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What We Started

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What We Started
Film poster
Directed by
  • Bert Marcus
  • Cyrus Saidi
Produced by
  • Bert Marcus
  • Cassandra Hamar
  • Cyrus Saidi
  • Pete Tong (executive)
Starring
CinematographyWill Dearborn
Edited by
  • Allan Duso
  • Greg Finton
Music by
  • Nima Fakhrara
  • Stuart Roslyn
  • Pete Tong
  • Leticia Argudo
  • Jorge Flor
  • Gregory King
  • Kyle Weber
  • Irma de Wind
  • Navid Hejazi
  • Earworm Music
Production
company
Bert Marcus Productions
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

What We Started is an American documentary film about electronic dance music that premiered on June 15, 2017, at the Los Angeles Film Festival.[1][2][3][4][5] The film is directed by Bert Marcus and Cyrus Saidi and produced by Bert Marcus, Cassandra Hamar, Cyrus Saidi and Bert Marcus Productions.[6][7][8]

Background

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The film chronicles three decades of electronic dance music by focusing on the careers of Carl Cox and Martin Garrix.[9][10][11] It also includes other individuals such as Erick Morillo, Moby, David Guetta, Steve Angello, Afrojack, Tiesto, Usher and Ed Sheeran.[1][12] The film consists of interviews with artists involved with EDM's pervasiveness in pop culture.[13][14]

The documentary begins with Carl Cox who walked around the empty cavern of Space in Ibiza, the nightclub where he had served as resident DJ since 2001.[13][15][16]

Cast

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Reception

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 20 reviews, as of April 2020.[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100 (as of December 2019), indicating "mixed or average reviews", based five reviews.[18]

A review in The New York Times described the film's protagonists as "gush[ing] about the genre’s milestones and metaphorically high-fiv[ing] one another while trying not to bore the uninitiated into a drugless stupor".[19] While commending the film for "[trying] to present an accessible history of electronic music", it criticized it for its "subcultural cliquishness" and described it as promotional of the Ultra Music Festival.[19] A review on EDMtunes.com called it "the premier film on Electronic Music history" and "a film that speaks to all dance music enthusiasts."[20] The website Dancing Astronaut described it as a "dance music film that gets it right."[21][22] The Nocturnal Times stated that "What We Started is the best electronic music film of our time, offering a precisely accurate adaptation of the rapidly growing electronic scene and its worldwide domination," and that the film "gets it all right."[23] One reviewer notes that "as one watches WHAT WE STARTED, one of the striking elements which rings forth is the idea of "resiliency", and that "thanks to detailed research and a self-imposed mantra to remain unbiased in the presentation of the documentary, the filmmakers peel back the glossy layers of bright lights and enthusiastic concerts and delve into the darker aspects of culture that all but wiped out EDM prior to its rebirth and resurgence."[24]

Variety criticized What We Started for a lack of focus and a short attention span ("what works in a nightclub set doesn't always work in a film"), and called it "an entertaining survey of how far the music has come" which however "rarely manages to dig below the surface to the art vs. commerce dilemmas that seem to lie at the heart of some of the genre’s biggest flashpoints."[25] Nerd Reactor gave the film 4/5 stars, stating that it "may have its flaws but it’s a fun dynamic ride through the history of EDM".[26] Your EDM called it "brilliant."[27]

A review from Quelle Movies rated the film 8 out of 10, “tell[s] a thorough and solid chronicle of EDM’s journey that entices both the fan and the non-initiated”[28] Film Frenzy rated them 3 out of 4 and stated it as “an illuminating and entertaining documentary.”.[29]

When the film was released on Netflix on July 1, 2018, it received several other positive blog reviews.[30][31][32][33][34] Film Inquiry opined that "films like What We Started, are a really big deal...It melds our generations through what we have in common, instead of what is different."[30] Uncle Barky stated that it is "a trip well worth taking, whether you’re a devotee of EDM or a neophyte..."[32] Radio Times called it "a decent, comprehensive account of dance music’s evolution."[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b Warren, Matt (May 9, 2017). "2017 LA Film Festival Competition Lineup Announced! What's Playing and How to See It". Film Independent. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  2. ^ "Dance music documentary featuring Carl Cox 'What We Started' will premiere this summer". Mixmag. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  3. ^ Meadow, Matthew (May 11, 2017). "Martin Garrix & Carl Cox Join Forces For New Movie Releasing Soon". Your EDM. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  4. ^ Stevo (May 11, 2017). "Martin Garrix and Carl Cox Star In The Film Seeking To Define Electronic Music". EDM Sauce. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  5. ^ Haar, Kara (June 13, 2017). "'What We Started' Doc Tackles EDM Music (Exclusive Clip)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  6. ^ "What We Started". Bert Marcus Productions. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Ellis, Aman (June 15, 2017). "Carl Cox and Martin Garrix documentary, What We Started: First look". DJ Mag. Thrust Publishing. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  8. ^ Dancing Astronaut. "Get a first look at the new Carl Cox and Martin Garrix documentary, 'What We Started'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  9. ^ Baltin, Steve (October 27, 2016). "New Doc 'What We Started' Sees Dance Music Through the Eyes of Carl Cox & Martin Garrix". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  10. ^ Meadow, Matthew (October 19, 2016). "Martin Garrix Is Officially The Youngest Ever #1 DJ In The World". Your EDM. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  11. ^ Baltin, Steve (October 26, 2016). "Dance Music Doc 'What We Started' Chronicles the Rise of a Genre". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  12. ^ Haar, Kara (June 14, 2017). "New Documentary 'What We Started' Tackles Dance Music". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Brown, August (June 16, 2017). "'What We Started' looks at dance music history and raises questions about a way forward". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  14. ^ Diaz, Jordan (June 22, 2017). "Watch Carl Cox Talk Dance Documentary 'What We Started' & Martin Garrix's 'Instant' Rise". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  15. ^ Cohen, Sari (June 17, 2017). "'What We Started' brings together EDM legends for a night in Los Angeles". AXS. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  16. ^ Cohen, Sari (June 28, 2017). "Interview: A look at DJ Carl Cox and the new film 'What We Started'". AXS. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  17. ^ "What We Started (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  18. ^ "What We Started", Metacritic, retrieved 2019-12-10
  19. ^ a b Kenigsberg, Ben (2018-03-22). "Review: In 'What We Started,' the Back Story Behind the Backbeat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  20. ^ Wilde, Frankie (June 21, 2017). "'What We Started' Shines as the Premier Film on Electronic Music History [REVIEW]". EDM Tunes. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  21. ^ Sundius, Michael (June 22, 2017). "'What We Started': a dance music film that gets it right". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  22. ^ Tibbits, Kimi (June 23, 2017). "'What We Started': a dance music film that gets it right – Dancing Astronaut". EDM Honey. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  23. ^ Mancino, Mark (July 24, 2017). "Dance Music Documentary 'What We Started' Hits All the Right Notes". The Nocturnal Times. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  24. ^ Elias, Debbie (June 19, 2017). "What We Started (LA Film Festival Review)". Behind the Lens Online. Elias Entertainment. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  25. ^ Barker, Andrew (2018-03-24). "Film Review: 'What We Started'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  26. ^ Pacis, Mark (June 25, 2017). "What We Started – LA Film Festival Review". Nerd Reactor. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  27. ^ Meadow, Matthew (June 19, 2017). ""What We Started" Aims To Be The Definitive Film Of EDM History". Your EDM. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  28. ^ "Quelle Movies: What We Started: Review by Ale Turdó". Quelle Movies. 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  29. ^ "What We Started Is Worth Finishing". Film Frenzy. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  30. ^ a b Bartley, Amyana (July 6, 2018). "WHAT WE STARTED: Bridging The Generations Through Music". Film Inquiry.
  31. ^ "What We Started - Movie Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. July 2, 2018.
  32. ^ a b "Take a crash course in EDM with the takeoff of What We Started on Netflix | Uncle Barky's Bytes". unclebarky.com.
  33. ^ "Movies Ate My Life: What We Started". July 14, 2018.
  34. ^ "TV picks for July 5: 'What We Started,' a celebration of Steve McQueen, 'Mum'". Star Tribune.
  35. ^ "What We Started review: "a decent, comprehensive account of dance music's evolution"". Radio Times.

Further reading

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