Rock and the City paints original portrait of five cities – New York, Kingston, Liverpool, Berlin and Paris – through their music and sound landscapes. The aim is to reveal how each familiar backdrop – the city itself – plays a key role in artistic creativity, the emergence and cross-fertilization of genres, in inspiring musicians and giving rise to legends of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Each director has drawn inspiration from this effect of mutual impregnation between a city, its architecture, lifestyle rhythm, its culture and its musical vibrancy. Each film is structured like a sort of journey of initiation; Artists guide us through their everyday environments and share with us their memories – illustrated by archive footage – anecdotes, and the emotions inspired by the various locations they show us. From dawn through to the small hours, they will make us see each city in a new light, from particular neighborhood to the famous concert halls and little-known spot of musical significance. The five first film in this collection comprise musical strolls through the past, present and future of rock’n’roll.
