This Pantsula-Infused Video From Branko, Nonku Phiri & Mr. Carmack Is Beautiful And Moving
Branko, Nonku Phiri and Mr. Carmack's "Let Me Go" video is a pantsula-infused love letter to Johannesburg.
Nonku Phiri in "Let Me Go"
<p>If I’m being totally honest here, <strong><a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/tag/branko/" target="_blank">Branko</a></strong> had this song last year that’s made me cry on a few occasions. The song in question is “<a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/branko-nonku-phiri-mr-carmack-let-me-go/" target="_blank">Let Me Go</a>,” off the Lisbon-based <strong>Buraka Som Sistema</strong> co-founder and producer’s multi-city solo album, <em>ATLAS</em>, and features one of my favorite vocalists, the rising South African star <strong><a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/tag/nonku-phiri/" target="_blank">Nonku Phiri</a></strong>, and Soulection beatmaker <strong>Mr. Carmack</strong>.</p><p>The three met in <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/branko-atlas-cape-town-photo-diary/" target="_blank">Cape Town last February</a> during the <strong>Cape Town Electronic Music Festival</strong>, where they got together at <strong>Red Bull Studios</strong>. Ultimately, the encounter resulted in a dreamy pairing of Branko's <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/zouk-bass-branko-buraka-som-sistema-pote/" target="_blank">zouk bass</a> and Phiri’s gorgeous Venda and English-sung melodies.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>Though the song’s conception may have been in Cape Town, its visuals are a love letter to the city of Johannesburg.</p><p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="686bef363af4b424074b6c27aa8f9d1d"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g6Vuu3J8toI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p><p>According to <em><a href="http://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/video-premiere-branko-let-me-go" target="_blank">i-D</a></em>, the video was conceived as a collaboration between its director, <strong>Francisco Neffe</strong>, and Phiri. "It's a sort of journey to a world of colour and movement that could only be found in South Africa," Neffe tells i-D. "I tried to reflect the idea behind the lyrics through the characters, dancing, car rides and light. I tried to create a metaphor for letting go of something in every shot."</p><p>Soweto's <strong>Skeleton Pantsula</strong> and Orange Farm's <strong>RealAction</strong> lend their incredible pantsula dance moves to the clip.</p><p>In related news, <strong>Jumping Back Slash</strong> recently gave “Let Me Go” a Gqom-style treatment, which Okayafrica <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/branko-atlas-expanded-let-me-go-jumping-back-slash-remix/" target="_blank">premiered</a> earlier this week.</p><p><em>Branko’s <a href="http://bit.ly/ATLASitunes" target="_blank">ATLAS LP</a> is out now on Enchufada. The Atlas Expanded remix EP is available on <a href="https://bundles.bittorrent.com/bundles/branko-atlas" target="_blank">BitTorrent Bundle</a> as of yesterday.</em></p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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