60-minute film ‘We Become One’ asks why, and how, we connect through music.
Since 2016, Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta has been creating long-form documentaries that explore the discourse around electronic music from a neutral perspective, seeking to educate, spark debate and promote understanding. Previous subjects include the impact of social media on the industry, the mental health of artists making music today, and their experiences during the pandemic.
This time, AlphaTheta’s new film is inspired by its ethos, ‘One Through Music’, seeing producer, DJ and curator and host Kikelomo Oludemi undertake a journey across the globe to better understand the unifying power of music. Through conversations with artists, scientists, psychologists and researchers in France, Germany, Ghana, South Africa, the UK and the USA, We Become One covers everything from how the brain processes sound and the collective emotion we feel dancing in crowds, to how connection through music can ultimately transcend language and dissolve barriers.
In a time where music venues and clubs are facing closures at accelerating rates — last year, the Night Time Industries Association reported that three UK nightclubs closed each week between December 2023 and June 2024 — the documentary serves as a reminder that these spaces are not just important, but integral to promoting unity and togetherness.
“It’s universal. Everybody knows a good rhythm when they hear a good rhythm, you know? You don’t need to be educated,” DJ and Producer Moodymann says in the film. “You don’t need to be dumb or smart. Anybody can catch a rhythm. You can go to clubs nowadays and there’s everybody in there which is beautiful.”
“In a world where politicians go and weaponise different minorities in this kind of populist world, it’s nice to have a safe haven that you remember that actually people are just people and that there is more that unites us than divides us,” echoes Steve Braines, Co-Founder of He.She.They. Label and Events.
Watch We Become One: The Power Of The Shared Musical Experience here.