B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989

is a compelling montage of archive material that captures West Berlin’s music scene in the 1980s. This time capsule is held together by British music lover Mark Reeder’s personal testimonials. In 1979, he left gloomy Manchester and moved to the "more fucked up" Berlin, home of his favorite music style the New German Wave. The movement includes underground bands such as Einstürzende Neubauten and Die Ärzte, as well as synthesizer pioneers Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. Reeder becomes a squatter and spends a decade immersed in the cultural life of the city, which he describes as "not pretty, but sexy." He manages female punk band Malaria! and works as a sound engineer for Die Toten Hosen. Reeder, who likes to dress up in uniform, describes Berlin’s night life ("!") and the ever-present Berlin Wall. His character is played by a lookalike in dramatizations, but we do get to see him in person as an extra in Jörg Buttgereit’s cult films. The documentary ends in 1989, the year in which the fall of the Wall coincides with the rise of techno. In addition to the impressive archive material, boasts an amazing soundtrack, which features the abovementioned bands along with Nena, Nick Cave and WestBam.