Amusic "scene" tends to arise out of a number of like-minded musicians operating from the same cultural starting point. Think San Francisco psychedelia, Detroit techno, London punk or Kingston's reggae and dub -- all scenes full of musicians sharing the same cultural ferment and arriving at similar sounds.
But something more is required: the pixie dust of hype, with labels to get the music out there, writers and critics to give it shape and identity, photographers and filmmakers to document the scene, render it iconic and take it to the next level. Would Jimi Hendrix have been quite so mythical without 1968's "Monterey Pop," which captured his possessed, guitar-burning set at that festival? Or would L.A. punk ever have registered on the cultural radar without Penelope Spheeris' documentary "The Decline Of Western Civilization?"
Director Fatih Akin -- who also made "Head On," No. 1 on this critic's Top Ten list for 2006 -- attempts to perform a similar feat for the current Istanbul music scene with his documentary "Crossing The Bridge." Clearly inspired by Wim Wenders' "Buena Vista Social Club," the Turkish-German director returns to his roots and clearly likes what he finds.