Even More Documentaries for Producers and DJs

Written by Dan White on October 26th, 2012 27 Comments

In what’s starting to become a reoccurring Friday column here at DJ Techtools, we’re highlighting seven more fantastic documentaries and videos we’ve found around the web. Each of the included films features producers or DJs in a unique and insightful context – so pop some popcorn and enjoy your Friday with these flicks!

Feature Length / Longer: These first few are on the longer side -set aside 15 minutes to an hour for these!

A YEAR WITH ARMIN VAN BUUREN

Armin Van Buuren, who recently retook his crowning first place slot in the DJ Mag Top 100 Poll, is one of a handful of international superstar DJs who lead a life that’s almost unfathomable to the rest of us outside of that world. In this feature, we get an even better look into the personality and life of Armin – even if you’re not a trance fan, you’ll find this a good watch. Also, if you like this, you’ll probably really enjoy our interview with Armin from earlier this year.

RE:GENERATION MUSIC PROJECT

We’ve seen a lot of the individual sections of this Grammy-associated documentary being spread around over the last 6 months, featuring production collaborations between electronic musicians and more traditional music stylings- this project actually spawned the Skrillex/Doors track “Breaking a Sweat”. It’s very much worth checking out in its full form as a complete film, even if you’ve watched one or two of the individual segments already!

REAL SCENES: DETROIT

Resident Advisor put this documentary out last year, but it was just recently featured on a list over on Beatport News, and after watching it we decided we loved how well this documentary covers the scene surrounding the birthplace of techno music, Detroit. Highly recommended.

¥1000 BEATS VINYL ATTACK

Last time we did a documentary wrap up, we included a well-known project “Secondhand Sureshots” that had producers go shopping for vinyl in secondhand stores to sample and make new tracks with. This documentary is pretty much the identical concept, only with Japanese producers. It’s super-interesting to watch this project unfold, and the resulting tracks aren’t bad either!

Shorter Documentaries – you should be able to slip these in while your boss isn’t looking:

GIRL TALK, NICOLAS JAAR AND DJ SLUGGO

While Pitchfork tends to focus more on hip-hop, electronica, and indie rock than dance music and DJs, they’ve started making some really great short films that touch on artists of all types. In this episode of their weekly series, they start out interviewing sample jockey Greg Gillis (Girl Talk) and the second half features the legendary Nicolas Jaar interviewing ghetto house pioneer DJ Sluggo about DJing and music. Great stuff.

MAX VANGELI MICRO DOCUMENTARY

Max Vangeli has been a rising star in the dance music scene for the past two years – with major successes touring and producing alongside Steve Angello and AN21. In this short, we get a chance to hear his perspective on being a rising star and earning credibility and respect as both a DJ and producer.

NOSAJ THING GOES RECORD SHOPPING

This one’s another quickie from our friends over at Pitchfork (they do some great video work over there!). Nosaj Thing is a favorite producer around the DJTT Headquarters, and in this short you get a chance to watch him go shopping for records and talk about his finds. Short and simple, but clever.

Looking for more? If you’ve missed either of our past collections of free DJ films and documentaries to watch online, you can check them out with the below links:

Watch More DJ/Producer Documentaries Now:
Round One | Round Two | Round Three | Round Four

I Loved This Article >

Filed Under | Artist Features, Basic Digital DJ Tips, Controllerism, DJ History, News + Culture, Production Tips
Tags | armin van buuren, detroit, dj documentaries, dj sluggo, girl talk, max vangeli, nicolas jaar, nosaj thing, pitchfork tv, re:generation, skirllex, the doors, ¥1000 BEATS VINYL ATTACK

http://twitter.com/Lylax_Dubs Lylax

this is pretty cool doc also. the history of trap music portrayed from Mad Decent’s POV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MyN2AVnMTEY
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Foster/1410024062 Brian Foster

except there’s the problem that trap is the worst thing since dubstep, but only…. well… WORSE.
tr4gik

Totally.
http://twitter.com/Lylax_Dubs Lylax

cool story bro
sam

great, only, i dont speak dutch…. but it was nice watch armin van bureau move his mouth
Makoto

There’s subtitles if you click on CC on the video :)
Mauri Moore

Thanks for share !
djcl.ear

Amazing how at 2012 the following mistake is reproduced again and again>
“this documentary covers the scene surrounding the birthplace of techno music, Detroit”
Back at 1978 I was almost a kid when I received (by mistake) a bunch of vinyls. I will never forget being at school and suddenly found myself repeating on my head a track from those albums, particularly one track I didn’t liked, but somehow kept repeating inside.
I came back home on a rush to listen to that track… and yes after like 10 consecutive repeats I was hooked. That track was and is more Techno than most ever produced from that cited Detroit era, and nope, it wasn’t a fluke but an ever since bouncing in–and-out European trend that documentaries like that one fail to acknowledge.
“Le Nuit Blanche” was the tune by Italian musicians Moroder & Bellote on their Munich Machine outfit.

Keeping track of those tunes was my personal trajectory on Electronica and Techno, and no, I didn’t know about the superb Juan Atkins until 1994, but didn’t need him either in order to be Djing already electronica sets since…years before that. Actually got to add Felix da Housecat first from his tracks on William Orbit’s label Guerilla Records… Great stuff nonetheless but FAR from being from the birthplace of Techno,.
DonmecZ

Bummer…

RE:GENERATION MUSIC PROJECTCan only be seen in the states :(
sick of you ‘MERICA… isolate yourself some more why don’t you…
cheers
-Canada
DonmecZ

what’s next?… a great big wall around your perimiter to keep the mongolians out?
wait a minute… You got that covered already down south :p
DonmecZ

Editor please change link to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_4UQWZmfwg

So us internationals may also enjoy, and THANK YOU DJTECHTOOLS …you are about the only thing ‘MERICAN I respect these days
Love
Anonymous

Wow, I would have never guessed Armin v B. studied to be a Lawyer and was actually ready to be one too. Then he turns DJ. Go figure..

scamo
Macmillian Damascus

Good job being a pleb only knowing one language, welcome to 2012 you bum.
Pete The Pick

Le Nuit Blanche is not techno – just because it uses synths and a drum machine does not make it techno – Kraftwerk you could argue or Tangerine Dream, but not Moroder & Bellot
http://www.facebook.com/oli.sharp Oli Sharp

I find it so funny that Armin has someone to roll up his sleeves before a gig, that’s totally how we should measure dj success!
http://www.facebook.com/Livewyr3 Justin Turner

Umm, if you had freeloaders coming into your country illegally, making money, not paying taxes, and sending it back home to stimulate their economy, you would do something about it too. America is in debt, we can’t afford to feed mexican families that feel like they can waltz in to our country just because it’s a short walk/run/swim.. Great article btw!
DonmecZ

a) it’s their land.
b) Read Modern Money Mechanics.
c) read the history of isolation china went through.
d) who are you in debt with again? china??
e) So wait, the last left SOCIALIST power is beating the CAPITALIST power at their own game? U.S. spent the last half century fighting proxy wars to eliminate this “SOCIALIST EVIL” in several small countries around the planet, just spent the last 10 years fighting 2 massively expensive and massively illegal coupe de stat’s but NO NO NO 16hrs a day working-free loader MEXICANS yeah… say whaaaaa? lol

Dude this is why you guys are in so much trouble… that and your inherently corrupt monetary ponzi scheme fueled by ignorantly mindless cyclical consumption self appointed guardians of the status quo

Much love tho
Guest

Jeez! Bunch off winy ass racist ass haters on this forum here! Get a F@#$*&! life people…
Spacecamp

That one is not visible in the States! Country restrictions are so dumb.
http://www.facebook.com/xavier.mafe Xavier Mafe

heres an idea: lets keep music and politics as far away from each other as possible okay?
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wardtf

Include both videos!
wardtf

Deal. Now let’s make a song about how evil communism is
wardtf

Dutch is worth learning

( alle goede artiesten komen uit Nederland :-P )