Sound It Out Bloor Cinema April 28, 2012 Vinyl Records

Checked out a record store documentary at the nicely renovated Bloor Cinema at Bloor and Bathurst. The doc was on the last standing record shop in Teesside UK, which is still located up in Northern England as of looking up their website on the web yesterday. The store is a Rotate This/Vortex type of shop specializing in used and new music. They also dabble in the internet. The documentary takes place around the time of Record Store Day 2010. It was the official movie of Record Store Day 2011. The documentary is done by Jeanie Finlay who grew up 3 miles away from the shop. The caption on the official movie site describes the movie well "A distinctive, funny and intimate film about men, the North and the irreplaceable role music plays in our lives."

I've seen a number of documentary/movies about record stores, record collecting and djs including High Fidelity, Ghost World and the Canadian documentary Vinyl. Sound It Out definately is a great engaging doc on record store life. Having worked in a Tower Records for 3.5 years of my life I definately relate to some of the quirkiness of the film.

Find below the trailer for the film. Recommended viewing of you can track down the 75 minute doc.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8tNPh405V4

Beats Rhymes & Life - the film on ATCQ

Took in this documentary on 90s hip hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest with DJ IKvsDK on a balmy sunday afternoon at Dundas Square. The film is the first by Michael Rapaport and succeeds in providing a perspective on this key member of the Native Tongues hip hop movements.

The doc is organized chronological, starting with a few childhood remembrances of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg and progressing through to high school where they meet the Jungle Brothers and get their first big contact in DJ Red Alert.

The group gains some profile with Bonita Applebaum but it's the release of their second album, Low End Theory, (with tracks like Buggin' Out) that blows up.

The follow up Midnight Marauders (with tracks like Electric Relaxation) was also well-received but the next two releases are less so and the band dissolved after the fifth album.

The doc does a decent job of balancing the perspectives of the two central figures Phife and Q-Tip. Pacing is very consistent. The visuals start with some interesting animation effects but this is replaced midway with a barrage of interview clips.

There was a good mix of contemporaries (Prince Paul, De La Soul, Beastie Boys, Busta Rhymes, etc.) as well as next generation (Pharrell Williams, Common, The Roots, etc.) giving their perspective. There are hints that more material is available and hopefully the full director's cut will make this available. Good job!


Memorable segments:

Q-Tip with the Lonnie Smith album
Jarobi on Phife Dawg
Phife Dawg and Wife
Candid talk from De La Soul after the 2008 Ring the Bells tour
Pharrell Williams with his unabashed respect for ATCQ