Track: Pieces (featuring Plan B)
URL: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=A92qgDSFsGE
Genre: Drum & Bass
Goodwin Analysis
Genre Characteristics
Drum and Bass is essentially a rave scene. There is heavy influence from the crime and drug worlds, and this video shows us both. General disregard for the law such as breaking and entering, smoking marijuana and cruelty to animals are all shown in the video. A slightly taboo approach is taken with lesbian activity and the voyeuristic exhibitionism highlights the disregard for normal social standards that the Drum and Bass rave scene is all about.
Relationship between Lyrics and Visuals
Drum and Bass rarely has a narrative. The lyrics are more decorative to the music - the focus lies mainly with the instrumental or synthesized sounds which contribute to a rave. This song is a slight exception. The featured artist, Plan B sings of a broken heart. This is demonstrated with the narrative of the video as a young man discovers that his ex-girlfriend has broken into his flat and hosted a birthday party for one of her friend. A gatecrash ensues, leaving the apartment utterly extirpated.
Relationship between Music and Visuals
The rave-like music requires a visual that is similar to being under the influence of a psychedelic drug. This is demonstrated in this video with short camera shots, and the green tint which does not simply suggest night time or handy-cam, but also a surreal backdrop to the proceedings.
Demands of Record label i.e. Artist Familiarisation
The labels in Drum and Bass are set up slightly differently than in mainstream music. A record label will be setup in the first instance by an artist to promote his own music. He or she will then sign other groups of the same style in order to strengthen the revenue of the label, rather than the individual artist. The music created is then liable to be remixed or used at raves with lyrical MCs over the top. In addition the people who create the music often DJ the events at which their music is played. Thus the focus is primarily placed upon the people who are at the front "MC-ing". This eliminated the need for artist familiarisation, as the recognition is in the music, rather than the visuals. However, the featured artist, Plan B is from a hip-hop background, and thus the need for him to be featured in the video is paramount.
Reference to Notion of Looking
Most of the video is of a videotape of the party at the characters flat. In addition, voyeuristic exhibition of the female body is included - namely in the lesbian and the straight sex scenes.
Intertextual References
There are no intertextual references.
Visual Techniques
Quick camera cuts are used to emphasize the rave context of the genre. Quick editing and a handy-cam style add to the verisimilitude of the narrative.
Artist Representation
Performance based representation of Plan B - no bias or representation other than musical implications of playing the guitar.
Representation
This video shows the Drum and Bass scene in a realistic, and perhaps negative light. The behaviour of those in the video, whilst perhaps not severe nor commendable is fairly typical of the Drum and Bass scene.
1 comment:
Some good comments Tom, there is a lot to say about representation of young people here, something about the fact that the shock of the 3 lads negates the behaviour they view in the flat, because it is viewed on video, it gives the notion of something staged for effect and not necessarily real, this is reinforced by the girls playing to the camera and the cat in the microwave. The girls' representation is very much in line with the lads mag fantasy, the cruelty to the cat is merely to shock and stick fingers up to a British culture which criticises young people and often treats animals better than humans etc etc. Good comments Tom
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