Modulations
Modulations
| 18 September 1998 (USA)
Modulations Trailers

Less a documentary than a primer on all electronic music. Featuring interviews with nearly every major player past and present, as well as a few energetic live clips, Modulations delves into one of electronica's forgotten facets: the human element. Lee travels the globe from the American Midwest to Europe to Japan to try to express the appeal of music often dismissed as soulless. Modulations shows that behind even the most foreign or alien electronic composition lies a real human being, and Lee lets many of these Frankenstein-like creators express and expound upon their personal philosophies and tech-heavy theories. Lee understands that a cultural movement as massive and diverse as dance music can't be contained.

Reviews
John Seal

Modulations attempts to cover too wide a subject area in too little time. Electronic music is an all-encompassing label that is applied to musicians as diverse as Can, John Cage, and the Prodigy(!!). There are great segments here with pioneers such as Cage, Robert Moog, Karl-Heinz Stockhausen, and Pierre Henry. There are too many segments of talent-short and ego-long knob twiddlers. And there's an inexcusable total lack of Kraftwerk or Cabaret Voltaire, the two groups who pioneered the crossover of 'electronica' from fringe to pop. And why no interview with Afrika Bambaata? He made it onto PBS' Rock n Roll Series, and he should have been talked to here. The lowpoint is reached when a German techno artist says that techno has absolutely no revolutionary potential....except for his own special brand of hardcore jungle!! Modulations is a fascinating but frustrating once over lightly look at this ever evolving music scene.

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kHAn-10

I saw Modulations as part of a film festival here in Adelaide; i wish now that i had gone and seen it twice. I finally found out WHY i like dance/electronic music while watching it. The first feeling i had as i walked out of the theatre was "ALL my friends need to see this so they can understand me better!"Unfortunately not one of them has- but i am still hoping!!For anyone who hasn't seen it; and are into dance or electronic music of any kind; GO SEE IT. You'll probably find your roots, come to a new and better understanding of your self and learn all sorts of amazing facts about the history and evolution of the newest form of music.For the producers.. not that you'll ever read this!! Make a second film.. there's so much happening in dance culture today that there needs to be another chapter written covering 88-2000 there have been huge advances in our culture!

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XSIV4C

a great movie for electronic music lovers. the only complaints are not even complaints. such as, too short. i could have sat there for 5 hours. missing artists. klaus schulze, tangerine dream. ambient music lovers check out Baraka(1992).

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brassil

If you are at all interested in electronic music - in just about any form, but especially techno/jungle/acid/dnb/house/etc. make sure you see this movie. "Modulations" is a brilliant little (73 minutes) film that is a perfect visual complement to the subject matter - including trippy graphics, beat-synched cinematography, thought-provoking interviews, live shots of wired-up ravers, and of course, a ripping soundtrack.Get your head together and check it out - you'll be glad you did.

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