The DVD format has been known for some time now and has already got hold of the home movie market as a strong competitor for video, due to its superior sound and vision quality. As a medium for music videos it’s first now that the artists start to explore this format. In the year 2000 Underworld showed what the medium is about, when they released “Everything Everything” a live experience that you will never forget you have had in your living room. Recorded in 5.1 surround sound, it sets a new standard of how music will and can be experienced in the future.  

This is the best DJ DVD I’ve ever seen. In 2002 superstar DJ´s Sasha and John Digweed embarked on a six weeks tour around the States playing 35 gigs for 85.000 people. Touring like a rock band Sasha and John Digweed where cramped into a bus and this DVD tells their story of good, bad and the experience. The DVD shows clips from the different gigs mixed together with interviews and other footage from the tour and it never gets boring. Throughout the documentary you get a feeling of why Sasha and John Digweed are household DJ´s and how deep their friendship is. Also featured on the DVD are the Delta Heavy visuals that are made by the people behind the “Seven” intro-titles. All the uncut interviews and a lot of music by Sasha and Bedrock are also included on the DVD. This is a must for electronic music lovers. (CA)

System Recordings

The legendary German electronic music group Kraftwerk, that has been hailed as one of the most important founders of electronic music releases their “Minimum – Maximum” live DVD recorded during their 2004 world tour. The DVD features the complete concert and includes tracks like “Die Mensch-Mashine”, “AutoBahn”, “Radioactivität”, “Trance Euro Express”, “Die Roboter”, “Neonlicht” and “Das Model”. The footage mixes between live pictures of Ralf, Florian, Fritz and Henning in action and their trademark visuals that they use as backdrop. The DVD includes DTS sound and PCM stereo, so you can the maximum sound experience from the DVD. As a bonus their MTV performance of “Aero Dynamic” is included.  (CA)

EMI

Some of the most talented musicians on the deep trance scene at the moment are Sebastian Mullaert and Marcus Henriksson aka. Son Kite. With their album “Colours”, 2 singles and a DVD where announced to be released. “On Air” was the first single with a fantastic remix by Lemon 8 and the second single was a collection of remixes from the “Colours” album incl. mixes by Luke Chable and Vibrasphere. The DVD is the final chapter of the Colours release and features a great live set from Tokyo where you can see the boys in action playing their music including tracks like “Massive”, “The stars within us”, “Pooloop”, “Other side” and their remix of Cosma “Out Of Ranage” and Vernon “Wanderer”. Also included are an interview and videos for “On Air”, “Jukebox” and “The stars within us”. The best thing on the DVD is a fun movie showing a day in Sebastian and Marcus life travelling to New York and back, showing in a fast paced tempo their journey – it’s a hard life being a musician. Enjoy. (CA)

Digital Structures

From the electronic master comes a double DVD and a CD from his concert in “Forbidden City” in China. Jean Michel Jarre has always been known for his elaborate concerts, with big projections on the most amazing back drops, massive visuals and all kind of wonders. The first DVD features his 107 minutes long “Forbidden City” concert in Dolby Digital and DTS, and you can also choose to hear his audiocommentary in French or English. Many of the tracks have been rearranged and more than 260 musicians and typical Chinese musical elements incorporated. The Second DVD features the 22 minutes Tian’Anmem Square concert, again with full comments by Jarre and a nearly one hour special behind the scenes showing the story on preparing the concert and the difficulties that he meets on his way. As an extra bonus a CD is included with 57 minutes of the concert. The menus are simple and easy to use and the whole concert is filmed in high definition, making it the first concert to get a THX certification, giving you the best experience in audio and video.

Warner

The legendary 1993 concert video by Anton Corbijn capturing Depeche Mode on its high has finally been released on DVD. The “Devotional” concert is based on the release of “Song Faith and Devotion” and from my point of view one of the best concerts they ever have made, having seen all their concerts here in Denmark. Beside the concert that has been sold out on video for some time it festures two extra tracks “Halo” and “Policy Of Truth”. The second DVD in the set includes all of Anton Corbijn special designed projections that was made for the concert. Also included on the second DVD are all the promotional videos for “Song Faith and Devotion”. 

Mute

Check out the Paul Van Dyk - DVD - "Global" here

Classic Pictures - Various

From Classic Pictures comes a long string of DVDs, that explores the clubber world that we all love. “Naked Ibiza” takes you directly to the island of fun, sun, sex and all night party. The DVD brings you inside all the big clubs that has made this island famous. Space, El Divino, Es Paradis, Amnesia, Privilege, Café Le Mar and the beaches of Bora Bora. The “Chillout Experience” gives you the visual pleasure of computer graphics flowing and nice ambient atmospheric videos. “Underground Trance” and “Clubbers World – Amsterdam” are very similar. The “Underground Trance” DVD borrows live elements from the “Amsterdam” DVD, showing Tiesto doing his thing. The “Amsterdam” DVD takes us on a ride through the clubs of Amsterdam and gives a good feeling on how the Dutch people party. Both DVD’s have nice computer graphics included. “Garage – The Collection” takes us through the UK Garage scene visiting the hottest clubs. Common to these series of DVDs are perhaps their lack of evolution in pictures, in the long run it gets a little stereotyped watching people partying. Another thing they have in common are the CD soundtracks, in some of them you can find a double CD. The music is representative for each genre, but some of it has some years on its back and some of the artists I’ve never heard about are featured. If Classic Pictures would raise the bar on the music front and perhaps feature a known DJ as the guy compiling and mixing it, then they have a very strong format in combining music and visuals.

Fatboy Slim – Big Beach Boutique II - Live On Brighton Beach

Eagle Vision/BMG

If you weren’t one of the 250.000 people who attended Fatboy Slim’s beach party last summer, then you have a chance to experience the free party that made the headlines around the world. Fatboy Slim gives us a rocking mix of Tim Deluxe “It Just Won’t Do”, X-Press 2 “Lazy”, Layo & Bushwacha “Love Story” along side his own remix version of Underworld’s “Born Slippy” and his own “Right Here Right Now”, mixed with video footage of a sea of partying people and Fatboy Slim as the director of this huge party. One of the highlights is his remix of All Saints “Pure Shores” – Jep you might thing I’m crazy – but the original is great (William Orbit when he is best) – Fatboy Slim has given the track a fantastic drum beat and in the extra material he explains and shows us how it was done – great stuff. On the sound side you can choose Dolby Digital and DTS, the menus are simple to use and there are also hidden footage to explore.

Moby -Play the DVD

Mute / Playground

Orbital - The Altogether 5.1

London Records / Warner

Juno Reactor - Shango Tour 2001 Tokyo

Techno Flux EQDVD-001

Nick Warren - Ibiza / Saeed & Palash - Miami

D-ROM 10

Global Underground - Transmission 00:1

Boxed /GUDVD01

EMI

 Words: Christian Almind

Published: Clubbing Magazine