Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

Plaid, electronic duo from London, are gearing up for the release of their latest LP, September 26th, and to tantalize your taste buds I wanted to present the video that accompanied single 35 Summers, which was released during August. This is truly a beautiful nightmare.

 

Starring Natasha Lau, the accompanying film for '35 Summer' pulls the spectator into an underwater nightmare in which the gentle sweeping forms of material and hair of a geisha are interrupted by glimpses of tentacles that belong to a giant octopus and, ultimately, culminate in a graceful clash.

Emerging at the beginning of the film from a dark doorway and, once having stepped over the precipice, we follow them into a dark underwater world that is lit by a bright light that seemingly shines down from above the surface of the water. As Natasha Lau begins to create sensual shapes, echoed by the tendrils of material that compliment every move, we become increasingly aware of a monster, which stirs below and we catch glimpses of. The moment the octopus strikes the beauty of the film is not tainted for the female being pulled by her waist deeper into the depths is done so with balletic horror. 

  

The imagery slowly uncurls throughout the duration of the piece, reflecting the mood and glistening elements that can be heard within the music. The change in pace is provoked by a rush of chimes and the movement of the monster as it wraps around the geisha. We are then surprised by the warning that is emitted in the form of ink during the first few moments of confrontation.

  

Natasha Lau conveys the peacefulness that the water offers through the ethereal shapes that she creates with her body but this placid beauty hides a female full of poise and attack, which the monster soon discovers. Producing a samurai sword out of the flailing lengths of material, Natasha Lau proves that you should never judge a book by its cover. She strikes the octopus with precision and succeeds in defeating the nightmare and pushes herself through the upwards, escaping the dark waters and back into the light, where we see he return into the dark doorway from whence she came. 

This director, Richie Burridge, captures the ebbs and flows of Plaid's piece of music, which isn't restricted by back-beat, allowing the action to be timed with the rush of chimes or seduced the gentle sparkles. Plaid have been entertaining us for over a decade and we hope to hear more of their electronic soundscapes from the new LP, Scintilli, released September 26th.

For more from Plaid, click here.

For more music on Swide:

Written by Ben Taylor

TAGS: dolce&gabbana d&g dolce & gabbana d & g luxury online magazine stefano gabbana domenico dolce plaid video natashe lau 35 summer swide water samurai