WHAT WE WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT

The term DIY (Do It Yourself) holds in itself the roots of a deep thinking, a style which represents an answer to the mainstream world.  During the ’70, artists in U.S.A. developed a web of alternative contacts whole over the American territory.

Thanks to this initiative, bands interchanged gigs in several cities, distributed their own records and offered their houses to wandering musicians. The whole had been pursued into a total absence of contractual ties, managers or advertising agencies. From organization to gigs, passing by promotion and logistic, the word of mouth was the most used and effective resource.

During the ’90 big labels understood that alternative bands constituted huge opportunities business wise and, step-by-step, they absorbed them. Nowadays talking about independent bands and indie style is quite easy; it is all about mainstream through huge amount of money pumped into it by multinational labels. Under this surface, the DIY “treatment” resonates with authority, the “do it yourself” because you want to do it. Nevertheless, even they want us to think otherwise still you can do it.

Today we assist the renaissance of this culture that extended itself with power all over the old continent. The underground music movement experiences an exponential growth: the number of bands and labels rise along with productions.

This project had been thought to satisfy the exigency of showing out such underground philosophy that characterized the contemporary artistic world, by focusing on the European scene. We feel the needing to display this ties-free movement, which allows totally freedom in composing music.

The documentary defends this philosophy and it is built on it. Musicians are able to carry on self-organized projects.

Famous labels and illustrious managers are not needed.      

Everyone is his own manager with the conviction that no one could do it better than you. A challenge to modernity: how to survive by being an outsider.

In this documentary, the DIY movement is explained through interviews with the most interesting outfits in Europe. We show how labels get started, how contacts between bands as well s between bands and labels happen, how to build up an European tour, how to produce a release.

The concepts are divided into 5 macro areas:

1. General concepts on the DIY philosophy: movement roots are here analyzed. Surely an academic definition of DIY music doesn't exist but still we can identify characteristics, methods, uses and priorities common to the bands adopting this approach.

2. Music style: the absence of contractual ties and subjects such as managers, producers and art directors allows developing new genres.  In this area we will be explaining why ideas vary from complex math rock to pure no-wave, from the very hard music to blues.

3. Bands and labels: it is necessary to pinpoint the relationship between bands as well as between bands and labels. It is all about mutual respect, admiration and cooperation in order to pursue common goals, which creates an European music ecosystem. Also, we will be showing differences between mainstream bands and underground one’s, between tiny alternative labels and worldwide multinational labels.  

4. Production and distribution: how to distribute music and what kind of production budget on average.

5. Tours and gigs: how every band builds up its own tour through a web of contacts. By living them own experiences, we will experience where they play, how they sleep, how much they drive, how they eat. The intimate gigs, the interaction with the crowd, the feeling of closeness by beating the time, the constant feedback.

"WE ARE HERE"

From October, we started recording live sets as well as interviews, taking advantage of events occurring in Barcelona.

We can count on collaboration by cameramen and interviewers abroad, specifically in UK, France, Italy and Germany, which allow us to coordinate the job on European scale. We do receive high quality material form bands that offer their tour videos.

In March, we will be touring Europe in order to interview the principal actors of the DIY music scene.

Between May and June, we will be ending the filming and we will begin the final editing.

Since now, it had been possible to collaborate with bands such as Stig Noise (UK), Familea Miranda (CHILE), Barberos (UK), Tapetto Traci (FRA), Common Deflection Problems (ES/ITA), Vialka (FRA), Silent Front (UK), Nitkowski (UK); labels such as PostMusic (UK), Human Feather (ES/ITA); promoters such as Ojalá este mi Bici (ES), Doubledgescissor (UK), Anteojos Booking (ES).

We already scheduled collaborations with bands such as ZA! (ES), ZU (ITA), Sabot (CZE), Dispo (ITA), Le Singe Blanc (FRA), Hiroshima Rocks Around (ITA), Schnaak (GER), Shield Your Eyes (UK), Don Vito (GER), Betunizer (ES), Bogong in Action (ITA), Picore (ES), Ovo (ITA); labels such as Discorporate Rec. (GER), Brigadisco Rec. (ITA), AfricanTape (FRA), BCore (ES), NO-FI Rec. (ITA, USA), Lemming Rec. (ITA), A Tant Rêver Du Roi (FRA), Bar la Muerte (ITA), Function Rec. (UK); promoters such as DisorderDrama (ITA), Eine Welt Aus Hack (GER), C.A.GA. (ITA), End of Radio (UK), Le Bureau Detonant (FRA).

COLLABORATE WITH THE PROJECT!

We are looking for the minimum amount for the project realization.

The sum is 2500 euros. We estimate it according to the further coming production expenses.

Specifically, we are trying to be sure we will be able to comply with the European filming tour, local filming, the master copy, logistic and administration.

We did not included the money we would need for a professional audio service, every extra money we will receive it will be allocated in order to pursue it.

TRAJECTORY

Our documentary shows the day-by-day life into the European contemporary underground scene.  This experience is not based on a band in particular; it attempts to resolve the DIY music puzzle by starting from the testimony of persons taking part of it.  

All together, they form a sub-culture web that survives to styles, trends and compulsory standards imposed by the music industry. The starting point is the contact with bands/labels/promoters in order to discuss how they manage to do concerts, tours and productions.

The documentary follows a certain audiovisual style, as we want to transmit the feeling of being directly into it, without tricks or cheats.

We won’t use any type of external light, tripod; we won’t organize in advance any set for interviews, everything will be conducted “on the go”.

We will be interviewing musicians, organizers, friends into the scene and people from the gig’s crowds; their interventions will be the useful base to explain the DIY philosophy. 

WHO WE ARE

Antonio Iannola - Direction /Production/Script
Anna Auquer - Production /Direction Assistant
Lluís Tudela - Photography
Sara Giux - Cameraman
Lucio Versaggi - Cameraman

Marcello Orlando - Cameraman
Alex Sardà - Cameraman
Pol Roig - Script /Audio
Gabriel Beretta - Cameraman