WORDS: KEVIN JUNK
On “This Far Thru” Leo Luchini invited Nasty King Kurl to collaborate on an EP that breathes the current stream of internet aesthetics with catchy rap and club reminiscent beats. Within the work of Luchini, whose output has been highly collaborative through and through and Nasty King Kurl’s brand of snotty but sexy feel for rhythm and beat, what would happen if the collaboration went further? Entrance, Konstantina Levi. With Levi on board as a director, two tracks from the EP were turned into music videos the way you wanna see them. Well-produced, standalone pieces enhancing the music and adding a new layer of complexity.
VIDEO DIRECTED BY KONSTANTINA LEVI
“We Ain’t Kin” sets boundaries right in the beginning with Luchini in a somewhat 80s costume yelling into a mirror: fuck you! Dreamscape gone rogue: We follow an almost bizarre preparation for a show. With the track itself starting halfway into the video, the music itself blends into the performance embedded in the narrative, Luchini standing on a stage, a neon heart flickering in the background. While his performance takes up steam and presence, it’s only witnessed by a few people – barely an audience, looking less than entertained. So who’s he performing for? We can only guess, but as in any dream, it’s the dreamer who is both agent and spectator. What’s striking about “We Ain’t Kin” is the way it constructs masculinity, soft around the edges and allowing for failure to become a place of empowerment.
VIDEO DIRECTED BY KONSTANTINA LEVI
Looking through the lens of the very construction of gendered performances, “Reckless” seems more classically along the lines of a binary, but only at the first glance. With Aaliyah Thanisha Philipp as a dancing counterpart to Leo Luchini, Berlin’s most urban und tagged corner becomes the stage for a dance that is both a fever dream and ritualized negotiation of desires. Choreographed by Kianì Del Valle & Jakob Yaw, movement tells the story of an erotic encounter through and through. For this, the collective quotes rap genre ingredients without buying into their implications. We can see Leo Luchini stumbling through the scenery, only to encounter Aaliyah Thanisha Philipp and off they go on a dance that turns fight that turns boundary setting. Cut. Luchini’s skin takes the centre, sweat drops become signifiers for emotions and the rapper hangs from chains, dramatically draped in what could be your next-door BDSM basement.
Collaboration always is like diffraction: You have the creative energy of an artist collide with another artist’s vision and energy, and when waves meet, they create a new pattern. The videos Levi created for „This Far Thru“ feel like this: The encounter of many creative minds coming from different crafts, creating a shared vision on all narrative levels. Does the video enhance the music or the other way around? Who cares, if it’s your inner demons that long to be seen, heard and most of all, felt.
Visitez:
This Far Thru EP
Studio Levi