Raise Your Weapon: Soundtrack to the Weekend

So I've had quite the eventful weekend you could say. Some good, some bad. Some fun, some morbid. A bit of everything, from highs to lows, from crazy rave to totally chilled. I think this song epitomises this mood. It's a bit of both, do you dance or do you just relax to it? Is it upbeat or is it morbid?

I also have been obsessed with it since I heard it last week. So this Ladies and Gentlemen is my soundtrack to my weekend, just gone.

Azealia Banks: Atlantis

Azealia Banks recently released her new psychedelic underwater themed video for Atlantis, her new song. Poppy in colour she has moved fro the simplicity of The 212 video (see below) where the effects were minimum to using animation and green screen techniques. Technology has been embraced in a retro style of RGB graphics and bright colour schemes. The fluorescent quality of the video is very Windows 1995. 

Throughout the video Azealia can be seen riding whales and being engulfed in giant electronica squid whilst she raps in her signature style.  Fun throughout and youthfully playful her video is receiving masses of "likes" across the Internet.

Kate Moross for Benzel feat. Jessie Ware

Kate Moross is a London based creative. The director of Studio Moross, she is a graphic designer as well as able to animate, as can be seen in the video collaboration with Benzel feat. Jessie Ware for “If You Love Me”. Even though I quite like the song by collaborative duo Benzel, I’m more fascinated by the graphics and technicolour dreams that are created.

Having always wanted to be an inventor as a child, she now realises that that is “basically what a designer is.” Even though she works hard, her motto is something along the lines of work hard and play harder, “work hard, but not too hard. Take time off, go on holiday.” Whilst she feels the most important skill-set for a designer is software, “know your software, and fill the gas in your knowledge when you need to, you should also focus on explaining and communicating your creative ideas. Having Crits at school and with your peers will prepare you.”

Her biggest milestone in her career was directing her first video for Simian Mobile Disco, “most people will think it was the Cadbury’s campaign, I would say that was a close second.”

Dillon: Tip-Tapping

I recently discovered new artist, Dillon. With her cute-as-pie voice how could I resist to listen to this track over and over. The video, although minimalistic in style is effective and creates a sinister innocence about the artist. I love how they have used background imagery in conjunction with the her draped black silhouette to cerate the mood of the song. 

Sebastien Tellier: Russian Attractions

Sebastien Tellier is a french singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His video for the song Russian Attractions is seductive in innocence, and dramatic in essence. Whilst slow moving dancers grace in synchronisation to the intensity of the strings, the drama builds.

The song, about falling in love is about the intensity of the pull of love, hence the term falling is used. The video re-iterates this notion whilst synchronised swimmers climatically swim in tense timing with sharp movements combined juxtaposed to slow drowning shots that draw you in as a viewer and take your breath away - you too are drowning in love.

The video effectively capture the notion of love, the seduction of the dancing, the mesmerisation of the movement and the timeless quality of traditional dance are used with modern technology to provide a modern yet timeless effect upon the audience.

Die Antwoord: Fatty Boom Boom

Yesterday whilst browsing the world wide web i discovered these guys, Die Antwoord. They've recently released a new track, "Fatty Boom Boom" and are from the dark dark depths of South Africa. Dangerous and haughty the trio a rhyme machines, rapping inconspicuous words and linguistic cocktails to make this rap come hip hop come artsy concoctions.

And for some background info on the band, here are some more where that came from: