Better Living Through Circuitry

Better Living Through Circuitry is an idiosyncratic portrait of the rave culture, as the modern electronic music and dance culture is called. Film-maker and music freak Jon Reiss allowed DJs, VJs and musicians from the underground music world speak out about their ideals. The New-York de-constructivist philosopher DJ Spooky, the hedonist superster DJ Keoki and greats such as The Crystal Method, DJ Frankie Bones, Electric Skychurch, Jason Bentley and Carl Cox (Underworld) give their personal views on the phenomenon rave, according to many an experience that emerges spontaneously on the dance floor as a result of the interaction between the music and the video images on the walls by the dance floor. The special thing about Better Living Through Circuitry is that Reiss, faithful to the philosophy of the film, has shot every- thing with a digital camera that he carried around in a rucksack on his back, while he immersed himself in the multimedia violence on the dance floor. Contrasting with the cliché picture in the media that regards youth culture as a synonym for drug use and violence, the film by Reiss sketches a positive picture of music technology. Reiss emphasises the empowerment that arises through computer and video: with these media that are simple to use everyone can ‘create’ music and pictures.