Scopitone

In Norway, the birthplace of black metal, the genre went from being vilified to a tourist attraction in a little over 25 years. This mildly ironic documentary follows three young metal acts as they make their pilgrimages to the North. However, the situations in their home countries of Greece, Columbia and Iran are what make their quest so special.

Passionate Amr Salah is an Egyptian jazz composer and musician trying to organise the Cairo Jazz Festival; a risky undertaking, not only because of his limited experience, but mainly also due to the increasingly intolerant social climate. This political music documentary simultaneously paints an atmospheric portrait of the Egyptian capital.

If only you'd kept them! After vinyl, cassettes are also making a comeback. Contemporary hipsters, midlife daydreamers and octogenarian pioneers idiosyncratically declare their love for the handy format. With musicians Henry Rollins and Thurston Moore, and a leading role for Dutch inventor Lou Ottens.

In a meticulous reconstruction of a famous New York studio session, musicians jam for hours non-stop. Inspired by Godard’s film portrait of The Rolling Stones recording their hit single Sympathy for the Devil, Stan Douglas evokes a 1973 Miles Davis recording session.

Westerners generally view Ethiopia as the mythical land of Rastafarians. However, the contemporary music scene is much richer than that, as this sultry, nocturnal exploration of the capital Addis Abeba demonstrates. From reggae to hip-hop and from free jazz to electronic sampling: diversity rules.

Fifteen years after they first played in Russia, British band Placebo tour there again. To keep things interesting they seek out like-minded alternative musicians, artists, designers and performance artists along the way. A disturbing look behind the scenes of a heavily controlled society.

1964: young, white blues fans go in search of two legends they only know from 78 RPM records, Skip James and Son House. They end up in the eye of a racial storm that led to civil rights and new inspiration for folk singers. A painfully contemporary documentary story.

Warning: explicit language! What started as an internet phenomenon is now in the streets, bars and even in major arenas: the noble art of verbal humiliation. Rap without brakes. The culture clash between the latest generation of American and British battle rappers is its entertaining highlight.

If anyone still doubts that musical talent is hereditary, this documentary provides convincing proof. Not that a tyrannical patriarch is necessarily an ideal teacher. The success of the Tajiki ‘Jackson family’ hides many psychological, ideological and even religious tensions. The music, however, continues to impress.