House music might feel like a distinctly modern genre but in truth the history of house music is longer and more detailed than most people assume. In today’s article, we’d like to take you on a journey through five documentaries that explore the history and depth of the genre so you can take a trip through time and learn how dance music got where it is today.
1. A Trip Around Acid House
Kicking things off in the late ‘80s, Acid house takes us all the way back to a time when dance music was in its infancy and the technical breakthroughs that have since come to define the genre were first being made. In 26 minutes, this short documentary paints a startlingly vivid portrait of the culture and the music that dominated the UK’s early rave scene.
2. Maestro
If you want to learn all about an icon of the dance genre, as well as the people who surrounded him, then Maestro is an absolute must-see documentary. This film follows the career of Larry Levan, one of the finest DJs New York has ever seen and an early pioneer of the genre. It’s the story of Levan’s career but, more than that, it’s the story of the people and the culture that surrounded him.
3. Rave & Resistance: The birth of club culture in Johannesburg
In 2024, it’s no secret that South Africa’s club scene is a beacon for the very best of modern club culture but things weren’t always that way. Rave & Resistance is a film that explores the role dance music and culture had to play in the lives of those who lived through Apartheid and how those people shaped and continue to shape the modern dance scene.
4. Above & Beyond: The Global Rise of Afrohouse
And while we’re on the subject of Afrohouse, lovers of the genre will definitely want to check out this incredible film about how Afrohouse made its place in the wider world of dance music. A passionate tribute to one of the most influential music genres of our time, this documentary explores everything from the role of technology in Afrohouse to the genres it’s inspired as well as what it means to so many music lovers.
5. Everybody in the Place: An Incomplete History of Britain 1984-1992
To round off this list we’re heading back to Britain and, indeed, back to the ‘80s with this fascinating exploration of the relationship between dance music and politics in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Through the framing device of a politics class about marxism, Jeremy Deller explores a broad range of themes about both the personal and the political. Much as with other documentaries on this list, this is a film that uses music as a lens to tell a broader story.
