Neophonics

Subtitled "a documentary of Seattle's electronic dance celebrations," Neophonics is an at-times laughable, at-times infectiously exuberant paean to "raves" (what our '60s flower children called "happenings," replacing guitars with synthesizers and drum machines, but easily equaling the pretentiousness level). Including music from Grover, Goa Gil, Beatseed, Rob Atomic and Donald Glaude (and, shades of my mother, I swear it all sounds identical), Tom N. Hunden's mostly interview-driven doc features members of the "sampling" generation praising electronica (think Devo, minus the vocals) in terms that verge on the religious, such as the seemingly spaced d.j.'s comment that, after his first rave party, he "totally understood it" ("it," unfortunately, going undefined). Halfway through the tape, I was beginning to think that Hunden was going to completely sidestep the issue of drugs, particularly Ecstasy, which even old fogey fortysomethings such as myself have heard of, but no, the pharmaceutical faithful (in terms that recall those of the LSD adherents some thirty-odd years ago) pony up praise, while others maintain that a rave can be experienced sans drugs. Often chaotically filmed, and featuring a fair amount of commentary on the level of '80s cinema duo Bill & Ted, Neophonics nevertheless has its interesting moments. I learned, for example, that a "plurry" rave is one in which feelings of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect (plur) are abundant. Optional. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)