Raf Duran, the early 80s-inspired Dutch Synth Pop artist from Amsterdam, turns neurosis into LED-lit catharsis in the Official Video by Maarten Nauw for “Mortified”, taken from the new 3-track EP, “Morrow,” a sonic triptych on the fear of growing older and dying.
A soul-stirring, intimate minor-key meditation on when the physical and mental degeneration of ageing becomes too obvious to ignore, and “Mortification” takes hold.
A hypnotic mid-tempo pace relentlessly progresses with subtly syncopated, somber bass pulses along with female-backed layers of haunted and agonizing male vocals, gradually disappearing, imbued with a lingering sense of dread and vulnerable intimacy, surrounded by glaring dramatic swirls of skewed and meandering poignant synth string arrangements, left “almost afraid to be alive.”
In the visuals by Maarten Nauw, a light blue glow flickers in and out of focus over the unclothed body of performer Kristijaan van der Waag, before an intimate performance syncs with the insecurity expressed in the soundtrack. A crafty use of glitchy filters, elongated shadows, blurry lights, and an old man shows what the man might look like in his later years.
Keep up with Raf Duran:
Raf Duran by Bianca van Houten
