acid

I watch a lot of music videos these days. Most are ancient, but sometimes newer ones sneak in as well. Here are some cool ones I (re-)discovered last month, mostly thanks to MTV Germany. Yeah, it still exists.

Shapeshifters - Lola's Theme (2003)

Lots of catchy dancefloor classics came out of the 2000s and this is one of them. Cookie sings her vocals into a funfair's PA system. The result sounds implausibly good. Pretty sure the video is fake.

Gorillaz - El Mañana (2005)

Rediscovered this classic. I am still fascinated how Gorillaz music videos are instantly recognizable by their unique blend of 2D and 3D animation and the impressionist colour palette.

Tony Di Bart - The Real Thing (1993)

Not a remarkable video, except for the funny way that Tony fades in and out of the frame while dancing with the charme of a computer science student / used-car salesman. But man, that song really burnt itself into my mind. I can't stop humming it.

LaTour - People Are Still Having Sex (1991)

Computer graphics is my passion. Corny and presented with questionable taste. That goes for both the track and the video. I love it.

Mikolajewicz - Ernte 23 (1999)

Budget: 0%. Tomfoolery: 100%. I wish Viva Zwei still existed.

Mouse on Mars - Distroia (1999)

Mouse on Mars might have been Cologne's coolest musical duo in the 1990s. This video is made of anxiously jittering mannequins and edited in a way that makes it even more tense.

piri & tommy - on & on (2022)

Cute drum & bass, made by cute people. Super catchy. The video is a gem as well.

Klaus Beyer - Die Glatze (1982)

Lalalala-lalalala-lalalala-la!! Fun fact: an upload of a re-recorded version features a comment by James Hyman who was directly responsible for scheduling the videos on MTV's legendary “Party Zone” in the 90s.

Sensorama - Echtzeit (1995)

Before the dot-com bubble burst, there was a short period where Germans produced engaging ambient music. Some built their music on technical sounds (Oval) influenced by the rapidly evolving technology and the internet, while others (such as Wolfgang Voigt) incorporated a classical touch. Sensorama lies somewhere inbetween: the soundscapes are not overtly technical, although it's not traditional ambient music either. To me, it sounds like something you'd hear radiating around liminal spaces. The music video picks up on that feeling and follows pieces of laundry through their solitary life.

Future 3 - The Boy From The West Bronx (1996)

Slice of Life, very pretty and calming.

NTSC-CRT is an NTSC encoder and decoder in C89.

Building a PS1 style retro 3D renderer.

Related: Haunted PS1 Demo Disc, a community attempt at building cursed PS1-like games. I especially enjoy the look and feel of 散歩 - Walk which is clearly reminiscent of the first Silent Hill game.

Ein Interview mit Dieter Meier und Boris Blank.

Vor Jahren besuchte uns eine Journalistin vom Frauenmagazin ‹Elle›. Zuerst hat die Frau mich interviewt, danach Dieter. Wenig später kamen zwei Kinder von Dieter von der Schule nach Hause. Irgendwann fragt die Journalistin Dieter: ‹Sind das Ihre Kinder, Herr Meier?› ‹Will ich doch hoffen›, antwortete Dieter.