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Special Features
- Interviews with DJ Dan, The Crystal Method, Wolfgang Flur, Roni Size and Genesis P. Orridge
- New computer animation reels from Nighttribe and OVT
- Soundtrack album audio previews
- Virtual Flyer Gallery
Editorial Reviews
Customer Reviews
There is quite a substantial amount of "extras" on the DVD, such as an option to view a gallery of party fliers that had been going around at the time, extended interviews with DJs and other people in the industry, and even commentary by the film makers in which the documentary is played from front to back with the sound taken away and the film makers comment on each part of the footage. That part definitely sheds more light into how the scene works and also gives a little more insight into how they were able to meet the people they did and get some of the footage that they would have otherwise not been able to get.
Too much to explain, this is just a great DVD.
The movie is comprised of interviews and scenes from these so-called scandalous all-night parties, It answers the basic `who', `what', where' and `why' questions in regards to the scene and the people that make it possible. The movie is interesting as it gives both `behind the scene' as well as `at the scene' insight, making it interesting and informative to anyone that has not actually attended one of these events.
Speaking from a point of view of someone who is in the scene, I can honestly say this documentary is a pretty accurate portrayal of parties and the inspirations behind them. Admittedly it is a bit on the 'candy' (or cheesy) side, which may disappoint some true party kids, but all in all, I thought it was done pretty well. `Better Living' incorporates the most important aspects of the scene, the music, the dj's/producers and the beliefs of the culture overall. It was able to somewhat convey the `aura' one might feel at a rave which is derived from the gregarious crowd, the awesome effects of lasers and light manipulation, and most of all the powerful music. The movie also does cover the notorious topic of the presence of ecstasy at raves. The concentration of this club drug is minimal in the movie, which parallels the fact that for serious ravers- this drug is not a significant part of their lives or their attendance at these parties. Yes!!, there are a large percentage of people at these parties that are sober!!, which I think would shock most of the people that aren't familiar with the scene.
Many of those native to the scene criticize that the movie is does not give as much of a historical account of the development of the rave culture. It doesn't give a lot of 'historical' information about the scene, and talks briefly of how things used to be compared to how they are today. The interviews consist of top-name-Dj's and producers of electronic dance music, some promoters responsible for the making of raves, typical party kids, and even a few ordinary citizens. I liked the fact that the movie gave a lot of information about the music that makes everything else possible, and how the geniuses of this culture go about creating the pieces that they do.
I thought this movie was good on several levels; it was pretty short so as not to be boring and holds viewer interest quite well. I hope that it gives society more of an understanding of what the rave scene is really about. If you enjoy this movie, and want to see other things like it, you might check out `Human Traffic', `Kids' or `Go', Human Traffic being my favorite amongst the list. I doubt that 'Better Living through Circuitry' will motivate the average American to look for flyers directing them to the next party in their city, but maybe it will make them less judgmental of people in general.
