NVDES – “Mind Body Soul Music” Video
Josh Ocean (no relation to Frank, obviously) used to make ’80s-inspired pop in a duo called Ghost Beach. Now he’s gone solo under the name NVDES making noisy gospel-inflected dance music. Or at least that’s the sound of “Mind Body Soul Music,” the opening track from his upcoming album Vibe City Utah.
The tune is a frenetic dance track that reminds me of Algiers in the way it wrangles fiery old gospel sounds into hard-hitting modern contexts, but also calls back to the Prodigy and other maximalist dance marauders of the late ’90s. In the video, directed by Ocean and Audrey Vignoles, BadBadNotGood collaborator Flockey Ocscor dances his way through a kitschy and cannabis-friendly Idyllwild, California getaway called Hicksville Pines Bud & Breakfast. Apparently Ocscor, who is a real person, is one of several characters that recurs throughout the album. According to an explainer provided by NVDES, “Liberated from the cage of his own ego, [Ocscor] slides through a series of moments, riding the wave of pure, limitless energy, dancing in the multiple realities of Vibe City Utah.”
I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I know the video’s a lot of fun. Watch below, and as Samuel L. Jackson once said, hold on to your butts.
Vibe City Utah is out 11/2 on Maison Nvdité. Pre-order it here.