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What We Started (2017)
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[Clatters] [Car door closes] [Indistinct chatter] [Tranquil music] [Kerri] The biggest misconception is that dance music is a new thing. That it just kind of burst from the ether. People don't see it as part of a long history. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Carl] My drive has always been about sharing the love of music. Finding it, and then sharing it. [Martin] Some tracks make me really happy, some tracks makes me think, some tracks make you forget everything. [John] Such an experience of freedom. And experiencing this freedom with other people, all through the sound of music. [Louie] Dance music has always been about an escape and letting go. [Richie] Just get lost in this aural sound state. I close my eyes, stick my head in the speaker, and just be... Absorbed. [Upbeat music] [Crowd cheering] [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Crowd cheering] [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Crackling] [Upbeat music] Sweet! [Chuckles] [Truck beeping] [Martin] I'm very nervous. What if something goes wrong? [Beeping] [Carl] I've always done everything for the love of music. Always. [Tranquil music] I was always building tree houses with my dad. [Martin] And we'd put a radio in it, bought, like, cheap car speakers, kept expanding it. Before we knew it, we had, like, uh... Kind of "tree... Tree house club." [Martin chuckles] [Martin]My friends were there, we started playing music. Then, we made it like, mobile, so we could, like, travel with it. It wasn't a tree house anymore. It was just like a kind of dj booth. [Gerard] We made a very big sign saying, "dj Marty" on it. And it all fitted in the car, so I could drive him to, uh, the places where he wanted to perform. [Upbeat music] [Carl] So, eight years old, my father was bringing the music home, I got inspired by the music he was playing. [Pam]Carl played music nonstop. We constantly told him, "turn it down!" [Carl] I used to take my sound system to school, and an hour-break that we had, I would play music to them to the canteen. [Upbeat music] I kind of grew up all the way through the '70s, '80s, playing hip-hop, R&B, funk, and soul music. Most of the parties that I did, we never got paid for. My dad thought I would amount to nothing. [Pam] Dj'ing was not something that my dad thought was a job. He didn't encourage Carl. [Carl] He was always just looking at me, going, "just get a proper job," because whatever you're doing now "is never gonna amount to anything." [Martin] I discovered electronic music due to tisto's performing at the Olympics. I heard, like, the sound on television, and I never, never kind of listened to it before, I never really got connected to it. I, I loved it. [Upbeat music] I, I played at, like, the local house parties, for like, ten people. I had my first real dj gig on 16th of January, 2010. There were, like, 250 people, and there was, for me, already like, there was, like, a goal for me to, like, make it bigger. [Upbeat music] [Carl] I started to understand music at a very early age. I'd just study there as much as I possibly could. Where does it all stem from? How did we get here? [Funky music] [John] When I first started working in nightclubs, there were really one kind of music that would fill a room. Live music. At least they'll hear me sing The people I worked for had a concept, where they would have a dj play records. Everybody said, "it will never work. People want to see a live band." That was sort of the beginning of disco. [Disco music] Uh, everyone comes here to do whatever they want. ["Good times" by chic playing] Disco is the phenomenon of our time. [Seth] The paradise garage. Good times These are the good times Where so many artists, so many people met and congregated, and created the downtown New York scene. These are the good times [Seth]There's a way for people who would disenfranchise to connect with other like-minded individuals, express themselves, and dance. Good times I went to the paradise garage when I was about 14, and my sister snuck me in. [Louie] That's when I went to my first club and never turned back. Happy days are here again That was kind of, the, the theater for the dj. [Pete] The way Larry levan was playing, he had two copies of the same record, going between the two turntables. Remixing the record on the fly, and extending bits of work with the crowd. [Louie] He knew about sound. How to pick the right music at the right time, and it just opened up a whole new thing for everybody. This is dj heaven, when you walked in that club. I think I want to live the sporting life There's a space for an idea for freedom and expression, that was outside of popular culture. Leave your cares behind These are the good times [John] And then, the next thing I knew, that every single holiday inn in America converted their lounge into a discotheque, and it started becoming a caricature of itself. Look out [John] It became almost too comical. Disco died an ugly death. [Explosion] [Steve] Disco sucks! Disco sucks! Disco sucks! [Reporter 1] It was billed as disco demolition night. And the white sox went along. In Chicago, a shock jock on the radio challenged everyone to burn their disco records. [Kerri] And everyone did it. [Reporter 2] One of the saddest sights I've ever seen in a ballpark in my life. It's getting out of hand. [Kerri] America just gave up on disco and kind of, came out of its stupor and said, "this is gay black music. We can't listen to this. We like rock and roll." So then it went back underground. [Calm music] [John] Those primal beats returned in different forms. Really like a rebirth of disco. Although it... It wasn't called disco. ["In the beginning" by Chuck Roberts playing] In the beginning there was Jack And Jack had a groove And from this groove Came the grooves of all grooves [Pete] When house music first kind of started, it was like the map was completely redrawn. Jack boldly declared let there be house And house music was born I am, you see, I am the creator And this is my house [Pete]The inner city of Chicago really celebrating disco from ten years before. [Groovy music playing] [Pete] Experimental sessions of, of setting drum machines and synthesizers. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Pete] And no one have ever actually heard what a drum pattern played over six, seven minutes coming out of a machine sounded like. ["Time to Jack" by chip e. Playing] The beginning, for me, for this movement, was, basically, chip e., "time to Jack," 1986. Time to Jack Time to Jack Time to Jack [Carl] This track, for me, changed everything. It would literally stop the dance floor. Time to Jack Jack, Jack [Carl]People didn't understand where this was coming from, why am I playing it. It has no elements or soul to it because they can't see a band. Well, to me, that was exciting, because all we've done is see bands. Now, what we're seeing is what could be created and electronic. Time to Jack Time to Jack Time to Jack Time to Jack [Louie] Disco music was made by musicians, arrangers, songwriters. When house music started being made, it was made by dj's. We had no musical training. [Upbeat music] I was lucky to stumble upon the Detroit scene very early. [Richie]I was probably 16, 17. The main hub was a club called the music institute. A black box, big speakers, and a strobe light. All the Detroit guys playing incredible music. [Techno music playing] [Techno music continues] Jeff mills, he was, like, playing so fast... [Techno music playing] [Techno music continues] [Richie] He was playing all the records that I have listened to for the last year. And we were sitting in the back, helping him sort his records, and just copying all the records' names down. [Techno music playing] [Techno music continues] Listening to those first records, it was like, every time, it was like, not only listening to the future, but... Even if it wasn't every day or every week, there was always something, just when you started to get a little bit comfortable, someone else released a new record. [Club dance music playing] [Club dance music continues] [Louie] The sound is minimal. It was direct and in-your-face. More industrial. [Richie] Detroit is a motor city. The Ford motor production line. [Crackles] That's what you hear when you hear Kevin saunderson and Derrick may in one act, in their early records. Their start with their... These sounds and synthesizers and these, like, high-hats, and it's just like... [Inhales] Like pulling you into tomorrow. [Clatters] [Crackles] [Richie] People like that feel good and in tune with technology, not afraid of it. And they're like, "where's this gonna take us?" [Upbeat music] [Carl] A lot of the artists, they were enjoying a moment of creativity. This was brilliant, because there was no boundaries to that sound, you know, especially Detroit techno. [Carl] And I found, a lot of music that was being made in America wasn't being paid in America. Artists kept buying these records. Whatever they made from Chicago, Detroit, every record I bought was an American import. And I was buying it and playing it in the uk. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Pete]The birth of house music, and then the birth of the Detroit sound, did have a profound effect on what we were playing as dj's in the uk. It wasn't really fashionable to be a dj. You could identify yourself by playing music that... You and your friends love though it kinda wasn't on the radio. [Upbeat music] [Paul] Trevor fung, he was a big dj in britain, as I was growing up. I got to meet him to hang out with him and really got excited by what he introduced me to. The British interpretation of what America was doing. [Upbeat music] [Pete] For the likes of me and Paul oakenfold, we were more excited about change than we were about staying, you know, in our own Lane. We were obsessed about innovation, hunting for music. [Club dance music] [Club dance music continues] [Paul]Trevor, he was in Ibiza, working there all summer, I went there with a few friends. We went to this club called amnesia. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Pete] All that excitement could run all night into the morning. And just going out and going crazy. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Paul] Ibiza was a seasonal place. The end of may, early June, until September. The workers and the people who have been there on holiday, when they all came back to the uk, they wanted to go somewhere. Me and Trevor went on to start our own club. [Upbeat music] [Paul] Such a wonderful, exciting moment. We were very free in the respect of what we play. So you would hear cyndi lauper next to ll cool j, next to Bob Marley, next to... a house record. [Paul] We didn't do clubs over weekend. The clubs that I ran were on Monday and Thursday night, till 3:30 in the morning. If it meant that you would stay up all night and go to work... Then so be it. We were underground, it wasn't a commercial movement. [Upbeat music] [Crowd cheering] [Club dance music] [Paul] We were in the moment. Really living this scene. Carl Cox was my sound man at the time. [Indistinct chatter] Look, look, here comes the mob. [Carl chuckles] Here comes the mob. [Crowd cheering] [Carl] When I started, I was going up and down the country, in the uk, playing four or five gigs every weekend. It was only till roundabout 27, 28 that people started knowing and... Started hearing the name Carl Cox. [Club dance music playing] Oh, yes, oh! [Club dance music playing] [Crowd cheering] [Club dance music playing] Carl Cox is such a special dj, because he is the king. [Club dance music playing] [Club dance music continues] People that have been in the game that long, they still might love it. But they're not exuding the energy that Carl exudes when he's behind the decks. [Club dance music playing] [Club dance music continues] The longest that I've ever played is up to about ten hours. [Carl] Most people are only gonna work for eight hours a day. In their eight hours, they have... You know, a breakfast, they have a tea break, they have a lunch break, they have another tea break, and they go home for tea. We're still playing. [Laughs] [Club dance music playing] [Club dance music continues] [Donnie] He's probably the hardest working man in this whole business. I mean, he's nonstop. He's amazing. [Club dance music playing] [Club dance music continues] [Carl] I never really give myself a break. So, to play for ten hours, not even time to go for a pee. Yeah, it's not a ten-hour step program, yeah. You know, to try and get rid of all the carbs, you know, that you put on over the Christmas party. You know? [Laughs] [Club dance music playing] [Carl] After ten hours, I'm done. My brain's fried, my legs are killing me, back's killing me. My ears are killing me. You know, if I go past the ten hours, and then, I don't know what I'm playing. [Club dance music] [Crowd cheering] [Cheering continues] [Kobi] Carl Cox is what dj is all about. He walks into the room, and he knows how to read them like they're a book. And he understand what needs to happen. And that's a dj. [Guitar playing] [Guitar playing continues] [Martin] I played the guitar at the time. I had so many ideas which I had on my guitar, but I... Had no... nothing to, like, put it in. Started messing around with the ideas and with the melodies which I created on my guitar. I started doing some research and I found, like, this program, which allowed me to put my guitar melodies in the computer. [Slow techno music] [Slow techno music continues] [Martin] I finished my first record when I was, like, ten or something. I still have it. It's, it's completely terrible. But I was super proud of it. I was doing everything from my bedroom. Luckily, I had a neighbor who was deaf, who wasn't complaining about my noise. I had agreements with my parents that after 10:00 P.M. I couldn't play loud music anymore, because my sister wanted to go to sleep. Then I would be at the middle of the night, with my headphones on. [Upbeat music] [Martin] I got discovered through a local dj. I made an unofficial remix for "tonight" by Enrique iglesias. And he started playing it live at his shows. [Club dance music] But tonight [club dance music playing] [Club dance music continues] [Martin] Some other dj's contacted me, and one of them was looking for a producer, and I played him some of my stuff, and he was like, "one track. Oh, I really liked that track." And, and he released it on spinnin' records. And the track became really big. Spinnin' records, they, they invited me at their office, and what was fun, I never told them how old I was, until I actually met them in real life. And they were like, "fuck off. This can't be true." So then, they joined me to my house, to my room, where I still produce the music, and... They were like, "yeah, show what you do." And I showed them, like, a lot of new stuff. A lot of melodies which I was working on, and... Not that much later, I signed on spinnin' records. [Club dance music] [Club dance music continues] [Record scratching] [Groovy music] Stand back watch the bomb drop All the competition that try to compete [Carl] In the early days, a dj was someone that can juggle two or three or four turntables. You had to really be talented to be a dj that can play continuous music. [Upbeat music] [Club dance music] Come on! [record scratching] [Carl] The craft was always about mixing music, from our perspective, always about digging into the crate, always about playing new music to people, so they can actually expect the unexpected. [Record squeaking] [Crowd cheering] [Record scratching] [Crowd cheering] [Club dance music playing] [Club dance music continues] [Crowd cheering] [Louie]You can give another dj the same records, and have us play in front of a crowd. Those records will sound different... When we... we each play 'em. It's getting creative with what you have. I think that's something that can't be taught. It's something that comes from here. With computer now, you know, you have a lot of people who don't know how to mix, don't know how to dj. [Carl] They've never done it. It's because technology... They came in when the technology was available, and that's what they use, and they go, "you know, I can do this live." [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] There are a lot of dj's who've got pre-programmed sets. [Paul] And, unfortunately, are just pressing play. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Martin] Right now, there's a lot of... USB dj's, which I'm a part of. We are also dj'ing, but just in a different way. [Kobi] If you play USB, and you don't use vinyls anymore, does that make you not a real dj? That's exactly the same thing. You use the technology that is available to you today. [Ed] But I don't get it. It's a laptop and a dude. And that's it. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Carl] People want dj's to play the records they love. Buy the top 20 records, put them on a USB, stick it, put your hands in the air, you have a big smile on your face, away you go. If you've got your hands in the air for three quarters of your show, how are you mixing records? [Phil] If you're throwing pies at people, how are you mixing records? [Carl] It's just kinda dumbing down on what made the craft, the craft. [Sasha] Watching some of the guys that do the main stages at festivals, play their hour-long pre-recorded set, with their arms in the air, it's very hard to acquaint that to what, say, Carl Cox does in our set at space. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Crowd chattering] [James]The '80s were not really great years for the uk. We had a series of... You know, industrial strikes, people with no jobs, violence and riots, at the same time. Clubbing was very exclusive. [Pete] That changed in the kind of mid to late '80s. [Disco music] [Sasha] Lasers, smoke machines... Smiley faces. The sound of acid house music had arrived, and I was like, "what is this?" [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [Sasha] Before you know it, that sound had kinda taken over. [Ominous music] [Ominous music continues] [Paul] The rave culture developed from acid house. Outdoor parties held in fields. [Pete]Something completely new, that no one had ever done before. There's no legal venue in London you could do that, hence, started to do it in warehouses and fields around the m25. [Phone ringing] [Phone ringing continues] [Carl] The only way we had to know where these parties were happening was if you had a number to call. [Phone ringing] The address would be on the answer phone. [Phone ringing] [Man on phone] You are cordially invited to a midsummer night's dream. Take the m25 motorway, to 8296, and head east. Ten thousand people on the motorway going around and around and around the toll. [Carl] Someone found out where it was located, then everyone followed that person. And at that time, we were playing vinyl. So you imagine walking through a field with two boxes of vinyl. It just kicked off at three o'clock in the morning, at some poor guy's farmland. Check, check your body Check, check your body Check, check your body Check, check your body Check, check your body Check, check your body Check, check your body [kobi] Dance music made people feel like their own secret society. They're on to something that the rest of the people are not. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [James] It was called the "summer of love." Because the culture finds its roots in the hippie culture. The late '60s, and peace and love. [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music continues] [James] I come from a city which is full of like really hard guys. It's a hard city. To see these guys go from fighting every Saturday night, to dancing, with their arms in the air, and, you know, it was just unbelievable. [Club dance music] [Grunts] [Pete] It was our punk rock moment. It was like everything that had gone before didn't exist. It was the year zero. We were starting again. And you're either part of this or you weren't. [Upbeat music] [Afrojack] How cool was it when you have like a little secret that no one understands, and you go to this place where there's 10,000 others that feel exactly the same as you do. In the world of electronic dance music, we are in sort of uncharted territory. [Club dance music] [Moby] When I was growing up, dance music was supposed to be the alternative, you know? You're supposed to have top 40 over here, and dance music over here. And dance music was supposed to be the domain of like weird underground-misfit electronic musicians. Underground dance music is about art, where edm is show business. [Seth] And there is still some of the same shared aesthetics of unity, and expression, and people opening up, you know. But they are two different things. [Tisto] The main core of our music will always be underground. Doesn't matter if your Carl Cox or tisto or Martin garrix. It always will be underground. With, uh, the popularity of electronic music today, sure, um, we all appreciate that more and more kids are in to it. Um... But we know, we always hope that... Getting into electronic music via like afrojack or tisto, they're just sort of scratching the surface, and, you know, interested to explore further. [Afrojack] Thing with dance music, it is not about focus, but it's about arrangement. The whole journey you can take someone on. You create something that sounds like, "hey, this is a nice song." Like, for people that are not used to dance music, and then you present them with the drop. [Club dance music] If I ask my grandma, "do you like the drop?" She's like, "what's the drop?" [Afrojack] Then she heard the drop, "look, oh, I like the dancing parts." "I like the dancy part." [Club dance music] I've got this bad habit when I start working on an idea, I'm like working, working on like a breakdown so much, and I build up, and then I have to come up with a drop, and I'm like, "what?" [Michael] Martin skypes me, and he's like, "hey!" You know, "haven't been able to sleep all night", uh, there's this melody in my head. "I made this new record, you need to hear it." And it was the demo of "animals". [Club dance music] [Club dance music continues] [Martin] Sometimes, I start with the melody. Sometimes, I start with a kick drum. I go through a sound bank with already pre-programmed sounds, where I start programming my own sounds. [Club dance music] [Watse] When we started out, we did very small shows, you know, just to get him going, get, um, get him to experience how the life is and stuff. And, um... And, suddenly, you know, we release his record, "animals". ["Animals" by Martin garrix playing] [Moby] It's an amazing piece of music. That's an example of electronic music becoming top 40. That... Seems to have quite a lot of integrity around it. ["Animals" by Martin garrix playing] It's this special drop, you know. Everybody was making hard drops, and his was still special. [Club dance music] We are the fuckin' animals [techno music] [Screams] [Michael] This instrumental record, becomes a top 40 radio record in the us, the number one single in the uk. He was the first 17-year-old guy, who made it into the uk chart. [Jose] He was the youngest guy ever playing ultra. [Dramatic music] [Reagan] Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. [People cheering] [Moby]There was this explosion of openness. A lot of the problems of the past just started to fade away. [Cheering] [Moby] The wall had come down. And the world was becoming a more prosperous place, and I feel like the love parade was very much a reflection of that. Like this new... Youth culture that wasn't burdened by the prejudices of the past. [Cheering] [Uplifting music] [Carl] It started off very innocent. Maybe 250 people. Couple of trucks going through the streets of Berlin, and they would just stop the trucks and just party. [Club dance music] [Carl] East and west come together, and brought people who were into dance music to, basically, celebrate life. [Pete] It was the same spirit that went into the league of raves in the uk. You know, it was pretty crazy for the way it grew, through the first five years in the '90s was insane. The scale of it was just unreal. [Club dance music] I can't believe it, it's amazing. I've never seen this many people in one place before. I'm from Holland, and I really, really like it here! [Carl] I was invited to come and be a part of the proceedings. At my first time to go in there... Completely blew my mind. [Cheering] [Carl] Going through the streets of Berlin, I just cannot believe there's over a million and a half people. [Upbeat music] [Cheering] [Carl]Breaking down the walls, breaking down, even culturally, and there's no way we could have done this anywhere else in the world. We've got this big massive monument in the middle. [Cheering] And in the monument is where they built the dj stage, and you go up in the monument, and you see over the whole of the park. And all you can see is just heads. [Electronic dance music] [Russell] I discovered electronic dance music in the early '90s. I started going to a lot of the events. In Miami... The community and the culture was like nothing I've ever seen before. [Electronic dance music] [Donnie] I discovered electronic music in New Orleans. I was working at a restaurant, and the other waiters invited me to a party. I kinda walked in the doors and it was a whole new world. [Club dance music] [Pasquale] I discovered electronic music by getting dragged to an underground party in Los Angeles. You know, when I was 15 years old. It was one of the most magical experiences in my life. I fell in love with the music, the culture, and the vibe. [Donnie] I started promoting even though I had nothing financial to gain from it. It was basically a hobby. We would rent out warehouses. It was totally illegal. You were basically risking a house every weekend. Um, and all it takes is for somebody to do something stupid or something bad to go happen, and then you could lose everything. Because I loved it. [Donnie] I put that house on the line every weekend. [Russell] First event that I ever promoted and produced was in a warehouse. We would rent the venue, contract the venue, hire police, hire fire rescue, hire security we were definitely in over our heads. But we didn't realize it at the time. [Pasquale]I did my first event in Los Angeles, thinkin' I and my friends would have a place to go, and party, and have a good time, and listen to, you know, the music that we loved. And I found out it was extremely difficult to even get a venue. [Club dance music] [Donnie] It was all ages, and we were serving alcohol. It was just... it was just a recipe for disaster. But at the time, when you're 23 years old, it just seemed like nothing could go wrong. [Chattering] [Chuckles] [Chattering] [Man 1] Yo! [Martin] I'm nervous as fuck. I'm really nervous, yeah. - Oh, you... - I threw up earlier today. - Oh, really? - Yeah. [Somber music] [Martin] The craziest thing for me is like how it all went so quick. And that's also why I still... Don't really realize yet what, what's happening right now. Omri, is this for fireworks? [Omri] Yes. [Martin] I was at ultra 2013 in the crowd. And right now... Uh, you're playing the main stage, you're a main stage actor and... It's... [Stuttering] It's super... I had to pinch myself a million times. [Chuckles] [Gerard] It went that fast at every moment. You had no time to getting used at the success. It went that fast. But imagine for him, he just did this in two years. - Yeah. - What we did in ten years, he did in two years. [David] It must be hard to process so much in such a short time. You know? You go from being in your bedroom, to play in front of a 100,000 people in a year almost. - Like this is crazy. - [Martin] I was in the crowd two years ago. What the fuck. [Giggles] [Fireworks crackling] [Martin] Like, for me, it was, boom, this! Then, oh, we got a request for tomorrow. Oh, we got, then... Before you know it, you're in the middle of it, and there's so much happening at the same time that you kinda forget what's happening, and you're focused on the next thing. [Martin]Where is it gonna end? - [Martin] That's my question. - [David] Hm? [Martin]'Cause I have no clue. What's gonna happen next? I don't know. Do you know what's gonna happen next? I mean... [Steve] I think it's about not being scared. And not having... And having fun. You know, the fact the you're nervous now is a good thing. [Seth chuckles] [Seth]How is a 17-year-old kid the fucking face of dance music? What the fuck? You know? Like... [Panting] [Paul] A 16, 17-year-old kid makes a record, he's never... He has got no experience ever, playing in front of a crowd. And they book him. Why? [Seth] You know, a 17-year-old kid, who has no context of the greater history of anything he's doing. He made some track for teenage kids. Like, it's not music, 'cause it's just a way, for... to sell music to teenagers. [Electronic dance music] [Martin] There's a lot of commotion going on, like, "oh, you're too mainstream." From like the underground people or the mainstream people, who don't understand the underground thing, but... If, if people who love techno don't like the electronic music or the stuff which I make, then don't listen to it. [Interviewer] So what is underground? I guess underground, for me, uh, is anything that's outside of the mainstream. [Dubfire] It's outside of like whatever is considered popular. But it always been more interesting to me. Underground dance music is a representation of trying to do things with a cultural acknowledgement who we are as humans. There's always gonna be super underground music, and there's always gonna be stuff that some people consider cheesy, and that's gonna appeal to the pop market. David guetta's underground for Katy Perry fans. [Afrojack] I'm underground for David guetta fans. Like, compared to me, deadmau5 is underground. Compared to deadmau5, feed me would be underground. Compared to feed me, Richie hawtin would be underground. But if you compare Richie hawtin to Nicolas jaar, Richie hawtin is commercial techno. But, like, no matter how underground you are, if you're driving your car, and a-ha "take on me" comes on the radio, you sing along. If Richie hawtin will play it in his set, you would not be happy. But if the song comes on in the car, like... take on me Take on me Like, it's always. ["Take on me" by a-ha playing] [Afrojack]You can't deny that. And that's why I love music so much, because it's universal. I'll be gone In a day or two So needless to say I'm odds and ends but I'll be stumbling away Slowly learning that life is okay [man 2] Did you guys have fun tonight? - Yeah, man. - [Woman 1] Yeah, excellent. [Man 2] Why? What was so good about it? [Woman 1] Good atmosphere. Excellent atmosphere. [Man 2] Are you guys gonna stop ever? Or you're gonna keep dancing forever? I can keep dancing forever, I mean. Well, at least till I remember where I put my car. [Moby] When you talk about thousands of people gathering together in a field or on a warehouse, and throwing their hands in the air, and having these euphoric experiences, of course, the music plays a big part in it. The drugs play a huge part in it, too. [Club dance music] [Woman 2] Are you all good? Yeah, there's, uh... [Woman 2] Oh, no. [Erick] When you do ecstasy, music feels unbelievable. [Uplifting music] [Erick]As a dj, it's incredible because, you know, you could really take 'em to different heights. [Uplifting music] [Moby] I spent time at raves sober, and I've spent time at raves not sober. [Uplifting music] [Moby] The sound is huge. Visuals are huge. Everyone's dancing. [Club dance music] The crowd is the star. [Club dance music] [Moby] It's hardwired into our evolutionary DNA... To wanna dance with each other, have ecstatic experiences at night in front of light. You know, 50,000 years ago, people were banging on sticks, and dancing around the fire. No one has to learn how to throw their hands in the air, and dance ecstatically at three o'clock in the morning. [Club dance music] [Laughing] [Producer] The rave scene, what were they like? Did many deny it? [Producer] Many denied it. Did they really? Were they really there? Or they were just trying to claim they were there? [Club dance music playing] [Whistle blows] [Paul] The first raves were very successful. And then, of course, the police got wind of it. People who go to the parties are calling for them to be legalized. [Reporter 3] But the authorities are worried about drugs and noise levels. Things were getting pretty crazy. [Pete]Some stuff was happening that wasn't necessarily that safe. [Reporter 4] Police moved in to break up the party at five this morning. Eight hundred and thirty-six youngsters were arrested, and officers seized 1,000 pounds worth of drugs. This was an easy outlet for them to sell drugs. [Chief inspector Wilson] We got some very firm evidence about major criminals involved, major criminal organizations, drugs, protection rackets, all at the background of these parties. [Carl] They really thought that I was a part of the syndicate that was basically making parties just to sell drugs. And, apparently, I was carrying it around with a silver platter, while I was dj'ing, I'm handing out ecstasies to people who I know would take it, while they were dancing. I said, "well, if I was doing that," how would I be mixing the records at the same time "I was handing out all the drugs?" [Motorcycle revs] [James] Castlemorton. What began as a small gathering, suddenly turns this huge, huge rave. [Reporter 5] At the height of the festival, an estimated 20,000 people have converged on castlemorton common. [James] More and more people were arriving. It went on for a week. And the police just couldn't break it up. It was just so big. Twenty thousand people on this common, and no toilets. You can imagine the mess they're going to leave behind them. [Reporter 6] The police view is that these are purely criminal events. [Jack]These people are crooks, and they are destroying the lives of hundreds not to say thousands, of decent law-abiding citizens. [Sasha] I remember going to some parties that were really dangerous. Packed into sweaty warehouses, no lights, no exits. [Pete] If people get hurt, then it needs to be addressed. It can't, it can't carry on. [James] That point, a lot of people realized that concept of the illegal raves was dead. It couldn't continue. You know, the government were crazy about it, the media were all over it. And so something has to change. [Club dance music] [Indistinct chattering] You had the beginnings of the legal space, where all the dj's could work. [Club dance music] [James] We launched cream, and it just became this phenomenon. It just exploded. [Club dance music] They started putting on really highly-produced venues with great sound systems, and it was safer. [Club dance music] [Richie] I like dj'ing because I was nerdy, insecure. And dj'ing was the perfect, anonymous way to connect and touch hundreds even thousands of people, without actually having to talk to them. [Richie]What you gotta remember in the late '80s, where was the dj in the club? In the corner, probably the darkest corner. [Carl] And the corner here, was where the original dj booth. [Man 3] Yeah, yeah, in between these two columns. Here. [Carl] In between the two columns here. So, when you were dj'ing here, you can see the people dancing if they're up there, and you can see people coming inside here. But I always felt that the dj should be... [Man 3] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course. - Should be there as the area. - [Man 3] Yeah, yeah, yeah. [Club dance music] [James]When we set up our club, we put the dj center stage. We built a huge gold gilt frame around him. So there was no escaping the fact that you had to look in this direction, you had to worship the dj. We aggressively promoted the concept of the dj being as important as the lead guitarist or the lead singer in a band. Paul oakenfold is the most obvious dj who had used the advantage of the time, and the interests in dj's, and packaged himself as a rockstar. [Uplifting music] [Paul] I was doing remixes for the love of the big acts. I was approached by U2 to do some remixes for them. I remixed a track called "even better than the real thing". ["Even better than the real thing" by U2 remix] [Paul]That became a bigger hit than the original. And then they asked me if I would like to be the opening act on their world tour. ["Even better than the real thing" by U2 remix] Primarily a rock and roll crowd, so I can't play underground music. So what am I gonna do? [Paul] I didn't want to let anyone down. I started to look at a lot of the remixes I've done. I would take classic rock songs, and do my own version of it. The club version. They still had the roots and essence of what it was. But it had my flavor to it. Knowing 2,000 people, nervous, excited. It was a scary moment walking out, and you find just you, and all these people looking at you. [Upbeat music] [Cheering] [Whistling] [Upbeat music] [Paul]It was such a wonderful, exciting moment. I really was like, "wow, these people are really into it." [Sasha]The big story, you know, wow, there's a dj playing to a U2-size crowd. And I think it really kind of set something in motion. [Paul] That was a big moment for me. 'Cause it really proved to myself that I was more than just a dj in a club. [Upbeat music] [Paul] I took a lot of what I saw and learned from the biggest band in the world, and put it into my career. [Indistinct chatter] [Somber music] [Donnie] The DEA raided the state palace theatre, which was the venue that I was doing shows at. Some creative genius in the DEA came up with the idea that the owner and the management of a dance event should be charged as if they were operating a crack house. [Reporter 7] The manager and two promoters of the club were indicted, for simply knowingly and intentionally making the building available for the purpose of unlawfully distributing and using controlled substances. Imagine when you go and you meet with your lawyer, and they say, "well, it's bad." They wanna charge you with the crack house law." [Ominous music] There was a lot of other people that... Did the same thing I was doing. If you're a club owner or you're a promoter, you go to battle in order to produce shows. I don't have to worry. Um... [Kobi] Donnie was the one they used as an example to scare other promoters from doing the raves. Who is he with? It was a test case. And what they wanted to do was take my conviction, and basically use it against everybody else. [Graham] We had a full trial in front of a federal judge in New Orleans. We insisted that there was a constitutional right to play music of your choice. And Donnie, at the end of the day, was exonerated. But the United States was in the middle of a sort of a moral panic about ecstasy, and about the perception that a certain kind of music was causing people to use the drug. After the crack house law failed, they came up with the rave act. [Donnie]A way to scare venues. [Pasquale] I mean, it was ridiculous trying to put the club owners, venue owners, promoters in jail. [Donnie] And right at that same time, then you have 9/11. And then, boom. You know, the whole market crashed. [Slow techno music] [Donnie] We went from never stop growing to half. [Pete] You know, record companies were closing labels down, magazines were going bust. People were getting laid off. [Slow techno music] [Pasquale] Literally, everyone pretty much disappeared. After you put, you know, every last dollar you have on the line, and that event doesn't happen. I was broke. [Russell] We were losing a lot of money. Everybody I knew asked me if I was crazy to continue. There was no point to continue. It didn't make any sense on any level. I was very anxious. I didn't wanna really imagine that I had to stop doing what I loved. [Donnie] The rave scene was the lowest of the low. I would go to a party with somebody, and like, "okay, don't tell anybody you're a rave promoter, right?" It's like, "okay, yeah, I won't. I won't embarrass you." Maybe people are just tired of it. Yeah, maybe the... The people that were in, into it, for just 'cause it was a cool thing to do, I think they found something else. [Donnie] Now I have a 4-year-old, and my wife's pregnant again. And, you know, I'm there at the gas station using five credit cards to put five dollars in my car. And I have to ask my wife for her credit card. And she's like, "you know, you need to stop doing these shows, and go get a job." I really sorta thought, "well, okay, that was a fun ride while it happened." [Martin] I always wished like, when I was in my bedroom, like, I wanna do this in front of 100,000 people, but I never really thought it would happen. I never had the intention to become famous. For me, I make music 'cause I love it. Because it's my hobby. [Calm music] [Carl] I do this 'cause I love the music, I have a passion for it. Since I was 8 years old, I have not looked back. When the time comes where you have to close the door and put it all behind you, is the time that you know that you've done something of self-worth with your life. [Tranquil music] [Carl] I believe in what I'm doing. And if you do that, you're gonna find other people that also feel the same. This movement is still pushing forward. [Electronic music] [Paul] Having come to America, I saw that there was pockets of people that were into electronic music in certain cities. [Electronic music continues] [Pete]Paul turned around to me, literally, in the dj booth. Mid-season in Ibiza and said, "by the way, I'm not gonna be here next week. Can you do the rest of the season?" And I said, "why?" He said, "'cause I'm going to America. 'Cause I'm gonna go and break America." [Paul] I looked to America and thought, "I really want a challenge here." I really wanna go to Cincinnati, I wanna go to Nashville, "I wanna go to these smaller places." I did about 150 shows in a year. [Pete] Across the country, backwards and forwards, touring in America in the same way a rock band would. It was like a chemical reaction. This metamorphosis happened with the advent of the Internet. Napster had started. And limewire and file sharing really took off. You can make a track at home. You could share it, start sending files around the world. [Reporter 8]Uh, how many mp3s you have on your computer? About 600. Maybe like 100. Six or seven thousand. - Come again. - Six or seven thousand. [Erick]You have all these kids that were really looking for the music. And the Internet kinda brought it to them. [Pete] Suddenly, people were able to monetize themselves in a different way. [Upbeat music] [Paul]Big turning point for me was when I sold Hollywood bowl out. I was like, "wow! I didn't realize it", that there was these many kids "that were really into electronic music." [Pete] Things would just seem to get bigger and bigger and bigger. People started calling from around the world to actually book you for the first time. The dj's started migrating like birds to other parts of the world. [Techno music] [Tisto] Uh, I played at festivals. And they asked all the people, "who do you come here to see?" And most would say, "we come here to see tisto." And the promoter and I decided, "why don't we try a tsto solo show?" You play for like, six, seven hours and you might sell out a stadium. [Upbeat music] [Host] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome... Dj tisto! [Upbeat music] [Crowd cheering] [Tisto] I walked on stage and I was like, "this is... this is not real." Just one dj in a stadium for 25,000 people. Oh, that, that never happened before. [Upbeat music playing] [Tisto]There was this one guy from Greece, he saw the concert. And he was like, "I want you to play at the Olympics." [People gasping] [Upbeat music] [Upbeat music] [Tisto]I saw, like, presidents fist-bumping and stuff. So, it was... It was an amazing experience. It was live on television for 4.6 billion people. [Techno music] He became the first global superstar. [Pete] After Olympics in 2004, you really saw it's going further and further into the mainstream. [Ed] I remember seeing a massive poster that said, "sold out Victoria park." And Victoria park is, like, 40,000 people. It said, "sold out Victoria park, tisto." I was like, "who the fuck is tisto?" Dj. [Laughter] [Applause] ["Summer" by Calvin Harris playing] We were doing electric Daisy carnival. [Donnie] Everything was kinda building up, the crowds kept getting bigger. And in 2002, we did about 6,000 people. And then, in 2003, we did about 10,000. Barely trickling up. Y'all ready? [Cheering] [Pete] Donnie and pasquale, they kinda had to legitimize their business. Like the uk came away from riskier spaces and started to look to re-invent themselves in a dedicated legal space. ["Summer" by Calvin Harris playing] [Donnie] In 2008, electric Daisy carnival got 30,000 people. [Pasquale] It was an amazing moment. I was like, "finally, we're here." You know? This is gonna go somewhere. [Russell] In Miami, I realized that I didn't wanna just continue doing warehouse parties, I kind of have reached the ceiling. So, I wanted to go to the next step and do a festival. We started coming up with ideas of what we can do that would be special, something unique, something different. Let's go talk to the main stage there, and we'll go up to, uh, Carl's station. [Russell] First year of ultra music festival on the beach, we started with 10,000 people. And then, it just grew from there. The attendance just kept rising and rising and rising. One year, it really exploded. It went up over 100,000. ["Around the world" by daft punk playing] Around the world around the world Around the world... [Donnie] The scene just kept growing and growing. I knew that we were on to something. I knew that, eventually, it would filter around to the rest of the country. 'Cause I gotta feeling Whoo-hoo That tonight's gonna be a good night That tonight's gonna be a good night I think the guy that got us to where we are today was actually David guetta. ["I gotta feeling" by David guetta playing] David guetta collaboration with, uh, the Black Eyed Peas. That record really opened the door. And then we'll do it again let's do it... People were interviewing me about me bringing electronic concert to the us. [David] And I'm like, "what? It's coming from the us." here we go we gotta rock, rock, rock A lot of people, even in America, didn't know this. Now we on top top, top, top, top Feel the shot, body rock David guetta was making music that was acceptable to top 40 radio, and actually really catchy and fun. Monday, Tuesday [afrojack] He's been, by far, the reason that edm has had such an amazing cultural success. That song introduced so many people to another form of music. They started looking in. Party every day And I'm feeling Whoo-hoo That tonight's gonna be... [Carl] We're now in a global scene. We're in a billion-dollar industry. ["Levels" by avicii playing] [Jamie] You hear electronic music everywhere. It has become pop music. So, those crowds, the people who... Who do listen to pop music, are now listening to electronic music. All of us are reaping the benefits of that. ["Levels" by avicii playing] [Carl] When you go to one of these events, you escape from whatever you're involved in life. [Dramatic music] [Martin] Because a lot of electronic music is instrumental, it's universal, there's no language attached to it. Everybody can understand it. Music is the language itself. [Calm music] [Kerri] You can't really do dance music on your own. It's participatory. It's a tribal experience you have together. Right? It's meant to be enjoyed in a group. [Calm music] [Paul] It is crazy at how many festivals around the world there are. Most electronic festivals came from raves. [Exciting music] [Carl] What we started, from where it was to where it is now, today, we've made it as a whole, for the scene. These artists right now are averaging... A half a million dollara night. [Uplifting music] Now, there's like a commercial appeal to them. You can hear... like, that's the only thing you hear on pop radio now is edm music. Every urban artist, pop star, anybody whose anybody wants a dance record on their album. [Martin] Are you happy with the shorts like this? [Ed] How about this? How about this? How about this? The first break is just, doo-doot, doo-doot. And then the second break is both of 'em together. [Martin] It's like if... what I think, if we are gonna use the first break, is that when the drop comes with the melody, it's way too random. It's out of nothing. The reason I initially wanted to work with Martin is because of "animals". I heard it, I was like, "this is fucking weird." I like it. It's... it's different. We're gonna record, like right now, the guitar parts. [Ed] Do you want it like that? [Guitar playing] Or... [Guitar strums] - [Martin] Yeah, that. Better. - [Ed] Or that? You know what? I'll do it. And then you can chop it and use it. Yeah, just, uh, just turn the track down low, if that's all right. [Ed] You forget how young Martin is, because he's so, like, well-traveled. It's like you feel like he's like tsto or something. The quality of production is really out there, everywhere, so many good producers. You know? What's the problem for me is a lot of anti-music. How are we gonna make music that touch people's heart, but in a new, fresh and exciting way? [Light music] [Indistinct chatter] - Like that. - Okay. ["Don't look down" Martin garrix ft. Usher playing] [Usher] I really feel like a creative musical chemist. You know, I mean, when the fusion of music comes together, whatever you may call it, pop, R&B, and edm, and it works, and it opened an entire new conversation. You got me way up a thousand miles Can we stay right here... Because those greats before us who created that fusion. Like Michael Jackson when disco was on its way out, and rock was on its way in, [Usher] Michael was able to create something that satisfy both parties. We're gonna reach it now Do you feel the lightning inside of you? Will you follow through if I fall for you? Don't look down Up this high we'll never hit the ground I feel like once the world was able to hear edm in that way, and me experiment with David guetta and now, Martin garrix. [Usher] To me, that creates an entire new movement. [Upbeat music] It's created an authenticity within a style that everybody's kind of enjoying. What the big challenge is, for me, is to keep evolving, evolving and to stay relevant. [Calm music] [Calm music continues] [Carl] My career has spanned over 38 years, doing what I love to do. Hey, hi! Hey, hey, hey. [Carl] To be honest with you, you know, my father would not really get behind me. It was quite damning in some ways and he didn't respect the fact that, that I had this drive and energy, uh, to be able to become the person I am today. [Somber music] [Carl] When I said to him that I didn't really wanna do anything as apart from dj'ing, he... just basically laughed. He didn't give me the respect to find my own path. [Pam] I think he had made Carl stronger. That he wanted, you know, when my dad said no, I think it was a yes to Carl that, "I'm gonna follow my dreams." [Uplifting music] [Pam] I'm so proud to say that he's my big brother. Um, right now, I really wish that he could say those words. At the moment, my dad is not very well. He has dementia. [Pam] It would have been nice for him to say those words. I don't think Carl will ever hear them from his father now, because he doesn't remember. [Somber music] [Crowd cheering] [Indistinct chatter] [Loud cheering] [Crowd screaming] [Indistinct chatter] [Crowd cheering] [Indistinct chatter] [Techno music] Hello. ["Virus" by Martin garrix & moti ft. Jenny wahlstrm playing] [Crowd shouting] What's up, Miami? [Crowd cheering] [Gerard] Imagine that you're standing there, and you're seeing your son, and he's standing before 40,000 people. It's incredible. Virus ["Virus" by Martin garrix & moti ft. Jenny wahlstrm continues] [Crowd screaming] Party with me all of you! Scream right now! One, two, three, let's go! ["Virus" by Martin garrix & moti ft. Jenny wahlstrm playing] [Carl] Martin garrix, you put him on any festival, and he can't do no wrong. See, it's something which is wondrous. You know, you got someone that's this young, who's connected with 18-year-olds. He's connecting directly to the people he is inspirin'. It'd be difficult for me to be there. And have 18-years-olds go, "oh, my god, he's amazing!" They'd be like, "oh, my god, my dad's amazing." You know? It doesn't work. [Martin] I don't see myself as a big act. It doesn't count how many tickets you sell. It also counts about what you did for the industry, what you are still doing, and what your abilities are, what you can do. You're gonna be right over there. Hey, there he is. - How you doing? - [Martin] Hey. So, you've played already, right? - You've been at it. - I just came off stage, - and we rushed here. - You just came off. Really? - Oh, thank god. - No worries, it's all good. [Martin] I respect Carl as a producer and a dj. His dj sets are... I can't play eight hours in a row, and not lose attention from the crowd. The longest set I've done is 12, is 10 hours. - It's like... - How did you, like... You didn't play one track two times? - No, no, I did not. - That's nuts. Yeah. [Laughs] Are you solo or did you do back to back with others? No, no, no. Just me on my own. Yeah. Went to the toilet once. - Yeah, yeah. - Uh, took two slices of pizza. And, uh, I think four beers. And that was me. - But that's something I respect. - Yeah. I can't think about 12 hours. That's nuts. He can do so many things which I am dreaming of. And which I'm still... Trying to do. I mean, I was actually quite shy as a young dj. When I was up on the stage, I had the curtains closed. And I'll still play my music. And I was like, "keep them closed, keep them closed" as long as I could. And then, I went out, there's the dj, I'd be like... [Laughing] - But that's cool, though. - He'd be playing, you know. "Say something on the mic." I'll be like, "no." "You say something." You know? But that's how it was for me, I kinda grew into all of this. [Carl] Martin's gotta believe that he can do this. Because the whole scene rests on his shoulders now. He's young, he's hungry, and he's out to basically set the bar of what's happens next. [Dramatic music] [Dramatic music continues] [Carl] Big, deep breath. [Deep breath] Final night. [Carl] In all these defining moments, tsto's played to billions of people, Paul oakenfold at wembly with U2. No one's actually been in a club for 15 years straight. But I played gigs all over the world, festivals, clubs, house parties. Everything that I've done feels like it's gone so quickly. [Applauding] [Carl] Oh, yes. Oh, yes! We have got ten hours to go. I never really thought in any way, shape, or form that... That I would have this longevity in my career. Thank you all, so, so, so much. Thank you. [Crowd cheering] [Carl] Great spot. Thank you to heart! [Crowd cheering] I came with Carl the very, very first trip to Ibiza. [Pam] I loved it. It was the start of my journey coming to space. You know, I love my brother to bits. Um, I am his number one fan. And I am so proud. My journey with Carl, um, is coming to an end. [Somber music] [Carl] The last half an hour, down to the last, actual last record, I have never seen so much emotion in a club. [Dramatic music] [Carl] I've been so blessed to about... do what I do at the level that I do it. And when you look back, the amount of music you've played, people you've met, touched a lot of hearts and souls all over the world. And people remember those times and those moments. [Dramatic music] [Crowd cheering] [Whistling] [Loud cheering] [Carl] In the end of the day, it's all about music. And if I've touched you with my music, then all I can say is, "thank you." [Tranquil music] [Afrojack]We're all lost souls at one point, and when we come together at dance music festivals, we're not lost anymore. Dance music used to be my little secret, you know. It was my little thing. But if you have something great, you want to share it with these many people as possible. It's just a lot of thing and it's a fun thing. And you should never, never be greedy about something great. [Crowd screaming] [Screaming continues] ["Virus" by Martin garrix & moti ft. Jenny wahlstrm playing] [Martin] It's not about being on the top, it's about making other people happy. We'll make it It's just who we are Say where to go [Martin]It's all about the dj, the music. The people you're surrounded with. I think that's so beautiful. You make people happy and make them forget about everything else. It's just who we are Yeah, we will do anything we dream about [Martin] I'm kind of happy that it's going towards a new direction right now. Because it won't make it, like, fade away. And that's only fear I have. Like, because it went... Like, same with my career, like, because it went so fast. I just hope, like, I can hold on. What I just hope is that electronic music is not at the limit yet. And it can still grow for the next ten years. ["Virus" by Martin garrix & moti ft. Jenny wahlstrm playing] I just hope I can be, like, a part of it. And we'll see what happens. ["Virus" by Martin garrix & moti ft. Jenny wahlstrm continues] [Richie] We love and are tied together by music, created by a technology that is always... Evolving and mutating. That makes every day a new possibility. [Light music] [Paul]When you look back at it, god, what we started, to where we are now, years later, it was some achievement. Whether it's underground or commercial, as a whole, electronic music is thriving around the world. [Donnie] I wanna protect the scene, you know, I want it to be here a long time. Way after I'm done and retired and in the ground. In rave heaven. Uh, I want this to go on forever. [Electronic music] [Electronic music continues] Uh, Martin and I were at a festival tour together for future music in Australia. And we had a five-hour long flight. - And we are next to each other. - Yeah. At first, we're all, and it's like... And then we're both kinda like, "oh, hey." So, we chatted up. And, I have to say, I was wrong about some things, you know. Martin is the first person I met... From that scene who's doing it for the right reasons. In my mind, "maybe, one day", he can break into the dark side." [Chuckles] [Upbeat music] [Slow electronic music] |
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