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 Electronic Awakening is an ethnographic documentary film that investigates the spirituality and mysticism of
Electronic Dance Music culture. Electronic Awakening is designed as a theatrical adventure, filled with cutting-edge
3D motion graphics from renowned video artists, exclusive footage from global festivals, insightful interviews, and a
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them.them. and where it all seems be leading Music by: Shpongle, The Crystal Method, Phutureprimitive, Vibrasphere, Govinda, Random Rab, and many more. FEATURING Daniel Pinchbeck: Journalist Author of “Breaking Open the Head” Alex Grey: World Renowned Visionary Artist Terence McKenna: Author of “True Hallucinations” Ken Kesey: Author and Producer of the infamous 1960s Acid Tests Erik Davis: Author of “Techgnosis” Starhawk: Author of "The Spiral Dance", "The Fifth Sacred Thing” Dr. Robin Sylvan: Religious Scholar, Author of “Tranceformations” Goa Gil: World-­‐Renowned Pioneer of Goa Trance Mark Heley: Author of “The Everything Guide to 2012” Dr. Chiara Baldini: Researcher on Mythological Roots of EDM Dr. Anthony D’Andrea: Author of Global Nomads Garth: DJ and Co-­‐Founder of Wicked Sound Fred Huston: Researcher of The “Techno Tribal Underground” Moontribe Founders and more… Website and trailer: http://www.electronicawakening.com/
A.C.
Johner - Director/ Producer
A.C. Johner is a cultural journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the published author of several novels, including
"A Concise History of Heaven and Earth," and "The Singularity." As a journalist he has published several articles
relating to 2012, and is currently finishing his book on the Mysticism of Electronic Music Culture. He is dedicated to
producing
visual and written ethnography having to do with the shifting paradigm of human culture.
Julian Reyes (Keyframe-Entertainment) - Executive Producer/ Music Director
Julian Reyes’ creative pursuits reflect a lifelong dialogue with an array of art, music, and technology. Julian is an artist
manager, and event promoter; he has worked as the San Francisco representative for the Ultra Music Festival for
several years and collaborated on numerous Burning Man projects. Keyframe's mission is to share the Bay Area's
underground sound globally, and to create prosperity for the international electronic dance community.
Contact: Julian Reyes [email protected]
PRESS KIT >> PG. 2
>> THE FILM
The film tells the untold story of Electronic Music Culture to outsiders so that everyone can have a general
understanding of what the ‘rave experience’ is really about. For years, electronic music culture and rave has been
obstructed by the media and exposed as a wild and dangerous party culture, pronounced by an imagery of drug
abuse and sexual hedonism. A true ‘inside’ story of its spiritual ethos has yet to be told to the masses. Backed by
an advisory board of anthropologists, sociologists, and religious studies scholars, this film will offer an unbiased
and scholarly ethnography of the culture.
The film features dozens of experts, visionaries, and published authors who explore the premise that electronic
music is spiritual technology that allows access to higher states of consciousness.
“Electronic Awakening” reviews rave’s evolution from large-scale commercial events to smaller gatherings in
remote locations. The film offers insight into the inner workings of the brainand its metaphysical connection to
the repetitive beats that allow for that sense of oneness, unity and freedom that millions feel on the dance floor.
It also investigates this culture’s significance to the prophecies of 2012, how this bizarre and sacral relationship to
electronic music has evolved the group over time, and where it all seems to be leading them.

Electronic Awakening is designed as a theatrical adventure, filled with cutting- edge 3D motion graphics from
renowned video artists, exclusive footage from global festivals, insightful interviews, and a deep underground
electronic music soundtrack.
PRESS KIT >> PG. 3
>> HOW THE FILM BEGAN
In 2006, director AC Johner was completing his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. He was interested in
topics of spirituality and religion. For his thesis project, he chose to study the rave culture as a means to satisfy
a deep curiosity he held about the phenomenon.
Having never been to a rave, or even listened to much electronic music, AC gained his first experiences of the
culture from inside the library. After making contact with the rave scene, he spent six months researching the
culture through literature. During this time, he developed strong interest in the similarity between rave and
ancient shamanic rituals.
As AC describes it, “I was initially met with much argument from my professors for comparing a youth drug
culture to archaic religious phenomena. I continued to investigate further, arguing that the consequence of this
practice would inevitably develop a religiosity, and possibly a dogma associated with the rave experience, despite
its original intent being a source of entertainment.”
When AC discovered other anthropologists who had already published about this topic, he was able to build a
solid enough thesis to win him a grant from his university to conduct fieldwork. As part of this funding, his
university bought his first ticket to Burning Man. “In the summer of 2006 I drove across the United States
armed with a camera and several journals to begin my first ethnography,” AC says. His plan was to attend an
assortment of parties and festivals investigating the mysticism of Electronic Music Culture. As an outsider to the
scene, he
was deeply intrigued to discover that the deep spirituality he proposed to unveil was incredibly prevalent within
the community. AC believed that this connection to the sacred was what lay at the core of the EDM phenomena
and was the explanation of its cultural evolution.
As AC explains, “Throughout the course of my initial field research, I continuously encountered stories of lifechanging experiences that were happening on the dance floor at these events. What I discovered was everything
I could have imagined, but nothing at all what I expected...it was in that moment I knew I would have to devote
the next several years of my life to creating a feature film, and full book ethnography on this subject.” AC Johner
immediately opened the film company “The Federation Of Earth” and began producing Electronic Awakening.
Over the course of five years, Electronic Awakening was filmed all over the world, at events such as Burning
Man, Earthdance, LoveFest, Moontribe, Wicked, Shambhala, and the Boom Festival in Portugal, collecting
over 200 hours of footage, and 100 interviews.
PRESS KIT >> PG. 4
>> PARTNERSHIP WITH KEYFRAME-ENTERTAINMENT
In 2010, while completing post- production, AC Johner began working
with Keyframe-Entertainment on the soundtrack for the film.
Julian Reyes, Keyframe’s founder, had been a member of the dance
community for over 20 years. He is the West Coast representative of
Ultra Music Festival and has been managing artists and producing
events in the Bay Area for over a decade.
In the first few weeks of working with AC on the soundtrack, Julian
partnered with AC on the full production of “Electronic Awakening.”
Since AC and Julian’s collaboration, “Electronic Awakening” has
grown by leaps and bounds. Together they ran a fundraising campaign
on Kickstarter, raising over $20,000 for the final stages of postproduction. They were able to expand the horizons of their team by
partnering with The Electronic Music Alliance and Elevate Films.
Together they were dedicated to seeing the message of the film spread
throughout the world.
Julian Reyes & AC Johner
In October 2011, Electronic Awakening emerged from the film studio
onto the big screen.
Keyframe-Entertainment,
traditionally a music
entertainment company, is
making its initial foray into
the film industry through its
partnership with “Electronic
Awakening”.
PRESS KIT >> PG. 5
SCREENINGS
Traditionally, films are introduced to audiences via theatrical presentations and film festivals. “Electronic
Awakening” however is being screened at rave events and music festivals. The film itself has become a part
of the experience.
While not yet officially released, “Electronic Awakening” has launched globally via a massive underground
screening campaign. While the team initially only responded to a few requests for screenings in the Western
United States, the calls and emails soon began pouring in from the rest of the world from groups eager to
see and screen the film.
These underground pre-release screenings have now taken place in Brazil, Australia, Canada, California,
Washington, North Carolina, Colorado, and more are soon to emerge in Amsterdam, Korea, Mexico, and the
U.K. It is because of the global popularity of electronic dance music that the film is receiving so much positive
response from such far-reaching places.
The film is also beginning to receive profound interest from several university groups. “Students of
anthropology who are writing very similar theses to my original topic from 6 years ago are finding this film
and contacting us. We have been receiving screening invitations from multiple universities including Harvard
and Yale,” AC says.
PRESS KIT >> PG. 6
MUSIC BY
SHPONGLE
THE CRYSTAL
METHOD
Shpongle is an English psychedelic downtempo/psybient music project formed in
1996. The group includes
Simon Posford (aka Hallucinogen) and Raja Ram
(one third of The Infinity
Project). Their musical style
combines eastern ethnic instruments and vocals with contemporary western
synthesizer-based psychedelic music.
Ever since they started making their first singles in the
mid 90’s out of the Bomb
Shelter -- their congested
home studio in Los Angeles,
California--Ken Jordan and
Scott Kirkland of The Crystal
Method have held strong as
forerunners of the electronic music revolution in
America.
RANDOM RAB
PHUTUREPRIMITIVE
Emerging from his own
distinct corner of the West
Coast electronic music
scene, Random Rab offers
a powerful, timeless contribution to sonic exploration. Rab is a master of manipulating our temporal
awareness, leading us into
seemingly ancient worlds,
where to our amazement, we find visible shreds of
the future. Allow his sound to catalyze your travels
into haunting ecstasy, and you will not return to
your same beginning.
VIBRASPHERE
Rickard Berglöf and Robert Elster started the Vibrapshere project in 1998.
Over the course of a decade Rickard Berglöf and
Robert Elster successfully
evolved the sound of their
Vibrasphere project from
Goa Trance through to
Ambient, via Progressive
Trance. Throughout this
process they stuck true to
their focus on melody and consequently there is a
strong degree of consistency of feel despite the diversity of genres.
PRESS KIT >> PG. 7
Phutureprimitive is the moniker of Psychill, Downtempo,
and Electronica DJ/producer,
Rain, who creates a varied
selection of music. Phutureprimitive’s music is very diverse. He places significant
emphasis on melody, bass
lines, and percussion in his
productions, and his works
often demonstrate an influence from Downtempo,
and Dubstep.
GOVINDA
Govinda is the alter-ego of
Austin based producer/composer Shane Madden. He began studying violin and composition at the age of eight
and went on to study classical violin at the University of
Texas where he fell in love
with electronic music production. It was in Madden’s pursuit of his gypsy roots that he
opened his ears to music from around the world.
...AND MANY MORE!
>> FEATURING
Daniel Pinchbeck
Alex Grey
JOURNALIST AUTHOR
WORLD RENOWNED
VISIONARY ARTIST
Daniel Pinchbeck is the editorial director of Reality Sandwich, a blog Return to Top
centered around New Age
philosophy and activism. He
is the author of Breaking
Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart
of Contemporary Shamanism
and 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl. He is the son
of painter Peter Pinchbeck and writer Joyce Johnson.
Alex Grey is spiritual, visionary and psychedelic
artist that is sometimes
associated with the New
Age movement. Grey is a
Vajrayana practitioner. His
body of work spans a variety of forms including performance art, process art, installation art, sculpture,
visionary art, and painting.
Terence McKenna
Ken Kesey
AUTHOR OF
“TRUE HALLUCINATIONS”
AUTHOR AND PRODUCER
OF THE INFAMOUS 1960S
ACID TESTS
Terence McKenna was an
Irish-American researcher,
philosopher, speaker, spiritual teacher and writer on
many subjects; such as human consciousness, psychedelic drugs, the evolution of
civilizations, the origin and
the end of the universe, cybernetics, alchemy, and
extraterrestrial beings.
PRESS KIT >> PG. 8
Ken Kesey was an American author, best known
for his novelOne Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
(1962), and as a countercultural figure who considered himself a link
between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s.
>> FEATURING
Erik Davis
Starhawk
AUTHOR OF
“TECHGNOSIS”
AUTHOR OF “THE SPIRAL
DANCE”
His first book, TechGnosis:
Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information, was released by
Harmony Books in the fall
of 1998. It has been translated into five languages.
In 2006, the book The Visionary State: A Journey Through California’s Spiritual Landscape was published by Chronicle Books.
Starhawk is an American
writer and activist.[1] She is
well known as a theorist of
Paganism, and is one of the
foremost popular voices of
ecofeminism. She is a columnist for Beliefnet.com
and On Faith, the Newsweek/Washington Post online forum on religion. Her
1979 book “The Spiral Dance” was one of the main
inspirations behind the Neopagan movement.
Dr. Robin Sylvan
Goa Gil
RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR
WORLD-RENOWNED
PIONEER OF GOA TRANCE
Director of the Sacred Center, His new book, Trance
Formation: The Spiritual
and Religious Dimensions
of Global Rave Culture,
has just been published by
Routledge. Trance Formation is an ethnographically
rich look into the spiritual
dimensions of rave culture from a theoretically informed religious studies perspective.
Goa Gil is an Americanborn musician, DJ and party
organizer. He is one of the
founders of the goa trance
and psytrance movement
in electronic dance music.
Goa Gil is a Sadhu, Baba
Mangalanand, in the order
of the Juna Akhara, under the Guru, Mahant Nirmalanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj.
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF THE CAST GO TO:
WWW.ELECTRONICAWAKENING.COM/CAST.HTML
PRESS KIT >> PG. 9
A.C. Johner >> Director / Producer
A.C Johner is a cultural journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the published author of
several novels.
AC Johner is in constant pursuit of untangling his curiosity of human culture. He grew up in a farming
town in Illinois removed from the hustle of big cities. He was an avid reader of science fiction and
began writing at a very young age. When he was 10 years old he wrote his first short story Gallima,
which received a young author’s award and encouraged him to continue his writing pursuits. At 18, he
had already written his first novel “The Vagabond”.
By the age of 22, he had lived in three different countries, earned a degree in anthropology, and
published three more novels: “The Singularity”, “A Concise History of Heaven and Earth”, and “Where
the Hell is this Going”.
“Electronic Awakening” began as a book project, however when AC chose to use a video camera as a
means to record interviews, the project quickly blossomed into a feature film alongside the novel.
AC Johner aspires to pursue his career in both film and writing. AC feels journalism is his medium, and
anthropology his discipline.
To learn more about AC Johner: http://www.acjohner.com
Julian Reyes >> Executive Producer / Music Director
(Keyframe Entertainment)
Julian
Reyes ‘ artistic and creative pursuits reflect a lifelong dialogue with a wide array
of musical styles. Julian found himself drawn to San Francisco in the late 1990s, and immediately
submerged himself into the wide range of dance music genres that thrive in the Bay Area, including
the underground CCC psytrance parties, Thump Radio events, and of course, the annual Burning Man
Festival in Black Rock City, Nevada.
Julian Reyes founded the media company “Keyframe-Entertainment” in 2004. Keyframe’s scope
bridges both underground culture and the mainstream, and showcases a selection of San Francisco’s
best DJs, producers, and events. Keyframe’s mission is to share the Bay Area underground sound
globally and to create prosperity for the international electronic dance community.
Keyframe has booked his artists at multiple San Francisco nightclubs, and outside of the Bay Area, he
has garnered bookings at the Las Vegas Music Conference, Burning Man, The Winter Music Conference
in Miami, at events in Puerto Rico and Brazil, and he also selects which Bay Area DJs play at the Ultra
Music Festival every year.
Julian also works with the Electronic Music Alliance (http://www.ema-global.org) and is affiliated with
Evolver.net (http://www.evolver.net)
PRESS KIT >> PG. 10
>> CAST & CREW
Directed and Produced
AC Johner
Executive Producer and Music Director
Julian Reyes
Edited by
Drew Martinez
Narrated by
Lisa Faiman
Written by
Andrew Johner, Jeph Porter, Drew Martinez.
Cinematography
AC Johner, Luis Lux Vibes, Joe Pleniukas.
Additional Camera
Andre Champagne, Alli Gallixsee, Anton Tumas, Basti Rost, Dan Krauss, James
Martinez, John Armstrong, John Sahas, Kaitlyn Feild, Luis Lux Vibes, Peter Shapiro
(Ken Kesey Interview), Raphael Pepi, Ric Alien, Satsi Sonik.
Executive Production Team
Andrew Johner, Drew Martinez, Jeph Porter, Alli Gallixsee, Julian Reyes, Kalix Sky,
Phillip Wood, Satsi Sonik.
Additional Production
AMMO (Advanced Multimedia Operatives), Becky Zak, Chris Casey, Chris Hill, Christine
Boyle, Diane Johner, Dominic Laspino, Jessica (Piskey) Heagan, Liana Sananda, Marie
Fortin, Randy Johner.
Original Music By
Androcell, Bird of prey, Cosmosis, The Crystal Method, Desert Dwellers, Drew
Martinez, Eastern Sun & John Kelley, Elysium, Field Rotation, Govinda, Grouch,
Jason Knight, Magic & Witchcraft, Nadis Warriors, Phutureprimitive, Random Rab,
Seamoon, Sheff, Shen, Shpongle, Solar Fields, Vibrasphere, Terrakroma, Xerxes.
Interviewees
Adam Apollo, Adil Kassam, Alex Grey, Alli Gallixsee, Bartosz Majczak, Brad Moontribe
(Smith), Brent Coons, Charles de Ledesma PhD, Chiara Baldini PhD, Chris Hill, Christo
Pellani, Dallas Moontribe, Daniel Pinchbeck, Davin Skonberg, Deepak Ramapriyan,
Dela Moontribe (Christina de la Fuente), Dustianne North, Eric Baumgartner, Erik
Davis PhD, Eva Clay, Garth Wynne-Jones, Goa Gil, Graham St John PhD, Hayward
Bracey, Jason Knight, Joan Forest Mage, Johnathan Human, Julian Reyes, Kalix Sky,
Liana Sananda, Luna Ravenchild, Mark Heley, Michael Gosney, Morgan Markowitz,
Nate Hogan (Nature), Nickolas Begich PhD, Nina von Feldmann, Osiris Ishpapalo,
Peter Ziegelmeier, Rawsheed Patton, Rick Doblin, Robin Sylvan PhD, Ross DJ Random,
Russell Feingold, Satchi Om, Satsi Sonik, Sobey Wing, Solis Soulsinger, Starhawk,
Susan Bostwick PhD, Tania D Russell, Tania Miller, Todd Stock (Dr. Paradise), Treavor
Moontribe, Violet Divine
Post Production Supervisor
Drew Martinex and Kalix Sky
Additional Editing
Adrian Salinas, Andrew Tokuda, Jeph Porter, Mark Martinez, Nick Saunders, Phillip
Wood.
3D Computer Animation
Nathan Vogal (Dr. Spook), Todd Stock (Dr. Paradise)
Motion Graphics
Blake Wrinkles, Buffalo Bob (Robert Brockey), David Easter, Jeph Porter, John
Armstrong, Marie Skaleris, Matthew Stevens, Mohammed Allabadidi, Ramona
Behravan, Satsi Jaquith.
PRESS KIT >> PG. 11
>> CONTACT INFO
Electronic music culture is a truly transnational group. This means that our audience spans worldwide and our
international screenings are growing our community rapidly. With thousands of “likes” on Facebook and millions of
EDM fans around the world, “Electronic Awakening” is poised to benefit from long-term longevity.
To set up a screening in your Music/Film
Festival or to inquire about wholesale
DVD retailing, please contact the Executive
Producer: Julian Reyes:
[email protected]
To learn more about the film’s research and
the up-and-coming book, please contact
Andrew Johner, the Director of the film:
[email protected]
Electronic Awakening Copyright: The Federation of Earth LLC
Website: http://www.electronicawakening.com
Running Time: 85 minutes
Distributed by: House of Film
427 N. Canon Dr. Ste. 201
Beverly Hills, Ca 90210, USA
www.houseoffilm.com
PRESS KIT >> PG. 12