The other medium which had stacked up since the days of Absorb's demise (the online electronic music magazine I ran for 10 years) is music-related DVD's. I have enough problems applying words to music, but words to music AND pictures? Anyway, here's a stab at a few that have been around for a while. Most of these are out-of-print and therefore difficult to get hold of. But some of the more esoteric online retailers might have them in stock.

David Toop: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (Sub Rosa) - DVD released January 2009
Directed by Guy-Marc Hinant and Dominique Lohlé

The premise is pretty simple, point a camera at musician / journalist / author David Toop in his living room at his North London house, let him play records and then talk about them. And it being David Toop, it's an intriguing selection, initially exploring field recordings from remote locations. From Felix Hess's amazing capture of frog chorus to Toop's own encounter of Shamanistic rituals. Moving onto free jazz and improv with AMM before arriving at Bo Diddley. One stand out moment is the surreal space age pop of Dean Elliot and his Big Band from 1963. He finally ends up making a link between outsider Rockabilly musician Hasil Adkins and Pan Sonic.

Toop's delivery is very plain and matter-of-factly which serves the documentary well as it allows the music to stand out. The moments when the screen turns black so we are left to focus on the music is a nice touch and even though you (and Toop) are left exhausted by the end of it, it's a pretty intimate and enlightening experience.

Crossing The Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (Soda) - DVD released September 2006
Directed by Fatih Akin

Acclaimed Turkish film-maker Fatih Akin ('Head On', 'The Edge of Heaven') introduces the music of Turkey and specifically the city of Istanbul through the eyes of a foreigner. In this case its Alexander Hacke, bass player of the influential German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. Armed with a PowerBook and a multitude of microphones, Alex proves to be a thoroughly agreeable host. Enthused with seeking out the familiar and the strange from this most fertile musical ground.

From street-lit electronica courtesy of Orient Expressions, to the post-rock "civilised noise" of the Replikas (who opened for Sonic Youth when they played Turkey). There's also a startling look at Turkish hip-hop from the remarkable Ceza. My favourite sequence by far is when he meets street band Siya Siyabend. Having seen them play in the exact same location as featured on the documentary and hearing what they have to say about the city and the conviction of their art, I found them highly engaging and their music to be incredibly emotional.

He ends with some big-hitters, a stunning 'unplugged' performance from Bağlama king Orhan Gencebay to the undisputed queen of Turkish pop; Sezen Aksu. This is unquestionably the best audio-tourism documentary ever made.