Music. What is it, just organized sounds, or something deeper than that? Is the rhythm of life woven into our subconscious by our mother’s heartbeat in the womb? How is that a few simple chord progressions can cause an emotional spark that rocks us to our core?

The Heart Is A Drum Machine is a documentary that gives insight into a few of these questions with personal interviews with singers, musicians, actors, producers, even cardiologists. One of the scenes that inspired me featured two deaf musicians, describing the use of vibration and internal rhythm in their creative process. Another discussed the selection of a Beethoven song carried by the NASA Voyager missions. Music’s been such a big part of my life, I really enjoyed seeing others describe their relationship (and obsession) with it.

I remember being 14 and flipping out over records. It’s something you don’t want to lose… if you could take that and carry it with you forever, I think you’d be a much happier person.

– Jim Adkins, Jimmy Eat World

All in all, it was a perfect complement to a rainy Friday night. Puscifer‘s (Maynard James Keenan) version of the Elton John classic “Rocket Man” appeared during the credits, which you can check out below. The documentary is available on DVD and Netflix’s Watch Now.