Synergy - Visions of Vibe

Rating:
Summary: Best "rave" documentary I have seen.
Review: Certainly, this is not the first documentary about the rave scene.
"Better Living Through Circuitry", released several years ago,
used a similar approach of party footage, interviews and music
to try to convey what the underground dance scene is all about.

For any director, a documentary of this type is a difficult task.
Looking from the outside in, raving appears little more than kids
dancing around a record player. Many partiers rightly argue that
raving is something that has to be experienced to be understood.
Interviews can go a long ways in explaining the underground
dance scene, but alone they do not convey the magic, the vibe
that has drawn youth from around the world into this culture.

Although it is a global culture, it is Synergy's focus on
the California scene, specifically the Moontribe desert
parties in Southern California, that sets it apart from the
other productions that attempt a more world-wide approach.
It is these small tribes in specific geographic areas that make the
scene so unique. It is the people making the parties themselves,
creating their own scene out of nothing, that makes this scene
so positive and friendly. By focusing on the people,music,
DJs and promoters of a specific geographical scene, the
essence of raving is more thoroughly understood.

Synergy is shot almost entirely on 16mm film, giving
the outdoor scenes a beautiful cinematic quality that
is completely absent in other documentaries of this type.
Clearly, there are magic moments captured. People
cheering on the first rays of the desert sunrise after
dancing through the night, the dramatic live performance
on the steps of the Los Angeles federal building, the
dancers spontaneously forming the circle as the last
song of the morning is played. It's these
moments when the viewer can actually feel the vibe,
and experience why this underground dance phenomenon
has become so popular.