A music video by Ken Ishii

December 21, 2010 9:10 PM

Extra, by Ken Ishii. [NSFW]
posted by boo_radley (31 comments total)

NOTICE: Video contains a montage of anime scenes, all of which are odd, many are potentially disturbing, and several contain brief yet arguably graphic moments.

I'd consider it NSFW if you're worried about shoulder-peerage or walk-by-glancing.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:50 PM on December 21, 2010

That said; am I correct in believing that all of that was created just for the music video, and that these aren't segments from existing movies? It was pretty neat.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:53 PM on December 21, 2010

Citrus, that's a good point. Mods please hope me?
posted by boo_radley at 10:00 PM on December 21, 2010

CitrusFreak, I direct your attention to the highest-rated comment on the video's page:

this isn`t a shortened version, studio 4C made this animation just for this song.

there is a rumor of a 20 minutes version of this story, but no, on studio 4C`s page doesn`t say anything about it.

posted by egypturnash at 10:02 PM on December 21, 2010

I woke up this morning absolutely needing to see/hear this again (and did so, around my second coffee, but this post gives me an excuse to re-indulge). Still gold.
posted by runehog at 10:17 PM on December 21, 2010

Neat. For some reaswon it really reminds me of that first wave of Anime to make it big in the West, Akira and the like.
posted by Artw at 10:36 PM on December 21, 2010

Been on my youtube favorites list for a long time. Thanks for reminding me to go watch it again! His livesets of late have been pretty formulaic, a shame.
posted by cloax at 10:43 PM on December 21, 2010

Neat. For some reaswon it really reminds me of that first wave of Anime to make it big in the West, Akira and the like.

"Directed by Koji Morimoto (the animation director of Akira)."
posted by p3on at 10:55 PM on December 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

Aha!
posted by Artw at 10:58 PM on December 21, 2010

Might be linked somewhere on his youtube page, but this is one of the guys from Rez, by the way
posted by Hiding From Goro at 11:08 PM on December 21, 2010

There's a bit of a stroby sequence in there at around 2:17 that might need tagging for people susceptible to that sort of thing.
posted by juv3nal at 11:15 PM on December 21, 2010

Damn I loved Rez... Kind of suprising they never released a soundtrack album.
posted by Artw at 11:23 PM on December 21, 2010

Haven't heard from Ken Ishii in a while. This is from Jellytones- 1993-ish? Ishii's been quite since 2006?
posted by gen at 11:25 PM on December 21, 2010

Whoops. Sorry, he's been releasing on 70Drums since 2006.
posted by gen at 11:26 PM on December 21, 2010

Wow, R & S Records. That label brings back some memories. Jam & Spoon, Future Sound of London, µ-Ziq, Aphex Twin.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:50 PM on December 21, 2010

CitrusFreak, I direct your attention to the highest-rated comment on the video's page:

Ah, that's what I get for watching it on MeFi's YT in-line-streamer-thinger. Thanks.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 1:27 AM on December 22, 2010

Damn I loved Rez... Kind of suprising they never released a soundtrack album.

You mean this soundtrack album? (Only released in Japan, though.)
posted by Mr. Pokeylope at 1:43 AM on December 22, 2010

After seeing that video on MTV Europe in '96 I had to go out and get some Ken Ishii. This is the 12" that they had in my local vinyl store, Þruman:

Ken Ishi - Stretch (Frank De Wulf Remix)
(the other remixes were all awsome as well)
posted by svenni at 3:04 AM on December 22, 2010

(oh, and that track was released the year before it's sound-alike, The Prodigy's Firestarter)
posted by svenni at 3:07 AM on December 22, 2010

Oh man, I loved this song and video so much back in the mid-90s. It couldn't have been more perfectly aimed at my teen self. Science fiction reader, animé fan, and getting into electronic music. This was pretty much my favorite thing ever. I would stay up, hoping to catch it on one of the late shows. I still probably only saw the whole video less than 10 times, though MTV would use bits from it in various other montages and ads. If I had been able to, I'd have watched it over and over again, but that wasn't possible back then. But now there's YouTube and I can watch it anytime I want. Yay!
posted by Kattullus at 4:37 AM on December 22, 2010

My favorite thing ever from Ken Ishii: Overlap (Mark Broom remix). I was ready to post a YT link up here, but this track is apparently one of the few bits of music that hasn't been uploaded yet…
posted by LMGM at 5:18 AM on December 22, 2010

Every time I start writing this comment, I have to stop myself from gushing for paragaphs. Ken Ishii's Mix-Up mix was my introduction to proper techno. I will simply relate an amusing, yet sad, anecdote.

In 2004, I went to Movement in Detroit and after much wavering on which afterparties to attend, we decided to hit Paxahau's YEL 2 (featuring Speedy J vs. Chris Liebing and show-stealer Mathew Jonson) and then go to the Tronic Treatment (?) party afterwards. We showed up to the Tronic party 30 seconds before Ishii played his last record. :(
posted by mkb at 7:18 AM on December 22, 2010

Ken Ishii? Oh there's a blast from my mid-90s past.
posted by Theta States at 7:59 AM on December 22, 2010

Ah, it's Theta states! I love your mixes.
posted by boo_radley at 9:17 AM on December 22, 2010

Ken Ishii adpted the Ken part of his name because many on Japan consider Ken to be a very cool western name.

(my name's not Ken)
posted by ciderwoman at 10:47 AM on December 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

This is a 15 year old song, and I think the video came from that time, too. Originally released on R & S Records in 1995, there was a video edit available on CD that same year. This blog post has a good overview of Ishii's history, with a really boring interview at the end ("Do you like sake?" Really?).

The studio behind the video, Studio 4°C, have made some amazing movies and shorts. And now I see they will be making a new ThunderCats Series. Wow.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:08 AM on December 22, 2010 [2 favorites]

awww, thanks boo!
posted by Theta States at 11:53 AM on December 22, 2010

This is a 15 year old song

Oh god I'm old.
posted by nev at 2:10 PM on December 22, 2010

I'm going to very sad when stuff like this just isn't made anymore.
posted by PsychoKick at 4:46 PM on December 22, 2010

I'm going to very sad when stuff like this just isn't made anymore.

That would be the apocalypse, so you'll have many many reasons to be sad then.
posted by Theta States at 6:55 PM on December 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

Up next: Kylie Minogue, Can't get you out of my head.
Yep, that's about right YouTube.
posted by spish at 4:00 AM on December 23, 2010