Move Ya Body: The Birth of House
Showtimes
Chicago’s black neighbourhoods have served as a laboratory for new musical styles for decades. House music emerged between disco and techno in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period when racism and racially segregated neighbourhoods shaped the everyday lives of Black and LGBTQ communities and created space for self-determined musical expression. Move Ya Body: The Story of House provides a thorough account of the birth of house music and features interviews with numerous early influencers of the genre.
The history of house music is not without its contradictions, which are also revealed in this film. Greedy record companies took the money, and the worldwide fame of house music benefited white artists. This pattern is repeated in other phases of American pop music, where white artists have benefited from the ideas of black artists, starting with Elvis. However, the story is not entirely without merit, as stars like Beyoncé have helped early house artists gain more recognition.
The film focuses on dance clubs and the DJs who played there. House music was created for movement and comes into its own on the dance floor, where people let loose and step to the rhythm. Visually rich, the film combines staged scenes, interviews, and archival footage to give a colourful and abundant impression of house music before it was diluted into Marky Mark and Madonna songs.
Juhana Pettersson (translated by Eleonora Weyner)
