The 60-minute film explores why and how we connect through music and details the power of shared musical experiences.
AlphaTheta, the force behind the mission One Through Music, has dropped a powerful new documentary titled We Become One – a film that digs into the unexplainable yet universally felt connection people experience through music. Whether it’s on festival fields or club dance floors, music has always been a shared language that brings strangers together and moves crowds as one. But what exactly is it about music that makes us feel so connected?
We Become One follows DJ, producer, and curator Kikelomo Oludemi on a global journey to uncover the science and soul behind our collective musical experiences. Traveling through the USA, Ghana, South Africa, Germany, the UK, and France, she meets with top scientists, renowned artists, and cultural leaders to answer some big questions about sound, emotion, and unity.
In California, Kikelomo sits down with Daniel Levitin – legendary neuroscientist, psychologist, musician, and record producer – who breaks down how our brains sync up with rhythm, firing electrical impulses in waves to trigger the release of feel-good chemicals. It’s these changes in brain chemistry that shift our state of consciousness when we’re locked into a groove.
Another voice in the film is Dr. Julia C. Basso, director of the Embodied Brain Lab, who explains that when people dance to the same music, their brains actually light up in sync. “There’s a lot of inter-brain synchrony that’s happening,” she says, revealing how this shared neural experience fosters a sense of belonging and unity.
The documentary also taps into the visual aspect of live music culture. DJ and Apollonia member Dan Ghenacia introduces his Alpha Wave Experience – an audiovisual project inspired by Brion Gysin’s Dream Machine. Combining music with flickering lights, it’s designed to guide people into meditative or psychedelic brain states, offering a deeper dive into the collective experience. “Clubbing is an old form of shamanism,” says psychologist Francisco Teixeira, who collaborates on the project. “Sound is the unifying form of communicating emotions,” he adds, reinforcing the idea that music transcends language.
In Accra, Ghana, Kikelomo visits Oroko Radio and Vibrate Studios to explore how electronic music communities are breaking down social and cultural barriers. Her journey reveals how clubbing and musical spaces can be powerful tools for healing and unity across race, gender, sexuality, and spirit.
By the end of We Become One, the message is apparent: music isn’t just entertainment – it’s a force that connects us on a neurological and emotional level. AlphaTheta’s vision of One Through Music resonates throughout the film, especially in the words of iconic DJ Moodymann, who says it best while reflecting on his Soul Skate parties: “When we get together… we become one.”