Image Credit: Rukes
As far long as I can remember, we have always got to learn about our favorite artists through their music and social media, with the latter being much newer in the game. Legends in the making, these hand picked pioneers have helped shape the electronic music soundscape in one way or the other. An attempt to fit these artists’ musical careers into frame can be an ordeal in itself, but a great way of showcasing their lives to the world, documentaries fit the bill to bring out the an artist’s “real” persona and not just who they are during their performances. So, we have compiled 10 Electronic Music Documentaries which give you a glimpse into the lives of our favorite artists whom we have learned to love over the years. Check it out below!
Swedish House Mafia – Leave The World Behind
Unarguably, the face of commercial progressive house music, the legendary trio of Steve Angello, Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso was a short lived but a colossal affair. Formed in late 2008, Swedish House Mafia saw huge success which is evident even today. With an array of popular anthems under their belt and massive festival performances, the Swedish troika live amongst the audience even now, since their break up in 2013. In order to get a glimpse into the lives of the 21st century supergroup, they also released a documentary titled “Leave The World Behind” which summed up their gigantic One Last Tour when they toured 26 countries. A massive follow-up to their Take One documentary, this one surely still holds special owing to how much they had achieved after deciding to take different paths.
Hardwell – I AM Hardwell
Image Credit: Rukes
Dutch superstar producer/DJ Hardwell has been at the helm of the dance music industry for quite some time now. Robbert has developed himself as an artist who is known for his eclectic live performances across the world and has achieved feats that most people can just dream about. Being a household name when it comes to dance music, with his signature big room and electro house sound that is guaranteed to get a crowd up on their feet, he has earned his place as one of today’s best acts in the game. During the period when Hardwell saw an exponential rate of success, those rare moments were captured by Robin Piree to create the mega documentary, I AM Hardwell which gives an insightful and captivating look into his life right from being an upcoming artist to becoming an international superstar.
Daft Punk – Daft Punk Unchained
Image Credit : Nabil
Daft Punk aka the helmet-clad retro-futurists are one of the few benefactors who have helped shape the electronic dance music scene over the past two decades. The dynamic duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have weaved magic time and again for which their records speak. Having always believed in the freedom and element of surprise electronic music has to offer, they have always stayed on the top of the chain owing to their artistic efficiency which has helped them deliver seminal hits and anthems over the years. 2015 was the time when their musical career was showcased on television through the documentary “Daft Punk Unchained”, which tracked the greats’ musical journey from its beginning. The 90 minute feature also saw guest appearances from fellow collaborators and other legendary personalities like Kanye West, Pharrell, Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, Michel Gondry, Paul Williams, Todd Edwards and more.
Diplo – F1ORIDA
The unsaid godfather of 21st century dance music, Thomas Wesley Pentz aka Diplo has done just about anything and everything in his more than a decade long spanning career. The Philly originated producer extraordinaire who saw humble beginnings during his early stages has grown as an artist to become one of the most influential and on demand producers during recent times. Tracing back his rather unorthodox start, his F1ORIDA documentary was released during early 2015 to coincide with the 10th Anniversary of his debut album F1ORIDA which was released on Ninja Tune’s Big Dada imprint. Something more of a trip-hop record, the 20 minute documentary explores the Diplodocus lover’s early career and features words by Diplo himself and Will Ashon. A highly introspective piece of visual work in itself, this is a must for every Diplo fan out there.
Skrillex – Let’s Make A Spaceship
One of the most influential figures of mainstream dance music, Sonny Moore is not your ordinary “EDM” guy. Rising from the ranks of a vocalist for American post hardcore band From First To Last, the beloved child of dubstep stepped into the scene with head banger ready records for which he has won multiple Grammy nominations and Awards. But the emo personality’s artistic ability doesn’t just stop there as he has pushed boundaries throughout his career exploring pop and hip-hop crossover sounds alongside being one half of supergroup Jack U. But it was 2014 when Skrillex exploded and I mean in a pretty BIG manner. With his debut album “Recess” making huge waves across continents, his Mothership Tour stamped authority amongst the global audience. An ambitious collaborative project with Red Bull, a 36 minute documentary called “Let’s Make A Spaceship” explored the production of his massive tour setup and provided major insights into the life of Sonny capturing personal moments of the EDM icon.
David Guetta – Nothing But The Beat
Image Credit: Rick Guest
David Guetta is a man with a global reach. The electronic music artist who once led the French house movement has paved his path over the years to become one of the top paid commercial DJs in the circuit. The 48 year old is responsible for pushing EDM into the realm of Pop and has successfully carried that out with tracks like “I Gotta Feeling” and “Sexy Bitch” amongst several others. Amidst all the success Guetta has found over the years, his fifth studio album, Nothing But The Beat was a major landmark in itself which helped shift the spotlight on him. Coinciding with the album was an hour long documentary carrying the album namesake which narrated the story of the Frenchman and his meteoric rise from being an underground house music DJ to becoming a global phenomenon.
Armin Van Buuren – A Year With Armin van Buuren
Is there anything left to be said about trance legend Armin Van Buuren? The Dutch pioneer has served the people for more than decade with his seminal tracks which have treated their aural senses over the years. Rightfully being bestowed the title of the “King Of Trance”, Armin has been at the helm to lead the genre onto a larger demographic. Taking a year out of the eventful life of AVB, A Year With Armin Van Buuren is a full length documentary which was released back in 2012 that offers a rare look inside the life and personality of the world famous DJ/producer.
Justice – A Cross The Universe
Justice, comprising the Parisian production/performance duo of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are nothing short of being true rockstars. Having earned much acclaim for their electronic blend of rock, dance, disco and funk, the duo have always stayed true to their sound. Justice truly shot into fame following 2007 release of debut album † which put underground artists including themselves on the center stage. The Ed Banger Records’ signees have completed more than a decade in the industry and with 4 live and studio albums combined, their work has always remained a class apart. Getting a bit of insight into the French icons’ lives, Justice provided fans with their A Cross The Universe documentary which was released along with it namesake live album in 2008. Filmed during Justice’s North American Tour, the motion picture is directed by Romain Gavras, So Me and the band themselves and lets fans have a sneak peek into the lives of the legendary duo and their show who are one of the few great live electronic music performers till date.
Richie Hawtin – Pioneers Of Electronic Music (SLICES)
A true pioneer in every sense, electronic music producer, performer and industry icon, Richie Hawtin has donned many roles in his multi decade spanning career. A name held sacred in the dance music arena, the British-born Canadian resident has been an iconic figure for over 20 years having created something unique by taking technology and music into his care. Nowadays, Hawtin heads his own label, M-nus, and also curating his own creation ENTER. Moreover, though Richie Hawtin, i.e his namesake has come to dominate the techno grounds more recently, at his core, he is and always will remain Plastikman. Being a musical innovator till date and a living techno legend, SLICES honored his work by creating a documentary which portrayed the life of Richie while giving viewers an insight into his personal and artistic life.
Afrojack – March Of The Afrojack
Nick van de Wall was a young Dutch kid passionate about music who got into the production aspect of it in no time. Nick began his journey at a very young age and has marched towards becoming one of the biggest icons of dance music. Now we know him as the EDM superstar, Afrojack. The Dutch prodigy has always pushed limits to bring out the best from him, and his records speak for themselves. Being one of the richest DJs on the planet as well as collaborating with renowned fellow artists like Steve Aoki, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Pitbull and more, Afrojack truly is a deserving candidate after all his initial hardwork. 2013 saw the release of his full length documentary, March Of The Afrojack which documented his whole story. With guest voices from David Guetta, Steve Aoki and Tiesto, this documentary highlights what his friends and family also had to say about Afrojack and the super stardom he basks within, today.
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