogenous footage . I`m sure you put in the best ( funniest ) takes. I can also get along with the message to the common people " everything can be considered music ". For the insiders ( only for the insiders )- myself included - i think, modulations is not as deep as it could have been. To me , your approach was much more documentary than visionary. "Modulations" refers to the current phenomena of postmodernity, also offers a brief introduction to the "pioneers", who are mostly ,in fact, media made pioneers ; much more than the vaguely known workaholics that have managed to record "shit" - tunes ( Residents, David Byrne, der Plan, Negativland, Sun Ra, Herbert Brün, Devo, Faust,Y.M.O. , This Heat, Conny Plank, Brian Wilson ). But it`s alright; ....the most interesting ones are the hardest to catch up with. To be honest with you, i think that the electronic dance music protagonist`s releases will not last very long on the music lover`s shelfs. Unfortuneately most of their music - as well as other popular music - is overdetermined. People tend to like it because of "The More" besides the music, The More is a multicolored ensemble of codes layered on top of the music. Unless the codes are deconstructed, people won`t be able to listen to the sound they hear. The basic message of "modulations": "Everything can be considered music" aims precisely at it. Who preconceives that what we listen to is music ??? Why shouldn`t we have the same lack of prejudices for " noise " we have for - what "they" call "music" ? Try to reverse the basic message of "modulations". Try to listen ,for instance, to """"""Detroit house"""""""-grooves, as if you were listening to the noise of the streets. Try to perceive the quality of the sound and its structure- as if you were listening to someone`s voice without understanding the language...... and tell me, what does it offer ? Those questions enter what i call - the aesthetic field - or - "pure fascination". Hence, it becomes a pain in the ass to accept the journalist`s efforts to place their favourite music into some historical context. There`s more to it than meets the eye. Its a real pity that our great composers ( Wagner,Mozart,Strawinsky, etc.) didn`t use sampling and computer tools, because it would have proofed much earlier that using tricky technology may invent new sound but not nescessarily new music. Hence, you may understand why i miss statements ( in "modulations") from the true inventors of techno, the japanese laboratory for Roland 909 rhythmmachine sound chips. Good film, though. Does this make a little sense to you ?

Much love, Burnt

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Hey there!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making this movie. It's about time someone recognized electornic music as a viable art form, and not just a Rolling Stone trend. Hopefully some of the little raver, industrial kids, and hip-hop heads will learn a little history now! ;) I haven't gotten to see Modulations yet, but after seeing Synthetic Pleasures I'm sure it will be unbelievable.

I was lucky enough to have you send me an autographed promo flyer for Synthetic Pleasures. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever get to see it, but thank god the one independent theater in Cincinnati ran it for a month or so.
Unfortunately, that theater closed :( and we only have one "quasi-independent" theater left. I hope and pray that your new movie comes there, and soon!

Congratulations on the success of Synthetic Pleasures, I hope Modulations brings you as much praise.

Thanks, Ryan

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Greetings, We saw the film Modulations today at the NuArt Theatre in Los Angeles. It was exciting to see that other filmmakers are interested in this branch of music and culture. The intense emotions caused by electronic impulses, that some people might not even consider music, are far beyond those experienced by previous generations. To capture this side of planetary evolution at a time when anxiety runs rampant due to the upcoming new millenium is admirable.

We are young filmakers in pre-prodution for a feature film about the rave scene. The script accentuates the positive without leaving out the negative. We are working with no-budget but have been blessed with a large number of people wishing to volunteer. One thing that is still in our way is that we need to find a musician who will score our film for only points on the film. After seeing your film, and all the musicians in it, we decided to ask if you could refer someone to us.

Movin' Quickly,

Justin Leffler & Daniel Light prod.

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i just saw this film myself yesterday at the nuart. pretty good film, best parts were comparing the different kinds of techno youd hear depending on where you were in the world, hearing the different opinions on raving (such as from alec empire and panacea), invisibl skratch piklz sharing words of wisdom, and one of the autechre guys picking his nose while he spoke

still a good film that i liked a lot though. i want one of those movie posters now

joe

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I went to see Iara Lee's MODULATIONS at the Lumiere in San Francisco last week. I knew that the film would probably weigh more heavily on the "Dance Music" side of electronic music, but I went anyway. I figured I might learn something about this scene which appears to have suddenly usurped the terminology that used to reside in the avant- and experimental music world, but I wound up being much more annoyed by the film than I expected. MODULATIONS is a film with a very narrow focus which makes its (actually only 85-minute) running time seem interminable.

If you go into this film already accepting the notions that "electronic music" is for dance clubs and rave parties, that the only music of note has a tempo of 133bpm, and that the only important makers and purveyors of electronic music are male (mostly in their 20s), then you will find this to be a satisfying, and even enjoyable film. If these are your expectations going into this film, it might even then seem like a bonus that you get some (very) brief glimpses into the worlds of some of the early pioneers of Electronic Music such as Cage, Stockhausen, and Moog, if you don't mind that even some of these clips are tainted by a sound score that mixes someone else's beats underneath. However, if you are giving this filmmaker the benefit of the doubt, and you are expecting a more balanced look at the history of Electronic Music (which many of the people featured in this film seem to believe started in the 70's) expect to be sorely disappointed.

AMIENCE SUBDIVIDED

Iara Lee profiles dozens of artists in this film, and one after another we see them say that they are influenced by Stockhausen and Cage, and yet they can do nothing that doesn't have a rave/jungle/drum & bass/disco/whatever/dance-trend-of-the-moment drum machine rhythm enslaving it. They say they are interested in ambience but they don't seem to know what that is. They give a small nod to early experimental music pioneers, but their music seems to more clearly reflect that their roots are in the 70's with disco music producers. It's too bad, because some of these artists are discovering some interesting things about layers, timbres, textures, and noise. But I, for one, cannot hear or appreciate what's subtle or different about any one of their sounds, because I find the constant disco beat too dominating to get around.

Moreover, with all the musicians and DJ's profiled in this movie, there was not a single woman in evidence (except on the dance floor). Not even Wendy Carlos was mentioned, and I would think she would have been a fitting addition on the historical side. Interestingly enough, there was one female artist mentioned, but that unfortunately was Donna Summer. And the context in which she came up was a feature on her producer.

As I mentioned earlier, I thought I might learn something about the current dance music scene from watching this film, since I don't keep up with it. But it was all soup for me. I did enjoy some of the 80's stuff like Kraftwerk, and there was one newer group that does kind of aggressive, disjunct, crazy stuff. They were a welcome break during the non-stop monotony, but otherwise there was very little of interest to me. I have no problem with beats. I think they are a fine element to include in some music. But the degree of rigidity of this constant sameness of tempo, this constant sameness of meter, and this constant sameness of drum-sound timbres seems to render the rest of what the music is trying to do meaningless. I realize that part of this is commercial in nature, as one of the beatmasters featured was honest enough to admit. This is the big, commercial, money machine philosophy that so dominates popular culture. And this is exactly why I continue to be a curmudgeon and scoff at the appropriation of terms that I was comfortable using to mean something more obscure with more depth. Perhaps I would have been less offended if they just stuck with terms like "dance music" or "club music" or "party music", or if they relied on new terms like "Electronica" which for me point directly to this genre.

A LOSS OF TERMS

I suppose that's what we get for having such generic terms. "Electronic Music", which was once by definition experimental in nature and therefore meant nothing to the average person, now means "dance music" because that's the only electronic music to which they have been exposed. It was the same story with the term "New Music" which arrived as part of the "classical" music continuum but quickly moved into the popular music world and became another word for "college rock". One of my biggest pet peeves is the computer industry's appropriation of the term "Multi-Media" which, in the art world, referred to work utilizing more than one medium. (What a surprise.) Now, of course, it means one medium: the computer. Artists are now stuck with such substitute terms as "interdisciplinary".

So, it does seem inevitable that terms like "electronic music" and "ambient music" would be seized by the world of popular dance music, and no amount of whining on my part or the part of my colleagues is going to turn the clock backwards on that one. Still, it did get up my ire to be a woman sound artist sitting at the cinema watching a film about a bunch of beat-making boys bandying about terms like "electronic music" and "ambient music" and being surrounded by people who didn't know the difference. I did learn one thing, though. Lately I've noticed looks of recognition on the faces of people who used to stare blankly when I'd tell them what I do. Now I know what they're thinking.

pamela z.

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Modulations at the Quad:

Booth or Brown picks his nose.
Detroit rules planet Earth.
Future Sound of London are pretentious snobs.
Ditto Genisis P. O. (Wendy Carlos?)
Tom Jenkinson is SEXY AS HELL.
Richard James and Richie Hawtin mysteriously absent.
THAT'S Oval?!?!
Ravers are the best thing that's landed here since the Flappers.
Alec Empire wants attention.
For the love of Cage,
German hardcore is laughable.
Break dancing footage is wonderful beyond anything.
DJ's and Turntablists kick everyone's butt.
Part 2: computer animation and beats, no talking!
Gabba good. Was the word Goa mentioned at all?
Donna Summers sounded SO good.
Q-Bert funtime!
Is Irmin Schmidt cool or what? Still wearin' those shades...
Czukay is the clowner's clown.
Those English music writers have gorgeous mouths and teeth.
I don't hate Bill Lasswell so much any more.
Bob Moog is Albert Hofmann.
Miles Davis has a HUGE shadow.
No focus on the graphic arts revolution? Not ONE smiling alien?
Overall rating: 4 houses

Spherule@aol.com

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Well a number of us did NOT make into the Modulations movie cuz it sold out:(. Brock had a friend who just happened to have a copy on video. i'll leave him nameless just in case. Anyway, I preffered watchin the flick with fellow Scrubbers at Brock's pad, being able to lounge and talk during the movie rather than being in the a dark theater all quiet, not being able to laugh at Dj SPOOKY or ALec Fuckpire.

Highlights of the movie for me? Seeing Tetsuo Inuoe! I wished there was some Atom Heart or some Kirk Degiorgio, but I do think the flick covered all the necessary bases. It could have had less focus on HOUSE and MORE on ambient/music concrete, but that's JUST ME:)

gilly

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May I congratulate you on the recent film Modulations which I saw last Wednesday at the Tampere film festival. I myself am an ardent Techno fan, and was pleased to see that you seem to have found some of the fundamental roots of elctronic music and broadcast it around the world, which is for me the most important part of the process you fulfiled, - the communication of the information you collected, as that is what this music is about. I was also really pleased to see that included in the film were interviews with Derrick May, Juan Atkins, and LTJ Bukem, as thay are responsible in some ways for the continuous progression of modern electronic music. I was amazed to see that you managed to get the Surgeon playing live on video tape at an illegal party (do you have any more footage of this event?) - it seemed as the film was about to reach it's peak at that point, it's such a shame that the police intervened, but it did show that the govournment and law enforcers are very un-appreciative of young people having fun in this way, which I feel is appaling. The sounds which were included in the film were also quite impressive, it was nice to hear the classic Energy Flash by Beltram, as it was and still is a very important work in the history of techno music, together with the String of Life by Derrick May. Overall an excellent production.

I would like to know if it's possible to purchase the film on video cassette, or if it's possible to somehow see more of the 400 hours of film you took, as I am very interested in the work you have done, things you have seen, and of course the people you met through this project.

David Boyle.

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hey kc what's up? yes, i saw modulations. it was okay i thought. i was a little dissapointed that there were too many artists, and not enough deeper developments. it seemed that the main point, was that electronic music was the first to splice unlikely and unnatural, (natural in some cases) noises together and make coherent art. but it stopped there. i thought it would've been nice to explore the entire culture behind it more, including the people who dance to it etc. not just the musicians and dj's, but the response factor of those who dance to it. they dabbled in the idea a little, but not enough in my opinion. but i liked it anyways.

(a san fransisco trance dj)

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I enjoyed your film very much. I appreciated that you included so many current artists (giving a helpful overview of the scene) and also put their work in a historical context. I've been saying since the '80s that hip-hop was contemporary musique concrete, and I've been fascinated to watch my favorite musical genre from the '70s--the electronic stylings of Can, Kraftwerk, et al--continue to grow and evolve. You did a great job showing the density and complexity of recent electronica, and it's a shame that ex-rock critics like NY Times film reviewer Stephen Holden still have to get in their digs about the music being "so much noise." His parents doubtless said the same thing about the rock and roll he now considers classic. Also thanks for the timeline on your website.

tom moody

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derrick may gave me the videotape to watch. i liked it. i thought the first 30 minutes were extremely strong. of course the subject matter is HUGE, and can't realistically be covered in a single documentary unless you were to specify, but i thought it was very interesting and very well done.

i found the first thirty minutes most interesting because a lot of time was spent examining the evolution of the technology and technique involved in composing music via analog/digital signal processing. the segment on 'Can' was particularly illuminating and even inspiring because it actually exposed a bit of the processes involved in producing this stuff.

but the rest of it was for the rave kids. very well done production-wise, but featuring interviews with people who don't mean anything to anyone who doesn't read the candy-pop mags like Muzik, ID, Jockey Slut, etc. i know quite a few of the featured subjects personally, and I couldn't equate very many of them with the people who were represented in the beginning of the film. most of the people featured in the later half of the film were Djs who decided to get into computer-based music production to bolster their Dj careers. as a result, most of them have given 'electronic music' a bad name. ofcourse, i agree that the effects of commercialization upon art should should be communicated to the audience as well as the pioneering leaps and bounds; but more time was spent on it than I wished to see. i must admit that because of my own musical endeavors in computer-based music, the illustration of the bandwagon DJ/producer characters was bound to affect me deeply and personally.

the commercialization of this music has effected the evolution of the technology that is part and parcel of the evolution of the music. while the designers and manufacturers digital/analog signal processing products today have the ability to create many wonderful devices and new ways of processing signals, they reserve their cash and know-how to create 'beatboxes' and pad samplers that basically operate as digital tape players. they do this because there exists a new market of thousands of kids looking to make the next house/techno/jungle 'hit,' and they don't want to waste time reading a series of 400-page manuals to get there. so the manufacturers churn out these 'beatboxes' on rapid assembly lines and the knucklehead MTV babies line up to pay mad amounts of cash for them. because of this i was able to buy a $1,200 additive synthesis module for $400 because there wasn't a market for the device; it features an uncommon method of signal production and processing. additive synthesis is not that complicated really, but compared to the 'Roland Groovebox' it has a learning curve like a brick wall. on one hand this was good for me. on the other hand, it's highly probably that this same manufacturer is, at this very moment, busily brainstorming the next simpleton'beatbox.' you illustrated this dynamic very clearly in your film; it pissed me off properly, which can only mean that you did a very good job of presenting the facts :)

i'd have to say that it is an interesting film for a broad audience, and i think it will appeal to a lot of different kinds of people. i thought it was very objective, and allowed the subject to speak for itself.

best to you and all at Caipirinha...

neil ollivierra

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I just heard about the movie from a friend in N.Y, I got all exited and went directly to your site, but when I saw all the screenings and I didn't see Mexico or Monterrey, I was really upset. I just wish these kind of productions could come nearer and faster, if we are lucky, the movie could screen here in Mexico in about two years. I am studying Comunication science at the ITESM ( Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey), and I am doing my social service at the CINETECA de Nuevo Leon (movie Library), and I think they would be interested in screening the movie here. If you think something could be done to screen the movie here, please contact me, I am sure there a lot of people who would enjoy your movie.

Thank you, Roxana Barraza.

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So I sat down last night and watched the film (w/o interruption). It was fantastic. I really love the way people described the music in "street speak" instead of over-intellectualizing everything. The music is the film was genius, and I can't believe how many people I've publicized in that movie. When I heard Joey Beltram's track (I think it was "Energy Flash") I said it aloud and then his name came up on the screen. Trevor looked at me like "How the fuck did you know that?" That was nearly eight years ago when I was 17 or 18 and just starting to go out every night.

brian b

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Ha!Did you all read my message or not?I got to watch this last year already,in a grubby old cinema in Singapore,with the diorector herself in the audience.Thanks anyway,and I'd just like to say once more that it's a good piece of work.Most people who claim to like techno music usually don't have the slightest idea where it's coming from.By the way,what was that short film that was shown before it?

Weijian Huang

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LOTS and LOTS of Verbal Masturbation...to the point of being unintentionally funny. I laughed many times. There were a few intelligent points made by Genesis P'Orridge, Jonah Sharp, FSOL and a few others, but overall:

"Modulations" makes a wonderful epitaph for the Rave's Gravestone, and at the same time reminds us how silly the whole context for electronic music has become.

The Rave is Dead, Long Live Electronic Music!

andrew

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After seeing this movie last night, I realized how far off the mark Janelle Brown's review was. The film isn't about the rave movement at all, although there are certainly plenty of raves shown in the film. It's about the social history, technical development, and stylistic variety of electronic music. The title "Modulations" is very clever and apt. Just as, within a piece of music, the harmonic basis can modulate from B flat to C minor to A major etc., and yet still be part of the same piece, so the filmmaker attempts to show -- successfully, in my mind -- how synthetic music "modulated" from Cage and Stockhausen through Disco and Kraftwerk to Juan Atkins to Future Sound of London, gabba, etc. -- and yet belongs genetically to the same musical organism. It's a shame that Brown seized on that statement by a disaffected German techno dropout, who said, essentially, its roots are boredom and in the end, it's just a stupid party. I suppose that you could say that Carnaval in Rio is just a stupid party, or that the Superbowl is just a dumb game; but the words only serve to mark you out as a killjoy grouch. Music and dance are age-old affirmations and maybe even (as Suzanne Langer says) attempts to give local habitation to cosmic forces by synching our rhythms and gestures to the Rhythms and Gestures that guide the planets, winds, and forces of life. And if that's too heavy: music and dance make people happy. If it seems stoopid, then go read a book or make love until you feel better.

A couple of questions about "Modulations":

1) Are there no important Latino or women in the movement? This isn't a PC question: just a request for info, after wondering why neither group was represented in the film as a major force in the history or present state of electronic music.

2) I think that massive solo dancing started in the Be-Ins in Golden Gate Park, Fillmore West, etc. during the 60s. Disco continued that trend with, perhaps, more glitz and style. And raves continue that tradition, of course. But it's my understanding that the Hustle -- a very cool couple dance that's still around (I do it) -- started in disco clubs (Latino?) too. So why did couple dancing drop out of the electronic music venue scene?

Arthur