Filip Tasevski-Fitz is the artist behind the electronic dance project, Blackstate, based in Skopje, Macedonia. For his latest project, ‘The Arsonist’, he’s set the video in the extaordinary Hotel Drim, located on the shores of Lake Ohrid in Macedonia.
Built in the mid 1970s, its curved design, impressive central spiral staircase, broad windows and concrete terraces look for all the world like a cruise ship, and embody the aspirations of that era. It’s also the perfect place to shoot a music video.
‘The Arsonist’, from Blackstate’s album, ‘While The World’s On Fire’, is sleek, propulsive, and futuristic, and it sets up Tasevski-Fitz as a producer with an incredible imagination and sense of play. The curves of Hotel Drim reflect the wonderful otherness of ‘The Arsonist’, and in many ways, represent the liberation he’s singing about.
Blackstate encourages us to express ourselves to the fullest, no matter what obstacles are seemingly in our way.
‘The Arsonist’ gives Tasevski-Fitz the opportunity to demonstrate his mastery of melody within the electronic music style, somewhat reminsicent of Christopher Walken in the video for Fat Boy Slim’s ‘Weapon Of Choice’.
With a track filled with compulsive synth textures, melodic threads, and a stuttering beat that mesmerises the listener, the video is gripping and absorbing. Prior to dedicating himself to the dancefloor, Tasevski-Fitz fronted a punk rock band, and while ‘The Arsonist’ is more disco than punk, he’s woven their ideals into his sound and attitude.Â
Dancers Anastasija Danchevska (who also designed the choreography) and Dejan Bitrovski move with erotic and physical power, while the cinematography, lighting, and the actual design of the Hotel Drim, give the clip an otherworldly vibe. Director Aleksandra Kostadinovska, a Macedonian photographer with an impeccable sense of balance, colour, and composition, makes sure that every single frame in the clip is a stunning shot, and compels you to watch it over and over again, so you can be sure you’ve not missed anything.
Check out the incredible music video for ‘The Arsonist’ below, and find out more about Filip Tasevski-Fitz and Blackstate online on their official website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
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