Song of the Day: Esser - Enmity

.

Does the video mark a new direction for you?
I wanted to do a classic performance but one that makes you stop and think. We were looking at some Dada films and took their idea of repetition. I like using old tricks in film or production that have kind of become obsolete because people don’t do those things anymore. It is slow moving compared to other music videos, which is a reflection of the music I have been making. I’ve been influenced by Krautrock groups such as Cluster and Harmonia; music that makes it hard to know where the songs start and end.

Which directors influenced the video?
Dadaists such as Hans Richter, and I really liked the films of Charles and Ray Eames. Charles Eames was the furniture designer famous for the Eames chair, but he also made information videos with his wife. Powers of Ten [from 1977] starts with a couple at a picnic and zooms out until it is viewing the Earth from space, and then it goes right back to the center of the molecule. It is incredible.

Were you looking for a retro feel to the film?
I like the idea of a future that never really happened. Maybe it veered off in a slightly different direction and this is what it has ended up as. The podiums came from some amazing footage of James Brown dancing on a little podium. As it builds up you can see there are all these backing dancers around him that compliment his performance.

Love the 80's vibe to the music and the fact that Esser mentioned Charles Eames (mostly because I have a pair of United Nude shoes inspired by the Eames chair). Esser’s Emnity EP is out May 14.