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Roisin Murphy 'Narcissus' by Roisin Murphy

David Knight - 13th Dec 2019

Roisin Murphy has created a proper disco banger in Narcissus, and she has also directed the video for the track which channels the fabulously kitsch glamour of the original Age of Disco.

Roisin's love of the Italian 'Queen of TV' Raffaella Carrà, led her to make a fairly faithful recreation of a '70s disco-era performance from her TV show - which has benefitted from added layers of 70s-style video FX.

Roisin always keeps within the parameters of a TV-like live performance in real time. But due to a combination of her distinctive charisma, and a brilliant edit by Ben Unwin, this becomes something more than its inspiration. It's an altogether more transcendent experience. 

It's out there, it's very Roisin, and it's amazing. And, let's face it, right now we need a brilliant song and a video like this.

ROISIN MURPHY:

“Maybe I’m old fashioned but I don’t really relate to most of the current pop-mainstream female archetypes. The great Italian singers of the 60’s/70’s/80’s like Mina, Patty Pravo and, specifically here, Raffaella Carrà have provided me with huge inspiration over the past few years. It’s seems to me, they are all about hard-won expressions of beauty and truth. Those unbelievably epic TV productions of their performances from the period fascinate me and I am not without hesitation and fear in trying to replicate the feeling of any of it.
 
"However, I did try, earnestly, to pay homage to Raffaella Carrà’s incredibly energetic performance of Black Cat on Italian TV in 1978. The hair, the cloak, the disco lights, it all should have been so easy! But oh, the most seemingly simple ideas often turn out to be the most difficult to achieve. It took a lot of energy to keep up that level of physical performance take after take, I could hardly move for days after! The edit went on and on, we got to cut 51 and had to stop. I was beginning to see disco lights everywhere. This thing was like a wild animal and we barely wrangled into the pen.
 
"I hope that it has some of the energy, truth and excitement that so intrigues me about its inspiration. The most important thing was to keep a flow throughout my performance so it feels real, I wanted you to see me really give it some welly!!”

David Knight - 13th Dec 2019

Tags

  • Director's notes
  • Performance
  • Pop
  • Dance
  • Disco
  • Italian TV

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Róisín Murphy
Producer
Phil Tidy
Production Company
Squire
1st AD
Matt Lawson

Camera

Director of Photography
Deane Thrussell
Focus Puller
Ben Worthington

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Chris Dowling

Wardrobe

Costume designer
Polly Banks
Make-up
Emil Zed
Make-up
Bobbie Gordon

Choreography

Choreographer
Joshua Hubbard

Editorial

Editor

Grading

Colourist
Sim Tennant

Commission

Commissioner
Damian Harris
Label
Skint/BMG

Other credits

Dancers

Patrick Ross Webster Gareth Mole Simon Ventzislav Larsen Michael Lin Michael Duke Joshua Hubbard

David Knight - 13th Dec 2019

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