The Story of What We Started
What We Started is a 70-minute documentary that tackles one of music's most fascinating generational divides. Directors Bert Marcus and Cyrus Saidi present the history of electronic dance music not as a straightforward timeline, but as a living argument—one where the old guard and the newcomers don't always see eye to eye on what EDM should be. The film anchors itself around two figures: Carl Cox, the legendary DJ who's been spinning records since the '80s underground scene, and Martin Garrix, the wunderkind producer who became a festival headliner before he could legally drink. Through their contrasting perspectives, audiences get a window into how a genre born in dark warehouses and illegal raves transformed into something that fills stadiums and dominates streaming playlists.
What's striking is that the documentary doesn't treat this transformation as a simple success story. Instead, it interrogates the cost of that success—the tension between artistic purity and commercial viability, between gatekeeping and accessibility, between the intimacy of a sweaty underground club and the spectacle of a main stage at Tomorrowland. The film moves through decades of electronic music culture with an energy that matches its subject matter, featuring an energetic soundtrack that pulses throughout.
Behind the Making of What We Started
The documentary premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 15, 2017, before finding its way to streaming platforms. Bert Marcus Productions brought the project to life with Marcus and Cyrus Saidi directing, while Marcus also served as producer alongside Cassandra Hamar and the production company itself. The team assembled an impressive roster of talking heads—not just Carl Cox and Martin Garrix, but also Moby (who offers thoughtful reflections on the genre's underground roots), David Guetta (who bridges mainstream and dance worlds), Paul Oakenfold (a true pioneer of the rave scene), and even R&B superstar Usher, who speaks to how EDM has influenced pop music more broadly.
For a documentary about music, the production choices matter enormously, and Marcus and Saidi understood that this needed to feel like an EDM experience—kinetic, immersive, visually dynamic. The runtime of 70 minutes is deliberately lean; there's no padding here, no lengthy talking-head monologues that drag. Every interview snippet serves the larger narrative about old versus new, underground versus mainstream. The film carries a 7.2 rating on IMDb, suggesting it resonates with both EDM devotees and casual viewers curious about the culture. While it didn't become a massive box-office draw (it's a niche documentary, after all), it's found its audience among music fans and culture-watchers who want to understand how a marginalized subculture became one of the world's most commercially dominant genres.
What Makes What We Started Stand Out
Here's the thing about music documentaries: they can easily become either hagiography or academic drudgery. What We Started avoids both traps. Instead of simply celebrating EDM as a triumph, the film creates space for genuine tension and disagreement among its subjects. When Carl Cox talks about the early days—the illegal raves, the police raids, the raw community spirit—there's a wistfulness there that doesn't condemn Martin Garrix so much as it mourns something lost. Martin, for his part, doesn't apologize for his massive commercial success; he represents a generation that grew up with EDM already mainstream, already accessible, already on the radio.
What's particularly effective is how the film uses these two as anchors while bringing in other voices that complicate the narrative further. Moby offers intellectual rigor about the genre's origins in Detroit techno and Chicago house. David Guetta embodies the bridge—he's made millions, played stadiums, but he also respects the underground. Paul Oakenfold speaks as someone who literally helped export British rave culture globally in the '90s. And then there's Usher, reminding us that EDM's influence extends far beyond the dancefloor into pop, hip-hop, and R&B production. The documentary doesn't resolve these tensions so much as illuminate them, which is far more honest and interesting.
I keep coming back to how the film captures the sheer joy of dancing to electronic music—the way a drop hits different when you're surrounded by thousands of strangers who all feel it at exactly the same moment. That communal ecstasy is what the underground was built on, and the documentary doesn't lose sight of that even as it examines how that same feeling gets packaged, marketed, and sold. The editing is snappy, the archival footage is evocative, and the soundtrack itself becomes a character—pulsing, building, releasing tension in ways that mirror the film's narrative arc.
Where to Stream What We Started Online
Finding What We Started is easier than finding an underground rave in 2024. The documentary is available on major OTT services, which means you've likely got access through at least one of your existing subscriptions. Movie OTT tracks current streaming availability across platforms, so you can check the Where-to-Watch widget at the top of this page to see exactly which service has it in your region right now. Streaming rights shift over time, so what's available today might move tomorrow—another reason to check Movie OTT's real-time platform tracker. The 70-minute runtime makes it perfect for a weeknight watch, and honestly, it's the kind of documentary that improves on a second viewing once you've absorbed the bigger picture.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed What We Started?
Bert Marcus and Cyrus Saidi co-directed the documentary, with Marcus also serving as a producer. The film was produced by Bert Marcus Productions and premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2017.
Q: Is What We Started based on a true story?
It's not fiction—What We Started is a documentary that chronicles the actual history of electronic dance music from its underground origins through its mainstream explosion, featuring real interviews with legendary DJs and producers.
Q: How long is What We Started?
The documentary runs 70 minutes, making it a lean, focused exploration of EDM history that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Q: Where can I watch What We Started?
What We Started is available on major OTT streaming services. Check the Where-to-Watch widget on this page to see which platforms currently carry it in your region, or visit Movie OTT to track streaming availability.
Q: What's the IMDb rating for What We Started?
The documentary holds a 7.2 out of 10 rating on IMDb, reflecting strong reception from both EDM fans and general audiences interested in music history and culture.
Final Thoughts on What We Started
What We Started deserves a place in any serious music documentary collection. It's neither a puff piece nor a takedown—it's a genuine attempt to understand a cultural moment and a genre that went from criminalized to celebrated in just a few decades. The film respects its audience enough to present conflicting viewpoints without forcing a false consensus. Whether you're a devoted raver, a casual EDM listener, or someone who's never set foot in a nightclub, there's something here worth your time. The documentary asks real questions about art, commerce, community, and change—and it does so with style, energy, and the kind of infectious enthusiasm that only a film about dance music could muster.
