Directing duo rubberband. bring their signature dreamlike aesthetic into a surprising new environment, allied to an intriguing use of technology for Fred Again..'s collab with KETTAMA and Shady Nasty. 

The video for Hardstyle 2 has a deceptively simple concept - capturing the crowd of a show in gritty slow-mo, focusing on the group as a whole, as well as the individual characters within it. 

Executed in an absorbing way, the video captures the emotional rollercoaster of live music, dropping viewers into the eye of the storm amongst coruscating strobes, sweaty bodies and cathartic release. 

What begins as an intimate close-up gradually expands, as the camera pulls back to reveal the scale and pulse of the underground music community in motion. With authentic energy, high-contrast visuals, and hypnotic slow motion, the video highlights the beauty within the chaos.

The result is a video blurring the line between performance, movement, and emotion — a testament to rubberband.’s singular vision and Fred Again..’s artistry - and dedication to defying expectations.

The directing duo, Jason Sondock and Simon Davis, explain that the video resulted from a long period of consultation with Fred Again.. and his creative director Lucy Hickling (aka LOOSE).

"How does the first time being overwhelming by fear and excitement play out? What’s the simplest visual way to express this at scale, without it feeling polished? Without leaving the humanity of experience? While given the opportunity to sit with and feel that experience.

"These were the first and primary questions Fred and Lucy asked when they approached us to work with them. They also wanted to preserve the sentiment of Fred’s black and white, nearly DIY aesthetic. They both would often ask a simple question of us: 'why is the camera where it is? From who or what's perspective are we observing this?' (Needless to say, working with them was a true pleasure; incredible, beautiful humans always asking the right questions of not only us, but also of themselves).

"As a result of a few months of discussions, we aligned on a simple concept and decided the best way to observe this story was to combine tech that’s 60 years old with technique that’s contemporary, all in service of this. Wanting to preserve the human perspective of a single take film.

"Each 'oner' take we did was only 15 seconds long. Process and technique had to be congruent with emotion, with aesthetics only serving the narrative and scale. Thus, this video was done as for real as possible, in a single take on 16mm at 500fps. This video, In its final form, was take 4 of 7."