The History of House Music Documentary

Really good documentary on the real origins of real house music.

Pump Up The Volume is a 2001 documentary directed and produced by Carl Hindmarch from the UK. A companion book was written by Sean Bidder.

This is a fantastic documentary about one of the biggest music groundswells in history, which began in basements and ended up at the forefront of pop culture.

The film traces house music from its early days as New York disco to its engulfing takeover of Europe’s dance scene through fascinating interviews with the people who propelled the movement and rare footage of the clubs where it came of age.

From its roots in Chicago, where it rose from the ashes of Disco, House music became the soundtrack to every fashion show, after–show party, premiere, and club opening around the world.

Today, House is used by leading mainstream music stars, from Madonna to U2, to break into new markets and to update their sound. In fact, House has influenced more artists than any style since rock ‘n’ roll.

Pump Up The Volume follows the story from Chicago and New York to Britain, interviewing key players on both sides of the Atlantic. It also considers the social impact of House—a sound that has transcended class, race, and cultural boundaries to become the soundtrack of modern popular culture.

Part 1

Part 2

This 2 part documentary takes you back to where it all started with House Music.

The best thing: Some guy made a Spotify Playlist that features all the songs from the documentary, so you can easily browse through the classics:

https://open.spotify.com/user/lloydstemple/playlist/67v7W9jRkTPQLNdj3MfYOr

Enjoy!!