LEFTFIELD: AFRIKA SHOXUse of media LanguageBy Sam Glover

MUSIC VIDEO DEMONSTRATES GENRE

CHARACTERISTICSThe genre of the music video is immediately perpetuated, through use of electronic flashing lights of the police cars. These give connotations of the underground electro/dance scene because of the strobes and other lighting instruments in venues (clubs) which play this genre.This therefore is illustrative of / an amplification of the lyrics; “Electro get goin’…”

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND

VISUALSAs the main character is stumbling around the city, Afrika Bambaataa repeats the lyrics; “Let’s get electrified”. This is somewhat ironic, as getting electrified is supposed to mean ‘let’s get high energy’, but the man is stumbling around as though too fatigued to even walk. Going by Goodwin’s theory, this is a stark contradiction of the lyrics.As the man’s arm is first knocked off, the lyrics “Z-U-L-U, that’s the way we say Zulu” are said. To me this is a contradiction, since the word ‘Zulu’ generally conjures an image of the Zulu warriors winning the 1879 war against the British. This therefore means that the word ‘Zulu’ has connotations of a powerful people. This also links to the attire that the man is wearing - as a war veteran, he also is a warrior in a way. Overall, this is a contradicting piece of imagery, since the lyrics describe someone powerful, but in the video the man is incredibly fragile.

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS

The establishing shot is also an image of the twin towers looming over the viewer; this allows the viewer to know exactly where the music video is set, since they are such an iconic landmark, with such a tragic history. I find the use of these specific buildings very interesting, since the director could’ve chosen to use any other prolific place to set the scene, but instead went with the two most bleak, un-aesthetically appealing pieces of architecture in the city.This image of the twin towers is particularly potent now, because of the 9/11 bombings. It’s almost as though the director had some sort of foresight, and knew that the buildings would hold a horrifically negative meaning for a huge amount of people in the near future.I also feel that the shape of the buildings relates to the timbre of the music itself; it sounds somewhat angular and deliberately inhuman. The shape to me also relates to a square wave, which is a type of sound used in the synthesis of electronic sounds. This therefore amplifies the music.

THERE ARE FREQUENT REFERENCES TO THE NOTION

OF LOOKINGAs he is stumbling around, the main character is constantly looking around as though in a trance; the camera follows his gaze much of the time, and mostly the shots are of neon signs and bright lights, acting both as a signifier of confusion, and vastly contrasting the dark alleyway he emerged from at the beginning. This could represent that no matter how hard he tries, the differences between him and this city / the people in it will always be vast.Throughout this music video, the main character is frequently subject to a lot of attention to those around him - mostly white-American males peering with contempt.

INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES‘Dystopia’ is the word that comes to mind when watching this video; this idea was established in cinema by the film ‘Metropolis’.Another film of this genre would be ‘Blade Runner’.These cities are built on inequality, which is what I believe the director was trying to portray.

The dark, desaturated colours in this video remind me of noir films, (Blade Runner), since they aid in creating a dark sense to the piece, the colours connoting cynicism, melancholy, disillusionment, nightmares and alienation.