Afrika Shox Leftfield ft. Afrika Bambaattaa

Released

6 September 1999

Directed by

Chris Cunningham

Genre

Electronic/dance/hip-hop/noire

Leftfield

Leftfield were a British electronica band, producing music of a genre coined as progressive house, between 1989 and 2002. In the 1990’s they were described by Mixmag as;

"the single most influential production team working in British dance music".

The term ‘Left field’ can be defined as ‘radical’ or ‘experimental’ and can also have political connotations.

Reinforcing the genreGoodwin’s Theory of music videos1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).

Goodwin’s Theory states that a successful music video will demonstrate genre characteristics within the visuals and aesthetics. Cunningham follows this convention closely in Afrika Shox.

At the beginning of the video, the audience is presented with the image of an approaching police car, which immediately indicates the electronic genre of the track. Flashing lights and sirens (above) have connotations with discos or raves, where this music genre is likely to be played. As well as this, the images of the break dancers in the underground car park (right), demonstrates genre characteristics in line with Goodwin’s theory. The choice of location, suggests the underground nature of the artist, helping to establish the audience for the music video.

Very much contrary to Goodwin’s Theory, Cunningham’s Afrika Shox video at times contradicts the audio, in which a dystopic representation of New York City is created. The low angle shots of The World Trade Centre, appear threatening, and so make the African character appear alienated within the culture he finds himself. This representation is created further, through cinematography, with conventions of film noir, such as black and white, giving the setting negative connotations.

Intertextuality

Vienna, as depicted in Carol Reed’s ‘The Third Man’.

Metropolis – 1927, Fritz Lang

Various intertextual references can be made between Cunningham’s video, and other texts. Most notably, a link can be identified between the dystopic representation of New York City and the image created of the city of Vienna, in ‘The Third Man’. Cunningham similarly attempts to make his lead character feel isolated, as Carol Reed does in ‘The Third Man’, by creating a sense of alienation amongst the inhabitants of the city, which is achieved using elements of film noir. Fritz Lang first pioneered the sort of dystopic city representation we see in Cunningham’s text, in the 1927 film, ‘Metropolis’. This city of the future was quite literally built around inequality.