A couple of days ago, I went to a random punk show only to have some guy stage dive directly onto me, taking me down with him. I immediately knew my ankle was sprained and I’ve been bedridden since. This has been pretty awful for me, but its awesome for you, loyal readers, because it has given me endless hours to watch tons of great videos to bring to you all. Being injured is terrible, but it really gives you perspective and personally makes me feel grateful toward my body for being healthy most of the time. It has inspired me to do nice things for myself in reverence of this fact. You all should definitely join me in this moment of self-appreciation and take a break from all your hard work to expand your mind with all these amazing videos I’ve brought you this week.
1. The Avalanches – “Subways”:
Earlier this year, The Avalanches’ long awaited Wildflowers was finally released, 16 years after their debut album, Since I Left You. With their heavy use of obscure samples, it’s no surprise that it took 4 years just to get the clearances on all of them. “Subways” alone makes great use of Chandra’s “Subways” and Graham Bonnet’s funkier take on The Bee Gees’ “Warm Ride”. The video for the song plays out like a psychedelic trip down in the underbelly of the city – the subway. We get to see some characters entering the subway train, only to have their biggest fantasies come to life – like stepping onto a train where all the hot ladies inside are in love with you, or going into a train full of cute cats that you can play with. Some aren’t so lucky though, and either get decapitated or get their legs chopped off, to the horror and indifference of the other passengers.
2. Gonjasufi – “Vinaigrette”:
Gonjasufi has just released his third album, Callus, his first release in four years. The first music video to be released off the album, is “Vinaigrette,” a track with brooding synths and now equally dark visuals. The black and white video is reminiscent of a David Lynch film, with scenes of a beautiful woman speeding along a dark desert highway, and later writhing around a motel room. Sumach Ecks said that the song lyrics are about a fictitious model who contracts AIDS. Although, this is not explicitly referenced to in the video, the visuals do a great job of evoking the feeling of anxiety one feels when faced with a drastically life changing occurrence and the subsequent acceptance of your position.
3. Mndsgn – “Cosmic Perspective”:
Mndsgn has announced that he will release his second album, Body Wash, on Stones Throw this September. Before that though, he has graced us with a music video for “Cosmic Perspective,” a song off the upcoming album. The video features a spiritual gathering of people wearing the most amazing, futuristic, and otherworldly costumes that would even make Afrofuturists like the late Sun Ra proud. The people dance, sing gospel, and at the end they disappear through a triangular portal toward enlightenment. If this song is any indication, this album will have a much fuller sound than the more minimal, mostly instrumental, Yawn Zen, and I absolutely can’t wait to hear more.
4. Werner Herzog on Virtual Reality, The Future of Humanity, and Internet Trolls:
I could listen to Werner Herzog talk about literally anything for hours. In this interview, we get to hear the director talk about his fascinating new documentary, Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World, which explores the impact that the internet, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence has on humanity. The film begins with the story of the very first iterations of the internet and then asks experts amazing questions like, “Can we create robots that will beat the very best athletes in the world?” or “Will there ever be an artificial intelligent machine that will create movies?” The movie debuted at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, but you can finally watch it at select theatres this week.
5. Rhythm Roulette: Iman Omari:
Rhythm Roulette is one of my favorite series on the internet right now. If you haven’t seen any of them yet, I strongly urge you to go and marathon them after watching this one. The way that it works is that they find a record store, blindfold a producer who then picks three albums at random, and then they have to make a beat by sampling those three records. In this episode, they get producer Iman Omari, who has worked with artists like Kendrick Lamar and OverDoz., to pull three albums from his uncle’s gigantic record collection. He ends up mixing Vintage on Vinyl’s The Essential Grooves Part 3, Hanni El Khatib’s Moonlight, and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Electric Universe to make something really cool. As someone who is just starting to make music myself, I love this series because it gives you a rare chance to look at these artist’s studios, equipment, and creative process.
6. Mark Redito’s LIKIDO:
This is a mini-documentary on LIKIDO, Mark Redito’s new event series that aims to create a safe space for women, people of color, and people of the LGBTQ community. It also aims to celebrate and promote artists and DJs who are often misrepresented or not represented at all in the mainstream media. In the clip, we get to see some of our pals like Mark Redito, Shawn Wasabi, Ducky, Club Aerobics, and tdoyle talking about what the events mean to them, and what they hope future impact of LIKIDO will be.
7. Wiwek & Skrillex – Still In The Cage (Short Film):
Still In The Cage is Wiwek and Skrillex’s debut short film, written and directed by Jodeb. Last week, the IHC team was invited to watch the premiere at the Ace Hotel and it completely blew us away. The film acts like an extended music video, with Wiwek’s The Free and Rebellious EP serving as the soundtrack. The film is set in Bangkok and follows a group of people who leave the city in search of a mythical community in the jungle where you are free to be yourself. Beautiful and terrifying at times, the film is about the search for freedom. Skrillex stated that a major message of the film is that “No matter where you are, you can’t escape yourself until you face yourself”.
8. First Girl I Loved Trailer:
Early this year, First Girl I Loved premiered at Sundance Film Festival and won the NEXT Audience Award, so you know it’s going to be good. It tells the story of a high school senior named Anne, who is completely in love with a girl named Sasha. After confiding in him, Anne’s best friend Clifton sabotages any chance that the two girls have to get together, even though they are secretly in love with each other. Plus, it features Tim Heidecker of Tim & Eric playing the seemingly serious role of their teacher. First Girl I Loved will be released in select theatres and on demand on October 18th.
