DIGITALplay loud! (live) music series
play loud! (live) music series
Since 2008, the filmmakers Lucía Palacios and Dietmar Post have been running the play loud! (live) music series. The archival concept behind it is a central part of the entire project and follows a clear documentary and cultural-historical approach: the series understands music not just as entertainment, but as a cultural time document. Similar to the field recordings made by Alan Lomax, who documented folk music in the U.S. during the 1930s and 1940s, Post and Palacios aim to capture authentic musical expressions before they are distorted or forgotten due to commercialization, trends, or technological changes. The camerawork is often 'hand-held,' usually filmed with just one camera, and frequently without cuts. This creates a documentary clarity that consciously sets itself apart from staged concert films or music videos. It’s not about "show," but about pure presence and atmosphere—as if you were standing in the room yourself. The series often focuses on underrepresented, independent, or experimental music: Krautrock, Noise, Avant-Garde, Punk, Post-Rock, etc. The goal is to capture scenes, artists, and moments that would otherwise easily be overlooked or not professionally documented. This creates a visual and acoustic archive of alternative music history. While many modern concert recordings are high-gloss productions, play loud! offers an alternative approach: sober, direct, raw. The filmmakers want to preserve music as a social and artistic event, not as a mass product. The series is deliberately designed as a long-term archival project. The films are not simply recordings but are curated and documented in order to build a cohesive collection across different years, genres, and locations. The play loud! (live) music series aims not just to show music, but to preserve it for the future—raw, unpolished, and respectful of the artistic integrity of the musicians. It is a cinematic archive of "alternative music history."
