The phenomenal music video for this fantastic Basement Jaxx song came to my attention a couple of years ago, thanks to writer Emily Beber of It’s Nice That. In her story, Emily warned us that the presentation was very likely to induce us viewers into both dancing and smiling. To me, those are great achievements for “passion projects,” the typically non-commercial things we take-on as artists to feed our souls.
At the core of this heartfelt project are its celebratory rhythm and its lovely, emphatic sentiments. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote that love doesn’t make the world go round – it’s what makes the ride worthwhile. Writing and making music about requited love, Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Major Buxton (the duo behind the Grammy Award-winning Basement Jaxx) tapped into the type of joy we all aspire to know ourselves, to make our own rides through life worthwhile: “You make me happy, make me come alive, my running reason to survive…” The song also features vocalist Sam Brookes.
The disarming, authentic and powerful motion picture was directed by London-based fashion photographer and filmmaker Damian Weilers, who has also shot music videos (or “promos”) for Kate Miller, Laura Mvula and Nerina Pallot, to name a few. Filmed in Weilers’ native South Africa – in the Guateng province’s township of Alexandra – it follows two young men through the streets. As they travel around and encounter friends and loved ones, the men perform Pantsula, the vibrant dance form that arose in the 80s and which reportedly is still practiced in the townships by “the young, fashionable and rebellious.”
I hope this audiovisual feast will warm your heart and inspire you to pursue the things that matter most to you. If they do, I’m sure the differences you make in the world will be cherished, especially by those who love you. For more inspiration, visit http://BasementJaxx.com.
