videoSlowthai x Denzel Curry 'Psycho' by Duncan LoudonA Slowthai video by Duncan Loudon? It’s about time. Their first collaboration, starring Denzel Curry, is a sinister chamber piece - half Psycho, half seizure.The track is an impish interpolation of Bernard Hermann’s iconic score for the original Psycho (1960) and short of being a direct homage, this video takes cues from its horror movie namesake. Loudon wants to assault your senses, and here, he empties out his toolbox. There's a wild spinning camera rig, a skittery ghosting effect, and a strobe so peristant that it comes with a disclaimer. In stark darkness, Slowthai and Curry distort into strange abstractions, like something out of Inland Empire - fired up on Ritalin. Loudon assembles these moments in a furious edit, reminiscent of the legendary shower sequence from Hitchcock’s movie.It’s breathless, disorientating experience. But the corridor setting keeps you keenly aware of the space that Slowthai and Curry are in. So that when they’re at the far end of the corridor, there’s a nasty suspense, like turning a corner to see something you half-recognise. And when the performers get right up close to the lens, it feels like they've invaded your personal distance.Loudon has experimented with this device before. See his witchy cut for Hell Bent by Flohio. Although the director is celebrated for his lived-in aesthetic, this approach to space is a defining feature of his work. His performers have an alarming, exhilarating command over the places they inhabit.
Ned Botwood - 23rd Sept 2019