6 Dance Music Documentaries You Can Watch For Free Right Now
From the 1989 summer of rave to an up-to-date history of all things drum & bass, soak up some dancefloor knowledge.
While the origins of dance music can be traced back to the roots of disco in the US in the late 60s and the experimental electronic sounds emerging out of Europe in the 70s (namely Kraftwerk), it was the 80s where dance music was really born, growing up in the 90s and coming into its own in the 21st century with more mainstream appeal than the OGs could ever have envisioned.
Whether you’re a learned veteran of the scene or don’t know a TR-303 from a TB-808, you’ll surely learn a couple of new tidbits about the history of electronic music and dance floor culture with this six free documentaries available to watch for free on YouTube right now.
The Summer Of Rave 1989
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This BBC produced documentary explores the eponymous iconic summer that changed dance music in the UK forever.
The Chemical Generation – Acid House
Another British documentary, this time coming from Channel 4, explores the origins of acid house in the UK, covering rave and clubbing culture through the 80s and 90s.
Pump Up The Volume: A History of House Music
One of the most comprehensive and all around best documentaries on this list and about dance music in general, this Channel 4 three-part series weighs in at a heft two and a half hours, covering all things house music from its origins in the 80s through to 2001 when this documentary was made.
The Hacienda – The Club that Shook Britain
A slight detour from the more genre specific docos above but no less relevant, this one takes a look at Manchester’s iconic The Hacienda venue run by Tony Wilson and funded by Factory Records.
Rewind 4Ever: The History of UK Garage
Upping the tempo a bit, this 2013 documentary takes us into the world of UK Garage, covering it’s underground origins and unstoppable mainstream rise.
Drum & Bass: The Movement – A D&B Documentary
Upping the tempo a whole lot more, we’ll round out this list with the newest film on the list, with 2020’s coverage of all things d&b, chronicling the iconic 20 year stretch of the genre from 1996 to 2016.
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