Ki:Theory 'Stand By Me' by Paul Gerwien

Paul Gerwien delivers a compelling late-night drive scenario in his promo for Ki:Theory's uniquely dark reading of the '60s evergreen Stand By Me. 

An idea conceived with Christian Schuck, Gerwien's hugely atmospheric and cinematic piece brings out the deliciously dark tones of the soundtrack aided by some lovely overhead shots of the city - and then piles on the drama as the track intensifies. Fabulous.

PAUL GERWIEN (& CHRISTIAN SCHUCK)

"To be honest we have never been great fans of the original Stand By Me. The style of music and vocals never really reflected the depths of the lyrics. And the fact that this song haunts you from Casting-Shows, over Shopping Malls to wasted teenage parties and beyond surely didn't help. 

"But when we first heared the Ki:Theory version, our opinion changed 180. Finally the sound was dark, threatening and desperate. Emotions we always associated with the song and all that in a cool and contemporary interpretation. So the story that slowly reveals itself during the song somehow reflects our history with it – the old and dull images peel off layer by layer till we reach the very core of the lyrics.

"What appears to be just another cool and smooth night drive turns into a Romeo & Juliet kind of drama in which one can't live without the other. We all instantly agreed on not to put Joel (Ki:Theory) into the front seat to keep the message the center of attention. But we brought him in at one point that basically marks the turning point of the story."