New Video From Odd Beholder Focuses On Parisian Architecture

Written by: Jen Dan

Swiss electronic pop duo Odd Beholder came together in 2013, with Daniela Weinmann (vocals, guitar, composition) and James Varghese (production, e-bass, synths) writing songs in Amsterdam and recording them in Berlin. They are readying for the release of their debut EP, Lightning, September 16^th via Mouthwatering Records (Switzerland) and Sinnbus (worldwide).

Weinmann and Tones have already unveiled the video for lead single “Landscape Escape”, which was shot by Berlin-based filmmakers Grambow + Kirchknopf, and now they’ve followed it up with the delightful black ‘n’ white video for “Gravity.”

Daniela explains the interesting story behind the video:

Stereo Embers Magazine: Hello Daniela! From what I understand you self-directed this video?

Daniela Weinmann: Yes, we did.

SEM: Why did you choose to focus on yourselves with this video?

DW: The idea was there, but the money wasn’t. We just gave it a shot. We realised that we had to either spend a ton of money or get to spend a weekend in Paris. That’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? We just did it and decided later if we felt like releasing it.

SEM: Who was piloting the drone?

DW: We hired a local professional drone pilot called Patrice Zito. He was really an excellent choice; he flew like the pro that he was. I was operating the camera. I did this for the first time in my life. It was nerve-wracking!

SEM: Can you please tell us a bit about how the idea for the video came about?

DW: Our graphic designer Bahar Büyükkavir showed us a photographic series of Laurent Kronental called Souvenir d’un Futur. We couldn’t believe that these places existed for real. We were so thrilled about them that we wanted to see them with our own eyes.

In the video, the architecture references science fiction movies, since the building had previously been used as a backdrop in The Hunger Games and Brazil, a movie by Terry Gilliam. We thought it would be fun to shoot a surrealistic science fiction movie because the song “Gravity” is packed with metaphors about outer space.

SEM: It seems like you have a special relationship to architecture…

DW: Yeah. Ricardo Bofill, the architect of the structure that is featured most prominently in the video, is actually more like a fallen angel of architecture. He faced a lot of criticism because his buildings became icons of horrible urban planning. So we’re not sure if the video reflects our love of architecture – or if it is rather an expression of our dark fascination with it. These places are like Kafka or Jorge Luis Borges. They are labyrinths rather than homes.