Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

What do punk, gospel, jazz and Andalusian duende music have in common? They all bring an ecstatic reaction from musicians making the music and listeners dancing to it. It’s a primal response dating back thousands of years, with music bringing joy, anger, sadness, and inspiring sex and even violence from its listeners. Are these ecstatic reactions still around today? And are the notes and rhythms we hear an echo of ancient rituals or even primordial sound waves?

Echo of Everything is an amazing new documentary about music and how it affects us emotionally, spiritually and scientifically. A highly personal film it incorporates expressionistic scenes in black and white, philosophic interviews and intense musical performances recorded in supersaturated colour. And running throughout is a constant stream of sound and rhythm, recorded around the world.

Echo of Everything is written and directed by Calgary-based filmmaker and animator Cam Christiansen, known for his award-winning features Wall and I Have Seen the Future.

I spoke with Cam in person, on-site during Hot Docs at the Luma Café at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Echo of Everything had its world premiere at Hot Docs and is opening theatrically later this year.