“When you don’t know what you want,
You just repeat yourself again;
In the end, you just repeat yourself again.
When you don’t know who you are,
You dig yourself the hole you’re in.”
Another stunner from Gotye, y’all…this time with visuals by Saiman Chow. Grab your headphones, dive-in and enjoy.
A big thanks is due to Colton for the heads-up! Cheers!
[ Gotye - Dig Your Own Hole - official video ]
posted by respondcreate on Oct. 21, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, blacklist, gotye, hand drawn, hd, music video, psychedelic, saiman chow, trippy, watercolor, wormhole
“Where do all these melodies come from?
Where do all these melodies run from
to then find solace in sun, son?
Honestly? I’m stumped.
All I know is somehow when I’m stuck,
I’m un-stuck.
Maybe it’s dumb luck, I give up;
I’m just as dumbstruck.”
Steve first sent us this video in the spring but, truth be told, I didn’t take the time to really dive in and pay attention to what was going on until a few days ago. Don’t make the same mistake.
I never really caught on to what the song was about because I was too fixated on the visuals. For whatever dumb reason I tend to not like when shot footage and animation are combined unless they’re seamlessly mixed together. That’s certainly not a rule, just a general prejudice rooted in the sticky cellar of my psyche. When I was a child I used to separate my food into neat little piles; the stuff I liked least was eaten first and, when it was finished, the next mound in the hierarchy of flavor was tackled until my favorite was last on the plate. It sounds dumb now that I’m typing it out but, at the time, this behavior seemed perfectly logical. I was a little obsessed by the process to the point that I’d have a mini freak-out if different foods touched each other.
To enjoy something on it’s own terms is, to me at least, fundamentally satisfying. I find that both sobriety and intoxication are agreeable in their own way but to be either one or the other for too long a span of time spurs a vague discomfort as each plays an integral role in calibrating the poles of my consciousness.
Yin and yang, bruh.
So, separate and tackle in turn. If shot footage and hand-drawn animation are fused into one film, why wouldn’t you want to make the finished product look as homogeneous as possible? You know, invest the necessary time and attention to do a proper blend; apply some craft ‘n shit. This is probably why I glossed over the attached when I first saw it. But I didn’t dismiss it...how could I? Mr. Steven Smith himself made it for goddamn Stones Throw and, seeing as I’m a big fan of both, decided to tuck it away and return later. On a recent trip to the Midwest I did just that and, away from the pressures of work, had time to properly marinate in what was going on.
Anyways, the song is about the creative process and – even though Homeboy Sandman is specifically referring to his methodology for writing rhymes – the themes he covers are pretty universal to anyone who makes things. At it’s core, creating something is a frustrating mix of volition and luck. You’ve got to do what you can to get the ball rolling but ultimately, what’s going on isn’t completely within your control. It’s haphazard and messy and inexact and – for beings whose evolutionary success depended primarily on an ability to exert dominance over the surrounding environment – supremely frustrating.
“I think ‘What is this melody meaning to me?’
The answer might come in a week.
The answer might come immediately.
What is the recipe?”
Lyrically, it’s a tightly-packed, mad, stream-of-consciousness tumble and the accompanying grab-bag of colorful, whacked-out visuals heighten the sense of anticipation for what he’ll say next. It took me until the ninth or tenth viewing to finally notice that the only shot footage is of Sandman’s head, the physical case for an internal universe of grey matter that simultaneously contains both the hindering, fickle spontaneity of his creative muse and the honed mastery of language that eventually liberates and externalizes it.
At that moment everything shifted; the heterogeneous, sharp-edged contrast of the visuals morphed from the thing I didn’t like to my absolute favorite part. Maybe you’ll like it, too?
“EN-JOY.”
For more Steven Smith-created goodness just click here. If this is the first you’re hearing of Stones Throw listen to this and then go buy some albums.
[ Homeboy Sandman - The Miracle ]
posted by respondcreate on Oct. 12, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, chill, colorful, hd, hip-hop, homeboy sandman, mellow, music video, steven smith, stones throw, trippy
Absolutely loving this two-and-a-half minute dose of delicate, hypnotic, hand-drawn, constantly-morphing line animation from Katayama Takuto. The sparse, plodding piano backing (by Kikuchi Ryouta) compliments the visuals quite nicely, too. Enjoy!
[ 異化した視覚 / Dissimilated Vision ]
posted by respondcreate on Oct. 11, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, delicate, eye, hand drawn, hd, hypnotic, katayama takuto, kikuchi ryouta, monochromatic, piano, trippy
“Go on: bury me,
under stone or under sea;
Silent picture, keep the fishes company.
There is little else for me now…
...but I will find my way,
out of the dark some day,
into a crimson, yellow sun.”
An emotional cocktail of gorgeous visuals (by Crazy Lake Pictures) and poignant tunes (from Darlingside); this one’s a winner, folks.
[ "The Ancestor" by Darlingside – Official Music ]
posted by respondcreate on Oct. 01, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, colorful, crazy lake pictures, darlingside, death, hd, music video, space, spiritual
Kyle Mowat‘s thesis film, Ballpit, is a haunted toymaker’s fever-dream with its psychedelic tangle of fluid, soft-edged gizmos, trinkets, and doo-dads that spontaneously erupt into morphing, frenzied movement. The ethereal, echoing Fisher Price-instrument soundtrack by Lido Pimienta is a just-right accompaniment to the madness. ENJOY!
A big thanks to Mr. Sam Lillard, fresh back from his three-month Alaskan sojourn, for the suggestion. Welcome home Sam, we’ve missed you! Cheers!
[ BALLPIT ]
posted by respondcreate on Sep. 26, 2012 in Videos | tags: abstract, animation, atmospheric, bizarre, colorful, ethereal, hd, kyle mowat, lido pimienta, psychedelic, trippy
Been itchin’ to post this one since last Wednesday when I first saw it pop-up in Mr. Lotus’ twitter feed. He’s got a new album, Until The Quiet Comes, set to drop on October 1st and made the brilliant decision to hire Sir Cyriak to create a video to promote it’s release.
It’s a true collaboration and exactly what you’d expect when creatives of this caliber combine their unique skill sets. The tune itself fuses together two of Flying Lotus’ fortés: sterile, machine-pulsed-and-stripped-down beats and his trademark spacey, rambling, warm-and-jazzy tones. Cyriak takes that contrast and runs with it, creating a world populated with regiments of single-purpose robots that is forever changed after one of them spontaneously evolves, trading in its initial programming for a more familiar-to-us set of survival-of-the-fittest, kill-or-be-killed instincts. The video escalates in typical Cyriak fractal-fashion, progressing in complexity from the micro to the macro until everything-is-everything and then back again. Word.
It’s a treat, y’all. ENJOY!
FYI: Both our Flying Lotus and Cyriak feeds are packed with fantastic videos.
[ Flying Lotus - Putty Boy Strut (Until The Quiet Comes, new album out October 1st/2nd) ]
posted by respondcreate on Sep. 23, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, cyriak, electronic music, evolution, flying lotus, fractals, hd, music video, robots, trippy
“You know I never want to let you down,
It cuts me up to see you sad.
And I wish that I could undo what I’ve done;
Give back the faith in me you had.”
Another day, another fantastic music video for a tune from Gotye’s Making Mirrors. This one’s packed with playful, surreal hand drawn visuals (directed/animated by Gina Thorstensen and Nacho Rodriguez with help from Giulia Bellunato) that do a great job fleshing out and exploring the themes of regret, longing, identity, forgiveness and hope presented in the song.
As alluded to above, we’ve posted loads of great music videos from Making Mirrors to the site that can be conveniently accessed via our Gotye feed. Happy browsing!
[ Gotye - Giving Me A Chance - official video ]
posted by respondcreate on Sep. 19, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, colorful, ethereal, gina thorstensen, giulia bellunato, gotye, hand drawn, hd, love, music video, nacho rodriguez, surreal, trippy
“I’m-still-swimming-in-that-language,
it’s multi-versal; pages and journals.
My journey here is ended soon –
we blow eternal.
My mind expands
with widening strands
of indigo and purple.
This music’s not commericial,
just the-square-to-meet-that-circle.”
We’ve been watching Ori Toor make shit since first discovering the ‘unofficial’ music video he created for Animal Collective’s Lion in a Coma. Since then he’s made a few more and each exhibit his distinct ‘stream of consciousness’ style of staggered-and-repeating organic, undulating shapes. Ori’s approach has subtely shifted in each of them but they’ve all, for the most part, remained abstract studies in colorful form. The attached, his latest, veers into new territory and I’m absolutely loving how he’s mixed in some representational imagery to compliment the usual assortment of evolving, fluid structures.
It’s my favorite Ori-joint yet and easily an ‘instant classic’ of the site…it’d be a crime to watch this in anything but full-screen HD. Oh and a nice pair of bass-friendly headphones is a must, too; Kingdom Crumbs knows how to properly fatten-up the bottom end of their kicks and basslines and you’ll want to rattle-and-bathe in each one.
Speaking of which, I picked up their eponymous album this morning and have been listening to it while I cobble together this post. It’s thoughtful, positive, mellow, rambling-in-a-good-way hip-hop undergirded by some spacey, out-there synthesizers and easily worth the ten bucks in iTunes. If you’re strapped for cash, head over to Bandcamp and name-your-price; even the most frugal of budgets can accommdate a few cents, right?
ENJOY!
[ Kingdom Crumbs - Evoking Spirits ]
posted by respondcreate on Sep. 13, 2012 in Videos | tags: abstract, animation, chill, colorful, hd, hip-hop, kingdom crumbs, mellow, music video, organic, ori toor, psychedelic, spiritual, trippy
Here’s another delectable morsel of hand drawn animation from this year’s bountiful Gobelins harvest. It’s by four, third-year students – Todd DeJong, Tom Law, Wandrille Maunoury, Etienne Metois and Jonathan Vermersch – and does a fantastic job illustrating a distinct flavor of anxiety we’ve probably all experienced.
P.S. If you’re into ‘making of’s then you’re in luck: Wandrille, Tom and Todd each uploaded a behind-the-scenes peek of their individual contributions to Distance. Enjoy!
[ Distance ]
posted by respondcreate on Sep. 08, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, colorful, etienne metois, gobelins, hand drawn, hd, jonathan vermersch, love, psychedelic, todd dejong, tom law, trippy, wandrille maunoury
This short by Gobelins students Théo Guignard, Nöé Lecombre and Hugo Moreno reminds me of three distinct ‘flavors’: Stanley Kubrick‘s trademark sterile, ominous atmospheric direction, Bruce Timm‘s tight, economical illustrative style and Vangelis’ thick, synth-heavy ambient soundtracks. It strikes a just-right balance between hand-drawn 2D animation’s warmth and character and the immersion-heightening ability of subtly-executed 3D. It’s very nice; don’t hesitate to dive in.
If you’re diggin’ this one, I suggest you watch Countdown next.
P.S. Hugo posted a behind-the-scenes look at how ECLIPSE came together; if you’re into process it’s can’t miss.
P.P.S. Our Gobelins feed is filled to the brim with fantastic short films that are all worthy of your attention. Enjoy!
posted by respondcreate on Sep. 05, 2012 in Videos | tags: alien, animation, french, gobelins, hand drawn, hd, hugo moreno, nöé lecombre, space, théo guignard, trippy
“Drawn in their distinctive 80s-inspired kaleidoscopic style, the Layzells take us on a surreal romp through a richly textured cartoon world dreamed up by a hallucinating out-of-work animator.”
File under: LOLWAT
A surreal-silly-psychedelic-good-times romp created at Blink for Adam Buxton‘s new ‘comedy-meets-music-video’ series, BUG, on Sky Atlantic HD. Best served at the height of your sesh in full-screen HD. This one’s a treat; ENJOY!
P.S. The Layzell Brothers (who illustrated/animated/directed the attached) are also responsible for the super-bizarre Reindeer and om-y 8-Bit Mazes so give those a gander when you’re done here.
[ Adam Buxton 'Livin In The Sunlight, Lovin In The Moonlight' ]
posted by respondcreate on Aug. 30, 2012 in Videos | tags: adam buxton, animation, bizarre, blinkink, colorful, drugs, hd, jim stoten, layzell brothers, lolwat, psychedelic, surreal, tiny tim, trippy, wat
When I was a child I used to let my imagination run wild whenever I’d be in transit – whether by car or train or bus (I didn’t fly for the first time until college) – trying to picture any secret worlds that might exist parallel to our own. The subway was especially intriguing and, in between station stops, I’d envision all manner of underground dwellers who sat hidden just beyond the reach of the fluorescent light that streamed from the train’s windows as it sped by. The attached short film by Jake Wyatt explores similar territory and drips with an atmospheric mystery that holds your attention from start to finish.
The moody, ethereal, meandering George Winston-esque piano score compliments the visuals so well that I wondered if it was written specifically for the film or was one of the primary inspirations for its creation. Michael Wyatt is listed in the end credits as the composer and, since him and the director share a last name, I wouldn’t be surprised if both the film and it’s soundtrack were created in parallel. All-in-all, it’s very nice…don’t hesitate to dive in.
Oh and Jake is also a fantastic illustrator so definitely check out his Tumblr when you get a chance. (Primeape?! NICE.)
Last summer I got an email from someone claiming to be Pharrell Williams’ assistant. My initial thought was that I was getting trolled but I decided to respond anyways since I had been such a big fan of his since first discovering The Neptunes by way of N.O.R.E.‘s Superthug.
To my pleasant surprise, it turned out to be legit and a few weeks later I was on the phone with Pharrell himself asking if I’d be up for collaborating on something (an even pleasant-er surprise, for sure).
He had a new hush-hush project in the works called i am OTHER and thought The Tripatorium™ would fit in nicely with what they were up to. We’ve been kicking ideas back-and-forth since then and thought the logical place to start would be to put together some playlists of our favorite videos. Where it goes from here? Who knows…but if you’d like to see us do more together shoot i am OTHER a message on Facebook or Twitter and let them know. In the meantime, subscribe on YouTube to be the first to find out when our next collaboration goes live. (While you’re there, definitely check out Nardwuar’s interviews…they’re fantastic.)
The first playlist went up last night and is comprised of four videos that initially inspired the creation of the site (Zodiac Shit, The Parachute Ending, The Music Scene, Baby I’m Yours) and six other favorites that we think typify The Tripatorium™ experience (After the Rain, The Murf, Between Bears, Let Go, Baltimore Clap and Loom). It’s a distilled dose of what we’re up to and a perfect way to introduce the site to anyone who might be interested.
Cheers!
[ METRO ]
posted by respondcreate on Aug. 26, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, art, atmospheric, colorful, ethereal, hd, jacob wyatt, michael wyatt, piano, subway
“My approach to illustration is about paring things down as much as possible.
I try and get to the essence of my subject by using as few lines and colours
as it needs to convey the core of the idea.”
Malika Favre, who wrote the above, has a distinctly minimal and dignified hard-edged style that’s reminiscent (to me at least) of Paul Rand‘s iconic logos, René Gruau’s figures and those muted-future illustrations you might see hanging faded in a dated hair salon’s street-facing window. That last bit of the preceding sentence might seem insulting but honestly, it wasn’t my intention.
Picasso famously said that ‘good artists copy; great artists steal’ which, like most hyperbolic statements, makes sense on the surface but doesn’t hold up to honest, measured scrutiny. Insecure assholes steal; a great artist internalizes the images that inexplicably resonate, leveraging them as a catalyst for iterative exploration until something entirely their own arises from the grind. And, though Ms. Favre’s work might remind me of something else – it is, make no mistake, wholly unique.
Strangely enough, the attached wasn’t made by her but was commissioned by Kemistry Gallery to advertise her upcoming exhibition, Hide and Seek. Maki Yoshikura did the animation while Luke Carpenter and Natural Self handled the compositing and music, respectively.
Credits aside, I like to see such tight, precise illustrations move and Maki did a stellar job bringing Malika’s work to life without compromising it’s rigid spirit. Oh, and the transition from one vignette to the next in stark black-and-white makes the eyes a bit dizzy (in a good way) so get this loaded full screen for sure. Enjoy!
posted by respondcreate on Aug. 22, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, art, black and white, hd, illustration, luke carpenter, maki yoshikura, malika favre, natural self, trippy, vector
“And you gave me love
When I could not love myself
And you made me turn
From the way I saw myself
And you’re patient, love
And you help me help myself
And you save me,
You save me, you save me…”
What a great fuckin’ song. Cheers to Peter Lowey for the fantastic visuals and to Gotye for explicating, via woven words and sounds, the transformative magic of love. Enjoy!
Click here for some moar Gotye goodness on The Tripatorium™.
[ Gotye - Save Me - official video ]
posted by respondcreate on Aug. 13, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, atmospheric, ethereal, gotye, hd, love, music video, peter lowey, trippy
Takashi Ohashi‘s animation in this music video for cokiyu reminds me of both bleeple’s 2D moving collages and Ori Toor’s layered undulations. They all share a foundation of smooth, psychedelic abstraction but Takashi’s shapes veer away from pure form to conjure an alien landscape of playful, swimming organisms. It’s smooth-as-fuck, too – clearly he sweats the details, something I always appreciate.
Speaking of which, I’m a big fan of the ‘color-echo’ effect that makes it’s first appearance from 1:41-2:06, reappears at 2:47 and spools up to a crescendo from 3:17 to 3:47. It probably looks good on your phone, sure, but it’s one of those bits of subtle animation that’s magic on a big screen in a dark room so, if you’ve got access to a similar environment, I suggest you experience it there.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you’re diggin’ this, definitely watch Chunkothy next.
posted by respondcreate on Aug. 06, 2012 in Videos | tags: abstract, animation, cokiyu, colorful, hd, music video, organic, playful, psychedelic, takashi ohashi, trippy, whimsical
This song by OPOSSOM – with its big swells of lush, layered chords and surgical syncopated stabs of percussive rhythm – hooked me right from the jump. I kept turning it up to the point where Ms. Tripatorium looked over with concern from across the room because she could hear it blaring out of my earbuds with a tinny intensity. I just smiled and said, ‘It’s a really good tune.’
It is. You’ll see.
Anyways, the psychedelic visuals are a bit scattered and bizarre but that’s always been just fine with me. They’re by Special Problems (Campbell Hooper and Joel Kefali) and the attached fits in nicely with the other two out-there music videos we’ve posted by them, The Sun and MmmHmm.
Load it in full-screen HD, get your headphones out and enjoy. Oh and a big thanks to Bryan for sending this one our way. Cheers!
posted by respondcreate on Aug. 05, 2012 in Videos | tags: bizarre, colorful, hd, music video, opossom, psychedelic, space, special problems, trippy
“The seemingly random elements tell the tale of a day in the life of three different characters who live in Seoul - all of whom are watched over by the ever present Mountains which ring the city.”
This one reminds me a bunch of Thursday. The attached and the aforementioned both sport hard-edged, bright, geometric and graphic visuals with some tight, complimentary sound design. Gorgeous stuff.
P.S. Go watch Thursday next.
posted by respondcreate on Jul. 29, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, colorful, david prosser, geometric, graphic, hd, korea, studio aka, video games
“I think you should go. I don’t want you here.”
File under: LOLWAT
Cheers to Mickey Gral for sending this potent dose of bizarre by Julia Pott our way. Enjoy!
[ Belly ]
posted by respondcreate on Jul. 27, 2012 in Videos | tags: animation, bizarre, dark, hand drawn, hd, julia pott, lolwat, ocean, royal college of art, trippy, whale
“Up in the sky, there is a village,
and the people there are blue –
I believe it’s true.”
Anraud Janvier, a recent graduate of Supinfocom, wrote in to let us know about a music video he recently co-directed with Antoine Robert at Cube Creative for 77 Bombay Street. The song describes a perfect little utopia that exists above the clouds and the bright, whimsical and weird visuals drip with a naive innocence the mirrors the optimistic vibe.
It’s feel-good sunshine from start to finish but, seeing as I’m partial to wormholes, my favorite sequence kicked off at 2:33 when the Mii-esque rendered cast plunged directly into a technicolor tunnel via a blossoming Lotus flower. That shit’s mah jam, bruh.
When you’re done here, be sure to check out Playing With Light, an excellent little short produced at Cube two summers ago. Enjoy!
[ [HD] 77 Bombay Street - Up In The Sky - Official Video (Animated) ]
posted by respondcreate on Jul. 24, 2012 in Videos | tags: 77 bombay street, animation, antoine robert, arnaud janvier, bizarre, colorful, cube creative, good times, hd, music video, trippy, whimsical, wormhole
Hey, check it out: new Justice. Nice. The attached music video follows in the tradition of their last two, namely that it kicks ass. Barcelona-based CANADA handled the direction and their approach, just like in the previously featured Invisible Light, floods the senses with a meticulously crafted universe buoyed by a warm wave of back-of-your-mind nostalgia. No part is overdone; the story, costumes, sets, visual effects and action all work together in equal proportion, shining in their own way but contributing to a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts. The version posted on YouTube clocks in at four-and-a-half minutes but the one I attached from Vimeo has an extended WarGames/Tron-esque credit sequence that’s nearly as long the story so, if you’re into that sort of thing, keep watching once the action dies down.
As I mentioned at the top of the post, the last two Justice videos we posted – Civilization and On’n'on – are both fantastic (as is the über-bizarre Invisible Light) so give them a watch if you haven’t already.
One more thing: my favorite album of 2011 was easily Galactic Melt by Com Truise (Favorite tune? No contest: Glawio) so I was understandably excited when I discovered that his third LP, In Decay, was released on Ghostly this past Tuesday. It’s packed with Mr. Truise’s trademark lush, layered synths and at present I’ve listened to it four times (the fifth is in progress as I write). If you’re already a fan then don’t hesitate to pick it up, if you’re on the fence head over to Rdio to give it a pre-buy listen.
posted by respondcreate on Jul. 18, 2012 in Videos | tags: canada, colorful, electronic music, hd, justice, music video, nostalgia, trippy