The realm of electronic music is simply a misunderstood genre. Almost every time I attempt to indoctrinate supposed "dance" music fans about the artists they should take a good look at, they shrink back into the narrow world of Top 40 "dance" hits. I constantly am tempted to take my CDs home and give up. Just because The Backstreet Boys have sold 17 million-odd albums doesn't mean they're the best at getting people off their butts.
"Better Living Through Circuitry" is the film I always have wished someone would make. The documentary is a solid effort at capturing the atmosphere and culture surrounding the techno music that's all the rage in Europe and a complete bust in America.
Fitting with the concept of this year's Virginia Film Festival, "Technovisions'" Director John Reiss entered the world of giant rave parties, shooting with a home video camera. Reiss uses the footage of bizarrely-dressed ravers dancing to separate the various segments of the movie, and the full detail of the parties comes through nicely on the alternative format.
The film's substance comes in various portions, each dealing with either an electronic music artist or a facet of the mass dance parties. The documentary deals with the attitude of the notoriously friendly ravers, the various media forms used at the parties and the illicit substances that seem to be intertwined with the scene.
The pieces devoted to the culture surrounding the genre are an informative deluge of details. The interviews with the artists, however, are the most entertaining and enlightening.
The first major artist profiled is the Crystal Method. The American duo gives the audience a tour of their garage studio where they create their music.
Genesis P-orridge, the first group to print the term "Acid House" on a record, plays the largest part in the film. Genesis' appearance is a bit shocking, since he is not in the same age group as most of the artists profiled. A member of the now-defunct Psychic TV, Genesis has gray hair down to his neck and a mouth full of metal teeth. The influential British musician resurfaces throughout the film to give commentary on the various subjects the movie dredges up, although his main topic of discourse is drug use.
Reiss throws in other musicians at various intervals to break up the party-like atmosphere of the film. The always-articulate, American DJ Spooky provides his usual highbrow comments on his music, and a performance by Moby is the most profound addition by the self-described "Little Idiot."
Reiss bookends the film with a pair of closely shaven DJs who are fairly unknown. New Yorker Frankie Bones' story is a wonderful opener to the movie. Bones shares the story of his big break, which defies the usual rock success story. Bones was receiving airplay for a single he made on his own when a producer in England brought him over to play for "about 5,000 people." Bones goes on to explain that the crowd was, in fact, almost four times larger than what the producer told him.
DJ Keoki isn't introduced until the end of the film, but his "You-can't-do-it forever" view on substance abuse resonates throughout the movie.
The DJs provide insight from the professional aspect of the business, although all of the artists presented aren't big names. In fact, Reiss shifts from largely successful DJs such as Roni Size, BT and Scanner to fairly unheard of mixers like Electric Sky Church and Heather Heart. Indeed, the film serves as a definitive guide to the world of electronica. Without delving too deep into the genre, Reiss presents the culture in both positive and negative lights.
Interestingly, Reiss can be described as a DJ of sorts over the course of the movie, mixing footage of rave parties with the commentary of techno fans and the artists. Reiss takes the audience beyond the rave to the people who create the spectacular light displays and video shows that augment the dance extravaganzas, yet he keeps the focus on the fans and their interaction with the music.
The movie, overall, fails on one important point. Almost every successful documentary encourages the audience to think about a larger issue. "Better Living Through Circuitry" certainly is an informative film that uncovers the underground of electronic music, but that's all it does. The audience isn't likely to think much about the meaning of the film after leaving the theater, except when they set foot in a record store.
"Circuitry" would be much more at home as a PBS special. In fact, the editing practically suggests that a public television station produced the movie. Nonetheless, Reiss has a subject of interest and reveals much about the rave scene in a manner that should interest a majority of viewers.
Grade: B
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