Speaking in Code
Encyclopedia
Speaking in Code is a character-based documentary directed by Amy Grill about people who are lost in the electronic music lifestyle.
Shot in 11 cities and 5 countries, Speaking In Code provides a glimpse into the techno
world through the eyes of Modeselektor
, the Wighnomy Brothers
, Philip Sherburne
, Monolake
and David Day
. The film documents these characters' successes and failures over a three year period including Amy and David's struggles to complete the film.
The film reveals six intertwined character studies and raw vérité views of new music. It's a window into a world filled with warehouse parties, endless gigs, international travel, risks, inventions, triumphs and breakdowns.
The characters are: Modeselektor, a producer duo, jettisoned from playing a tiny room in the US to playing to 20,000 people at the Sónar
festival in Barcelona; journalist Philip Sherburne, who leaves America to find a more complete techno lifestyle in Europe; The Wighnomy Brothers, catapulted from their idyllic world in Jena
, Germany to face their breaking point on camera; Tobias Thomas of Kompakt
, who contemplates the near-end of his career; and Monolake, an inventor of the Ableton
software that nearly all electronic musicians use to create their music, who continues his steady yet quirky approach to a life in music. While back in the US, David Day (Grill's husband) tries tirelessly to turn Boston
from a rock-centric town to a techno city. Day's wanton attempts to make electronic music popular put strain on his marriage to the director.
The film has been shown at film and music festivals in China, San Francisco, Athens, Seattle, New York City, Krakow
, Amsterdam, Dallas, Toronto, Mannheim
and elsewhere.
Speaking in Code debuted on DVD on March 29, 2010. The DVD release includes extras such as uncut footage from Modeselektor's at Sonar 2006, a tour of Kompakt
with Michael Mayer and extended interviews with Ellen Allien
of BPitch Control
, Wolfgang Voigt
of Kompakt and Wighnomy Brothers' first interview, and two years after Speaking In Code. In the printed insert, journalist Philip Sherburne
contributes an essay.
Throughout the month of March, the filmmakers released special deleted scenes not found on the DVD to various websites. These included Monolake Tours Dubplates and Mastering and Bryan Kasenic Promotes Minimalism in New York City.
The film premiered in Germany on July 1, 2010 at the Kino Babylon Theatre. An after-party featured DJ sets from Tobias Thomas, Monkey Maffia and Philip Sherburne, all of whom appear in the movie.
Speaking in Code was picked up for exclusive US distribution from San Francisco's Microcinema
, who set a release date of July 27, 2010.
, asked the question if Speaking in Code was "Electronic music's most important documentary?" Saying it "comes as close to capturing the feeling of the electronic music lifestyle as anything I’ve ever watched before." Free quarterly European magazine Electronic Beats said Speaking in Code "is one of the first films that ventures to explain why so many people love this genre of music, in an intimate, almost philosophical manner." German radio and website Byte.fm called it "impressive" and "well worth seeing" French blog Chroniques Electroniques said it was "a very strange documentary" and "a surprising way to describe electronic music."
Electronic and hip-hop magazine URB called it "One of the most need-to-watch music docs in recent memory," and said the film is "worth watching more than once." "Speaking In Code is nothing short of an extraordinary documentation of fandom, freedom and everything in between."
Still others said it is "an unbelievable insight into electronic music culture", that "it reveals the human side of the thoroughly modern music" and that "We leave the theater hoping the best for everyone involved in Speaking In Code. It speaks well for its world.
Meanwhile, indie film blog Antagony & Ecstasy called it "magnificently touching" "humanistically resonant" and "terrifically interesting." On June 16, 2010 Music website Foxy Digitalis said: "For anyone interested in alternative lifestyles, this is as insightful a journey as Don Letts
' Punk Rock Movie, Penelope Spheeris
' Decline of Western Civilization films, and Ivan Kral
's Blank Generation in relating the UK, LA, and NYC punk scenes. All open-minded music lovers and musicologists should add this film to their music library." Elsewhere, in a blog post, Venus Zine
said the "compelling" movie was "artfully constructed and skillfully shot."
and promoter/publicist David Day wanted to make a film not about the electronic dance music they love, but about the people and the obsessions behind the music.
In the beginning, the skeleton crew interviewed many potential characters. These DJs, producers, promoters and industry heads didn’t know that they were being camera tested as potential main character for a vérité film. They thought they were being interviewed for another survey documentary about electronic music.
Once the main subjects were established, the crew (usually just Grill, and Director of Photography, Scott Sans—who was still in college for most of the production) traveled on and off for three years following the ups and downs of them all.
In the years making the film, they all went through life changes and as the film's storyline unfolded, even the director became an unwilling part of the film. As they struggled to make the film a reality, the movie itself also took on a starring role.
In the meantime, the profiles of the selected artists grew larger by the month. BPitch Control’s Modeselektor was called on by Radiohead
to open a tour of Japan and Björk
asked them for a remix. The Wighnomy Brothers legendary DJ sets grew in status and popularity and their producing style were copied by leagues of house and techno producers. The software, Ableton
Live, invented in part by Monolake
, increased in popularity. Via Kompakt, Tobias Thomas released a series of acclaimed mix CDs, and Philip Sherburne, through his work for the tastemaking website Pitchfork Media
, became the leading voice in electronic music journalism.
Throughout this process, a blog was kept by sQuare Productions which documented the making of the film and had thousands of fans visiting the site monthly. As mp3-blogs increased in popularity, so did the interest in the film and the people depicted within it.
By the time the movie was finally complete, the awareness of the project had reached around the entire world, with blogs as far away as Russia and Colombia reporting on the movie.
"I wanted the film to be as accessible as possible, without betraying or boring the true techno fans," Grill told XLR8R
magazine. "Not everybody in techno is making $20,000 a gig; they are doing it for the love of music. It is a community that’s only possible because people make sacrifices to follow their dreams, to make incredible music."
, Axel Willner (aka the Field
), Aksel Shaufler (aka Superpitcher
), Wighnomy Bros., Monolake, Oxia, Ellen Allien, Michael Mayer and others.
Because the film took three years to make, the choice of music drew criticism from some electronic music heads, saying "the sounds and artists they are focusing on are much less fresh than they were a couple of years ago." Though others, like online music magazine Pitchfork Media, called the artists profiled in the film "some of the genre's bleeding-edge names."
On March 1, 2010, electronic music website Beatport
released two playlists for the film, acting as a digital soundtrack. The first was called "Anthems", while the second playlist related to the more ambient music used in the movie (called "Ambiance").
On March 4, 2010, Pitchfork Media
ran a story in their Forkcast section which included a movie-related podcast from Boston DJ Baltimoroder. The Speaking in Code Podcast 01 included music from Philip Sherburne, Tobias Thomas and others. The site called the podcast "pretty amazing."
The second Speaking in Code podcast features an 186-minute DJ set from Tobias Thomas, from the after-party for a screening in partnership with the Together festival.
Speaking in Code Podcast 03 was uploaded to music website SoundCloud
on May 20, 2010. It was created and mixed by Douglas Greed of the Freude-Am-Tanzen label in Jena, Germany. Freude-Am-Tanzen is one of the music collectives featured in the film. Greed himself gives a tour of the Muna club in the special features of the DVD.
Shot in 11 cities and 5 countries, Speaking In Code provides a glimpse into the techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
world through the eyes of Modeselektor
Modeselektor
Modeselektor is an electronic music band formed in Berlin, featuring Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary. The group draws heavily from IDM, glitch, Electro house and hip hop. In an interview the group said regarding their sound: "Happy metal, hard rap, country-ambient, Russian crunk. We don’t like...
, the Wighnomy Brothers
Wighnomy Brothers
Wighnomy Brothers were an electronic music duo from Jena, Germany composed of Gabor Schablitzki and Sören Bodner . Wighnomy Brothers' live mixes include an eclectic blend of deep house, minimal techno, jazz, and soul, and their original releases are infused with a unique deep-house sound...
, Philip Sherburne
Philip Sherburne
Philip Sherburne is an American journalist, musician and DJ based in Barcelona. He coined the term "Microhouse" and appeared in the film Speaking In Code.-External links:* *...
, Monolake
Monolake
Monolake is an electronic music act based in Berlin. Originally consisting of members Gerhard Behles and Robert Henke, Monolake is now perpetuated by Henke while Behles focuses on running music software company Ableton, which they founded in 1999 together with Bernd Roggendorf...
and David Day
David Day
David Day may refer to:*David Day , author from British Columbia*David Day , Australian historian*Dave Day of the punk band The Monks...
. The film documents these characters' successes and failures over a three year period including Amy and David's struggles to complete the film.
Plot
Speaking in Code is an account of people who are lost in music. Director Amy Grill follows a series of characters (including her techno-obsessed husband) over a number of years as some struggle to make it while others thrive in the world of electronic music.The film reveals six intertwined character studies and raw vérité views of new music. It's a window into a world filled with warehouse parties, endless gigs, international travel, risks, inventions, triumphs and breakdowns.
The characters are: Modeselektor, a producer duo, jettisoned from playing a tiny room in the US to playing to 20,000 people at the Sónar
Sónar
Sónar is an annual three-day music festival held in Barcelona, Spain. It is described officially as a festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art. Music is by far the main aspect of the festival....
festival in Barcelona; journalist Philip Sherburne, who leaves America to find a more complete techno lifestyle in Europe; The Wighnomy Brothers, catapulted from their idyllic world in Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, Germany to face their breaking point on camera; Tobias Thomas of Kompakt
Kompakt
Kompakt is a Cologne-based electronic music record label and vinyl/CD distributor, owned by Wolfgang Voigt, Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. They specialize in microhouse and minimal techno, and are known for their Total compilation series which reached its eleventh installment in 2010.Kompakt...
, who contemplates the near-end of his career; and Monolake, an inventor of the Ableton
Ableton
Ableton AG is a Berlin-based music software company that produces and distributes the production and performance suite Ableton Live and a collection of related instruments and sample libraries.- History :...
software that nearly all electronic musicians use to create their music, who continues his steady yet quirky approach to a life in music. While back in the US, David Day (Grill's husband) tries tirelessly to turn Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
from a rock-centric town to a techno city. Day's wanton attempts to make electronic music popular put strain on his marriage to the director.
Release
Speaking in Code premiered at the Independent Film Festival Boston on April 23, 2009.The film has been shown at film and music festivals in China, San Francisco, Athens, Seattle, New York City, Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Amsterdam, Dallas, Toronto, Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
and elsewhere.
Speaking in Code debuted on DVD on March 29, 2010. The DVD release includes extras such as uncut footage from Modeselektor's at Sonar 2006, a tour of Kompakt
Kompakt
Kompakt is a Cologne-based electronic music record label and vinyl/CD distributor, owned by Wolfgang Voigt, Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. They specialize in microhouse and minimal techno, and are known for their Total compilation series which reached its eleventh installment in 2010.Kompakt...
with Michael Mayer and extended interviews with Ellen Allien
Ellen Allien
Ellen Allien, born Ellen Fraatz , is a German electronic musician, music producer and founder of BPitch Control music label. She lives in Berlin, Germany. She sings in both German and English. She has said that one of the main inspirations for her music is the culture of reunified Berlin; her...
of BPitch Control
BPitch Control
BPitch Control is a German techno record label founded in 1999 in Berlin by DJ and producer Ellen Allien. In 1992 she became resident DJ at the legendary Tresor club in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz...
, Wolfgang Voigt
Wolfgang Voigt
Wolfgang Voigt is an electronic music artist from Cologne, Germany, known for his output under various aliases on a plethora of record labels, including Warp, Harvest, Raster-Noton and Force Inc...
of Kompakt and Wighnomy Brothers' first interview, and two years after Speaking In Code. In the printed insert, journalist Philip Sherburne
Philip Sherburne
Philip Sherburne is an American journalist, musician and DJ based in Barcelona. He coined the term "Microhouse" and appeared in the film Speaking In Code.-External links:* *...
contributes an essay.
Throughout the month of March, the filmmakers released special deleted scenes not found on the DVD to various websites. These included Monolake Tours Dubplates and Mastering and Bryan Kasenic Promotes Minimalism in New York City.
The film premiered in Germany on July 1, 2010 at the Kino Babylon Theatre. An after-party featured DJ sets from Tobias Thomas, Monkey Maffia and Philip Sherburne, all of whom appear in the movie.
Speaking in Code was picked up for exclusive US distribution from San Francisco's Microcinema
Microcinema
The term Microcinema can have two meanings. It can describe low-budget or amateur films shot mostly on digital video, edited on a computer, and then distributed via videotape, disc or over the Internet...
, who set a release date of July 27, 2010.
Reception
Steve Mizek, editor of the electronic music website Little White Earbuds, said the film "successfully personalizes the realities of music obsession, from packed stadium triumphs to tribulations that require self-sacrifice in pursuit of satisfaction." Beatportal, the editorial arm of digital music distributor BeatportBeatport
Beatport is an online music store specializing in electronic dance music and culture. Beatport is a privately held company owned and operated by Beatport LLC and based in Denver, Colorado.-History:...
, asked the question if Speaking in Code was "Electronic music's most important documentary?" Saying it "comes as close to capturing the feeling of the electronic music lifestyle as anything I’ve ever watched before." Free quarterly European magazine Electronic Beats said Speaking in Code "is one of the first films that ventures to explain why so many people love this genre of music, in an intimate, almost philosophical manner." German radio and website Byte.fm called it "impressive" and "well worth seeing" French blog Chroniques Electroniques said it was "a very strange documentary" and "a surprising way to describe electronic music."
Electronic and hip-hop magazine URB called it "One of the most need-to-watch music docs in recent memory," and said the film is "worth watching more than once." "Speaking In Code is nothing short of an extraordinary documentation of fandom, freedom and everything in between."
Still others said it is "an unbelievable insight into electronic music culture", that "it reveals the human side of the thoroughly modern music" and that "We leave the theater hoping the best for everyone involved in Speaking In Code. It speaks well for its world.
Meanwhile, indie film blog Antagony & Ecstasy called it "magnificently touching" "humanistically resonant" and "terrifically interesting." On June 16, 2010 Music website Foxy Digitalis said: "For anyone interested in alternative lifestyles, this is as insightful a journey as Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
' Punk Rock Movie, Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known as a documentary film director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization...
' Decline of Western Civilization films, and Ivan Kral
Ivan Kral
Ivan Kral is a Grammy Award-winning Czechoslovakian-born American composer, filmmaker and singer. He works across many genres including rock, jazz, soul, country and film scores...
's Blank Generation in relating the UK, LA, and NYC punk scenes. All open-minded music lovers and musicologists should add this film to their music library." Elsewhere, in a blog post, Venus Zine
Venus Zine
Venus Zine is a quarterly internationally circulated magazine covering women in music, film, art, entertainment, literature, fashion, indie culture and DIY culture.Venuszine.com is the daily updated online companion to the magazine...
said the "compelling" movie was "artfully constructed and skillfully shot."
Background
The idea for Speaking in Code was hatched on a dancefloor in Miami late March 2005 at around 4am, watching P. Diddy stand on set of DJ decks and scream at the crowd through a megaphone. Aspiring documentary filmmaker Amy Grill, music journalist Philip SherburnePhilip Sherburne
Philip Sherburne is an American journalist, musician and DJ based in Barcelona. He coined the term "Microhouse" and appeared in the film Speaking In Code.-External links:* *...
and promoter/publicist David Day wanted to make a film not about the electronic dance music they love, but about the people and the obsessions behind the music.
In the beginning, the skeleton crew interviewed many potential characters. These DJs, producers, promoters and industry heads didn’t know that they were being camera tested as potential main character for a vérité film. They thought they were being interviewed for another survey documentary about electronic music.
Once the main subjects were established, the crew (usually just Grill, and Director of Photography, Scott Sans—who was still in college for most of the production) traveled on and off for three years following the ups and downs of them all.
In the years making the film, they all went through life changes and as the film's storyline unfolded, even the director became an unwilling part of the film. As they struggled to make the film a reality, the movie itself also took on a starring role.
In the meantime, the profiles of the selected artists grew larger by the month. BPitch Control’s Modeselektor was called on by Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
to open a tour of Japan and Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
asked them for a remix. The Wighnomy Brothers legendary DJ sets grew in status and popularity and their producing style were copied by leagues of house and techno producers. The software, Ableton
Ableton
Ableton AG is a Berlin-based music software company that produces and distributes the production and performance suite Ableton Live and a collection of related instruments and sample libraries.- History :...
Live, invented in part by Monolake
Monolake
Monolake is an electronic music act based in Berlin. Originally consisting of members Gerhard Behles and Robert Henke, Monolake is now perpetuated by Henke while Behles focuses on running music software company Ableton, which they founded in 1999 together with Bernd Roggendorf...
, increased in popularity. Via Kompakt, Tobias Thomas released a series of acclaimed mix CDs, and Philip Sherburne, through his work for the tastemaking website Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, became the leading voice in electronic music journalism.
Throughout this process, a blog was kept by sQuare Productions which documented the making of the film and had thousands of fans visiting the site monthly. As mp3-blogs increased in popularity, so did the interest in the film and the people depicted within it.
By the time the movie was finally complete, the awareness of the project had reached around the entire world, with blogs as far away as Russia and Colombia reporting on the movie.
"I wanted the film to be as accessible as possible, without betraying or boring the true techno fans," Grill told XLR8R
XLR8R
XLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
magazine. "Not everybody in techno is making $20,000 a gig; they are doing it for the love of music. It is a community that’s only possible because people make sacrifices to follow their dreams, to make incredible music."
Music
Much of the music used in the film is from the artists who appear in the film and the labels they represent. Including but not limited to Jonas Bering, Modeselektor, The Rice Twins, Robag Wruhme, Modeselektor, Wolfgang Voigt (aka Gas), Gui BorattoGui Boratto
Gui Boratto is a Brazilian electronic music producer. In the 1990s he was a member of Sect.His album Chromophobia was awarded the title of Mixmag Album of the Month. Regarding why he chose the name Chromophobia, Boratto said: "The same meaning as monochromatism in architecture, which means...
, Axel Willner (aka the Field
The Field
The Field is a play written by John B. Keane, first performed in 1965. It tells the story of the hardened farmer "Bull" McCabe and his love for the land he rents. The play debuted at Dublin's Olympia Theatre in 1965, with Ray McAnally as "The Bull" and Eamon Keane as "The Bird" O'Donnell. The play...
), Aksel Shaufler (aka Superpitcher
Superpitcher
Aksel Schaufler better known by his stage name Superpitcher, is a German producer affiliated with Cologne's Kompakt music label.-Background:Superpitcher made his first appearance on Kompakt's Total 2 compilation album in 2000 with the song "Shadows"...
), Wighnomy Bros., Monolake, Oxia, Ellen Allien, Michael Mayer and others.
Because the film took three years to make, the choice of music drew criticism from some electronic music heads, saying "the sounds and artists they are focusing on are much less fresh than they were a couple of years ago." Though others, like online music magazine Pitchfork Media, called the artists profiled in the film "some of the genre's bleeding-edge names."
On March 1, 2010, electronic music website Beatport
Beatport
Beatport is an online music store specializing in electronic dance music and culture. Beatport is a privately held company owned and operated by Beatport LLC and based in Denver, Colorado.-History:...
released two playlists for the film, acting as a digital soundtrack. The first was called "Anthems", while the second playlist related to the more ambient music used in the movie (called "Ambiance").
On March 4, 2010, Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ran a story in their Forkcast section which included a movie-related podcast from Boston DJ Baltimoroder. The Speaking in Code Podcast 01 included music from Philip Sherburne, Tobias Thomas and others. The site called the podcast "pretty amazing."
The second Speaking in Code podcast features an 186-minute DJ set from Tobias Thomas, from the after-party for a screening in partnership with the Together festival.
Speaking in Code Podcast 03 was uploaded to music website SoundCloud
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings.-History:SoundCloud was originally started in Stockholm, Sweden, but was established in Berlin, Germany in August, 2007 by sound designer Alex Ljung and artist Eric Wahlforss...
on May 20, 2010. It was created and mixed by Douglas Greed of the Freude-Am-Tanzen label in Jena, Germany. Freude-Am-Tanzen is one of the music collectives featured in the film. Greed himself gives a tour of the Muna club in the special features of the DVD.