Afropop Worldwide

http://youtu.be/dsRhS1KD6D0 South African electronica (afro-house? house? post t-pain noise funk? Genres tend to get extra-iffy around this kind of thing) group BIG FKN GUN just dropped a slick new video (produced & directed by Soulfaktor) for their equally slick single Pop Models. Throbbing, soft-focus synths carve out a wide-scale soundscape, over which the group drops soft-voiced raps, echoey hooks, and dub-style percussion splatters. The rhythm is subtly complex, with bits and pieces of Kwaito style production gradually emerging out of the mix, playing off a brilliant placed bass motif to create a groove that's far more supple that the beat would seem to allow. The video, which unsurprisingly for a song called Pop Models, features, well, a lot of models, is a near perfect visual analogue for the song's effect. While on the surface it would seem to be yet another Models'n'Booze display of rapper opulence, the shimmering surface conceals a note of deeper unease. The video blurs as it goes on, vision doubling as eyes lose focus and snap back to attention. A clear center is never established, and as the party ends and the girl walks out to meet another guy, it all ends with a knowingly disappointed shrug.  It, like the song itself, aren't exactly what you expect, and the surprise hanging in the music's nonchalance is what brings you back. Definitely a winner.