Justice – Stress from Freedom Record on Vimeo.

Romain Gavras made this amazing new clip for the track Stress by French band Justice. The clip is about youth in the French suburbs and how violence has become a way of life. The video is shot documentary style and shocking realistic (high quality Quicktime file). I hadn’t seen something like this for a while, interesting to see how Gavras and Justice use the video clip to spread a message.

Earlier Romain Gavras made the wonderful Signatune clip for DJ Medhi

Last week the new game Assissin’s Creed was launched. It is a game developed by the makers of Prince of Persia and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. Two very popular game series, with extraordinary gameplay.

From ps3.ing.com “The setting is 1191 AD. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You, Altair, intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. You are an Assassin, a warrior shrouded in secrecy and feared for your ruthlessness. Your actions can throw your immediate environment into chaos, and your existence will shape events during this pivotal moment in history.”

Yesterday there was a music video for the game on Dutch television. It’s is always interesting when Dutch artists make music for major game releases so I searched YouTube for the videoclip. I didn’t find the videoclip I had seen on television, what I found was an enormous collection video clips made from the same trailer footage and edited on different music.

This isn’t machinima where you take a game engine and compose your own story with the game characters. The video clips don’t add anything new or extra to the game or the trailer, the clips are just forms of expression.

People are making their own video clips because they can and love it. Everyone with access can edit, like everyone with access can write. You need basic knowledge, but that’s about it. This is how people show what kind of music and games they like. It’s a tribute to a game that isn’t released yet. This is a culture that only exists around the collective waiting for a game release.

This is how we entertain ourselves, by telling stories with and about the things we like. I don’t know how to call this, it’s a mix between game culture, video clip culture, and waiting. But above all it’s cultural expression. Unfortunately still illegal (due to music copyrights), but a great phenomena.

Brainpower & Intwine (the music video)

The original game trailer

The YouTube remixes

Grip is a video clip for the band zZz. Grip is a one take, top shot videoclip with professional trampoline gymnasts simulating typical video effects. The video has been recorded live as part of the opening ‘Nederclips’ at the Stedelijk museum ‘S-Hertogenbosch SM’S (Curated by Bart Rutten).

via Dutchcowboy on Twitter

And the mp4-link for the podcast subscribers

Today we measured a stunning 27 degrees Celcius in the Netherlands (it is still April). If this is global warming related, I find it difficult to say it is a problem, although it is.

Marjolijn posted a link to this video on Twitter. A Deep Dish song that suits this early summer day perfectly.

Deep Dish featuring Stevie Nicks – Dreams

Another ancient clip, because the weather is great today and surfin’-season started a few weeks ago.

Dick Dale & The Del Tones > Misirlou (1963)

Dug up in the YouTube archives, James Brown live
James Brown – Sex Machine

I didn’t post a video clip in a while. Here is a French one, with the first round of the French elections coming up in a few days.
Le Peuple de l’Herbe – Theme

Why do we still see videoclips as an extra? Frequently videoclips are distributed for free or as a bonus while you have to pay for the song. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t the videoclip be the default?

A growing group plays cd’s on a dvd player, buys music dvd’s or listens to music on a video iPod. These devices play video. Most new devices will support video.

Why shouldn’t you only have videoclips on your iPod? You can still just listen to the music, and if you want you can watch the video too. Why is it we see the video as an extra. The clip should be the default and the audio the teaser.

The production costs of a videoclip are an issue. An upcoming band can’t pay for the production of a videoclip. This is were a record company can come back in the loop. They can invest in clips of bands they like and start selling the clips.

Niche talents can be helped producing creative clips with cultural government funding (or they will find their audience via Social Networks). For example below four videoclips that are partly (read mainly) subsidized by the Dutch state.

Coparck – A good Year for the Robots

C-mon And Kypski ft. Phete Philly – Make my Day

A Balladeer – Robin II

Kraak & Smaak – Money in the Bag

Clips via this article about subsidized videoclips (Dutch).

Kode 9 & Spaceape – Samurai

Last night Kode 9 & Spaceape performed at a dubstep night in Lantaren/Venster, Rotterdam. I made a short audio recording at the end of the performance. Actually the recording was a video, unfortunately the room was so dark you can’t see a thing on the video.

[audio:http://www.wilbertbaan.nl/audio/170307_kode9.mp3]

Photographs will be published later.

INXS – Suicide Blonde

When video effects were still cool.

I have some video in my archive with Kid Koala (previous post, Fender Bender) scratching live on an amazing Ninja Tune night in the Melkweg, Amsterdam. If I have some time I will start editing all the material (including interview).

Kid Koala – Fender Bender

Archive – Nothing else

Orbital – The Box

The lethargic state of being in this Orbital videoclip reminds me about Oliver Sacks, Awakenings.

Prefuse 73 – The End of Biters

Kylie Minogue – Come Into My World

Videomagic by Michel Gondry

Blockhead – Insomniac Olympics

Björk – All is Full of Love (videoclip by Chris Cunningham)

Bonobo – Flutter

This weekend I will go and see Bonobo live @ the Melkweg, Amsterdam.

Le Tigre – Deceptacon

In 1999 this looked hilarious on television, in 2007 this could be your sister on YouTube.

Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar

This is one of the best videoclips I have ever seen. It is amazing how the video is connected to the sound. Every object you see relates to a sample you hear.

4hero – The Awakening, a new song by 4Hero

Videoclip: Bright Eyes – First Day of My Life

The snow is gone and it feels like spring again. This song by Bright Eyes is all about feeling spring. Submit a clip via hypernarrative@gmail.com

Alex Gopher – The Child.

This videoclip is amazing. It is one of those videoclips that is really taking 3d graphics to a higher level instead of using 3d to remake realitiy.

submit a videoclip via hypernarrative@gmail.com

When browsing YouTube it reminds me how I enjoyed watching MTV all afternoon and night. I really miss the MTV I used to love. Maybe it is because I’m getting old (although 26+ is still MTV-able) and maybe it is because (we and thus) MTV stopped caring about videoclips and started to make television.

I really feel like doing something with all these videoclips on YouTube. In a new category on this blog, “I want my MTV” I will link great videoclips to (re)make our MTV!

I you know a videoclip that should be in here just send an e-mail to hypernarrative@gmail.com.

DJ Format featuring Jurassic 5 – We Know Something