My second video for The Videotones project takes a more ambient, slower turn with a widescreen video (I really recommend watching it at Vimeo or YouTube or fullscreen for full effect) for ‘Stay’ off the Downtime album, which includes the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s ‘Maps’ to great effect.

The thinking behind this video (yes I do have a reason for all I do, it’s not all just random, random, random!) is from the intro speech ‘Though I mean the world to you, your world won’t always be this new’ taking that as more of a ecological message (coupled with the ending speech There’s this stuff going down, I don’t think I can deal with it’). A contrast of destruction and beauty, tempus fugit and the futility of man, of how small the earth is in the scheme of things and how important it is to care for it.

Also a thematic one of clouds – from water to explosions to clouds of gases and stars – I was going to include part of this quote from Carl Sagan but decided not to break up the visual narrative with words-

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.

The song worked really well with Koyaaniqatsi, a film I’ve loved since I saw it as an art student in the early 90’s, and another film I love ‘Powers of Ten’ and various more recent updates to it. I wanted to contrast how badly people treat the Earth (Wait they don’t love you) and how beautiful the world is (like I love you), a fragile blue marble speck of light in a massive cosmos (maps). A universe where we are searching and actively exploring for other worlds (Pack up, I’m a stray) whilst not caring for our own (stay…).

You can also download the iPod version here.

Kleptones – This Song Smells (Nirvana vs Blur – BorisB video mashup) from The Videotones on Vimeo.

Yes installment #2* in the VideoTones saga is BorisB’s excellent video for Kleptones ‘This Song Smells’, which takes Nirvana’s ‘Smell Like Teen Spirit’ and Blur’s ‘Song 2′ and mashes them together – so blindingly obvious so of course no-one has done it before A veritable variety of vivacious video vernacular, especially where it builds up more violently at the end, Channel of Broken (TV) Songs, style. Of course it’s also available at the Videotones YouTube channel.

And you will get some D(e)J(a)-vu about the videos used, or will because those videos apart from Welcome Back haven’t been finished yet *yup we’re crafty* And Boris did a little video for ‘The Final Word’ which sums up the Uptime album…yes what’s next? Well that’ll be telling, but there is a change of pace with a more ambient video from me which is nearing completion so that’ll be ready very soon, and I hear that others are slaving away on more videos so this is far from a flash in the pan

Oh and for those wondering where the intro is from, it’s from the film ‘Little Murders’.

*well #3 correctly since DJ Tripp’s excellent ‘Voodoo Sabotage video was the first although pre this project it will definitely be included in ahem future stuff *looks cryptic*

DJ Food & DK present – Now, Look & Listen from Solid Steel on Vimeo.

For years I wondered who made the excellent drum and bass mix of The Beat’s Mirror in the Bathroom that Pete Juxtaposeur played in SF and on Radio Clash several times – might have been told ages ago but never tagged it, nor credited the people….finally found out who – it’s DJ Food & DK, originally done I think for a Solid Steel show, and their Solid Steel ‘Now Listen’ mix (must get a copy), but above I found an excellent VJ mix they do live with Scratch-Live and Video-SL. Amazing stuff – and the mashup appears 35:43 in…it’s The Beat vs Mask – Square Off, and is the best Mirror in the Bathroom mashup ever, all other versions are pretenders. And is a total CHOON.

Wish there was a full longer version…I was going to create a video for this as I was surprised it’s not on YouTube but DJ Food and DK have done it already

P.S. Interestingly the next bit – 2001 was a VJ standby of mine back in the day, and The Powers of Ten footage is interesting timing since it might be also used in a project I’m working on Also I’m looking at VJ softwares as possibly moving into that direction, so interesting to see what Scratch-Live can do – does it mix video live (ie. a video for BOTH sources, or just 1 vid per tune – so you have to premake your mashup vids? If it’s the former that’s more what I want to do, mix multiple sources).

Also having listened to the whole vid (I was at work so watching was a bit impossible) the other OMFG bit is at 23 mins in – Santogold – Say Aha (Tepr Remix) vs The Qemists Feat Wiley – Dem Na Like Me (accapella) – sheer DJ Food/DK brilliance. And I hate Wiley AND Santogold and they, along with TEPR made me care! I’d love a proper mixable long version of that, it’s brill.

And to see how DJ Food (is that just Strictly Kev now?) and DK does it live for this amazing vid from Videocrash in 2008…

DJ Food & DK @ Videocrash, Koko, London – 13/10/08 from Solid Steel on Vimeo.

Welcome Back by The Kleptones (Instamatic video mash) from The Videotones on Vimeo.

New video mash from me – this time part of what is a collaborative project currently known as The Videotones (also on YouTube), mashing up the whole of the excellent ‘Uptime / Downtime’ by The Kleptones – there will be more mashup by myself and many other talented video mashup and VJ people appearing over the next month or two And eventually…well that’d be spoiling the surprise

Let me know if you’re interested in creating a video for a track or three…space for many more!

As remixed by Akira the Don and featuring Jay-Z, Dizzee Rascal, Bill Hicks and Haulden Caulfeild from Akira The Don’s mixtape, ATD20.