The story to Son Of Kick’s latest video is one we can all relate to…
A nun goes through a physical and spiritual transformation in a gothic, shadowy, chaotic club. After some freaky out-of-body departures she eventually finds physical and spiritual solace in the form of a lean bearded dancer who turns out to be some type of monster.
Okay, so those who’ve followed Son Of Kick’s creations closely will certainly relate; a visual motif that’s just as striking as his bold bass signatures, it’s yet another characteristic narrative that eschews all your classic club music video clichés. Directed by Nicolas Andre, a man who’s worked closely with Son Of Kick on previous visual outings, we called up the London-based artist to find out more about this highly distinctive work.
I love cinema and that reflects in my music. I want the video and music to be connected together.
“I’m closely involved in most of my videos,” says SOK, a man who also answers to the name of Mika. “I love cinema and that reflects in my music. I want the video and music to be connected together. I’ll happily wait for months before releasing a track until the video is done.”
In the case of his last video – the uber-dark and sexually charged animation for Black Towel – Mika waited over a year and actually changed the music so the audio and visual would fit together perfectly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iagb3dX5-QI
“Black Towel is pretty twisted,” admits Mika. “It’s like watching a David Lynch film. You can read what you like into it; you can see the darkness or you can see the layers. I find Black Towel really funny and over the top.”
Not everyone can find those layers in Son Of Kick videos, though. Many, we learnt, have created layers of their own that Mika never ever dreamed of. Sparking heated YouTube commentary since his debut video Playing The Villain (a video in which a classic BMW protects itself from thieves with eardrum blistering bass licks), Mika had to remove the comments on one particular video because of the dark reflections it inspired in certain viewers.
I had some very very heavy comments that I couldn’t deal with. Major comments – pages and pages. Some really weird stuff.
“People get upset by all of my videos,” he states. “Everyone is allowed to their opinion and has the chance to comment but I never expected certain perspectives. I did a video for my tune Shoot People and I had to take the comments off. I had some very very heavy comments that I couldn’t deal with. Major comments – pages and pages. Some really weird stuff. People made some observations that really weren’t meant to be in that video. It created this mad bubble that I couldn’t handle. I know people can say what they like – that’s the beauty of the internet. But people were feeding off each other. ”
Dedicated to the entirety of his art, Mika’s consistency proves he isn’t just a view-chaser and wants people to experience the visual and audio as a package. He also reckons that we won’t have to wait for months on end until his video… With some major collaborations in the pipeline he promises more of his unique output very very soon.
In the meantime, we called upon his love for cinema with three essential movie choices…
Lost Highway
(1997, David Lynch)
“It’s not my favourite David Lynch movie, but it’s his most interesting. It’s twisted and complex and has a lot to say. The music is incredible too. I think everyone should watch it because there’s a lot to take away from it. David Lynch isn’t for everybody, but watch with an open mind.”
Goonies
(1985, Richard Donner)
A game changer in an 80s kid’s life! The stories of friendship, the search for treasure, the music… There’s something very heavy and deep and amazing in this film and it all clicked together so well. I’ve got nephews who’ve really enjoyed it since, proving how timeless it is. This is such an important film!
Spirited Away
(2001, Hayao Miyazaki)
A Japanese animation made by Studio Ghibli. It’s very heavy with so many meanings in it. Again it’s like a search for yourself. It’s about sharing, loving, understanding and how you think you’re different but we’re not. We’re all connected in a simple way. Spirited Away is amazing for that. It’s beautiful and eye opening.
