Our music, as confidential as it may be, sometimes escapes the walls of our living rooms or concert venues to slip between those of movie theaters. Each time, it feels like a major event to see stories we’ve lived through, as actors or spectators in one way or another, take shape on the big screen. There was "24 Hour Party People" by Michael Winterbottom, which recounted the story of Manchester, the Hacienda, and Factory Records, "Why Versailles?"" by Marc Collin, which looked into the French Touch, "Control" by Anton Corbijn, following Joy Division, "20,000 Days on Earth" by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, centered on Nick Cave, "Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets", "101" with Depeche Mode or more recently "M", which follows the band’s latest tour. Each of these intense moments helps us better understand things we think we already know, yet always feel like beautiful new experiences, giving us a fresh perspective on the scenes and artists involved, and reminding us that this so-called “confidential” music actually represents a far more significant part of music history than we sometimes realize.

Pietro Anton is an Italian filmmaker who has been living in Berlin for fifteen years. He grew up with electronic music, Italo Disco, of course, but also that more intense, more mechanical kind that hits the body and lifts the soul, that makes you both sweaty and powerful: Electronic Body Music, born in the early 1980s in Europe through the hands of Front 242, DAF, and Nitzer Ebb. Pietro decided to meet those figures, those authors, those brilliant minds who brought it to life, built it, and carried it forward with the limited tools of the time: synthesizers, machines without memory that forgot everything once switched off, visionaries on a music scene that had been rigidly formatted and not necessarily ready to be shaken by these new sounds and new codes, a very masculine scene where suddenly aesthetics became just as important as sound. Pietro met all of these artists, including some who are no longer with us, like Gabi Delgado or Douglas McCarthy (the film began in 2019), all of them brilliant, sublime, magnificent. And as for us, we wanted to meet him.

I am an Italian-born filmmaker living in Berlin for 15 years now, with a background in Film Studies and TV production and a deep love for electronic music, especially from the 80s.

After completing my first music documentary "Italo Disco Legacy", I felt encouraged by the interest it generated worldwide and decided to make a film about Electronic Body Music, another influential 80s music genre I have always been fascinated with, whose story for some reason had not been told in any film so far.

Yes, I have been listening to EBM since my teenage years, first record I remember was Nitzer Ebb‘s "Showtime", then DAF, Front 242 and all the names I included in my documentary. It was a dream to meet my youth heroes in the flesh and interview them, maybe after all I only started this project for this reason.

Every music film I make is about something I love and cherish very much, and Italo Disco is no exception. You could say that it‘s a bit my bright side, while EBM represents my dark side in music.

I have another project in the making, "Glowing in the dark again", which will tell the story of the Minimal Synth movement, another passion of mine. The film is currently in development and it should be the third part of my 80s Electronic Music trilogy.

The very first interview I made for this project was with Marc Ickx from A Split-Second, when he came to Berlin to play at the Out Of Line Festival in 2019. It was truly a great start, because Marc told many interesting stories about the band and remarkable insights about the EBM scene in a very funny and entertaining way.

The French interviewees Terence Fixmer and The Hacker are a fundamental part of the film because through their work as DJs and Producers from the late 90s they contributed to the survival of EBM, bringing it to the younger generations, and its acknowledgment as a vital influence for the Techno scene.

About the French, I honestly don't know much about the bands you mentioned, I mainly focused on the widely recognised pioneers of the genre.

I would have loved to have David Carretta who was active with his EBM project in the late 80s, but I didn't manage to involve him. Of course EBM survival relies on multiple factors and it's not only a French responsibility, but surely Michel and Terence in particular were very instrumental in carrying the torch across generations, especially for their connection with the international Techno scene. Nowadays there are many young acts obviously influenced by EBM, for example Kris Baha, Phase Fatale, Pablo Bozzi, Rein, and many others.

That’s exactly it! A couple of days before the interview I scheduled with Front 242 in Brussels, my cameraman fell sick and told me he could not join me. I felt a bit desperate because I was not sure if I ever could find a replacement so quickly and I doubted that Front 242 would be able to reschedule soon because they were busy touring. Hurriedly, I looked out for a cameraman based in BXL, I picked up a few names and sent emails explaining what the project was about. Out of 5 emails, I got 2 replies, one of them coming from a very experienced war zone cameraman called Daniel Demoustier. He replied that he was aware who Front 242 were, and he was involved himself in the EBM scene in the 80s, having worked as Tour Manager for The Neon Judgement. So not only was the Front 242 interview saved, I even got the chance to meet and film TB Frank from The Neon Judgement. I really felt blessed, and thought that somebody up there must have liked the project so much, it sent down some help.

This film is a must-see. Absolutely. Whether you’re one of those who start counting out "One, two, three" at the first beats of "Headhunter", begin to sweat as soon as "Join in the Chant" comes on, can’t help a tight little smile when you recognize "Der Mussolini", feel their bodies start to sway to "Flesh", or simply a newcomer, curious to discover, you’ll find this film fascinating, as it brilliantly shows how this seemingly virile music was, in fact, unmatched in its artistic, aesthetic, and musical ingenuity.