close
close

6 wonderfully wild and strange videos of Descartes and Kant

Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Descartes a Kant is a wonderfully versatile and genre-bending ensemble. Listening to their music is like taking an acoustic Rorschach test. What You do you hear in it? On their Instagram page they describe themselves as “art rock-prog punk of the retro future”. Their booking agency lists them as “equal parts punk, metal, pop, shoegaze and cabaret”. Whichever way you look at it, the music of Descartes a Kant is refreshingly unconventional and charmingly offbeat.

In addition to their music, the group creates videos that showcase a spirit of adventure not seen as much in mainstream media. The group's fourth and latest album After the destruction inspired a series of videos in which the group appeared in color-coordinated overalls or uniforms and performed in front of colorful stages. The quartet, which has existed as a sextet for many years, now consists of guitarist/frontwoman Drushka Petrova, guitarist/vocalist Ana Cristina Mo, bassist/vocalist/synthesizer Memo Ibarra and drummer/sampler Leo Padua. Their newest member is “the DAK,” who, according to Petrova, “replaces a synthesizer/piano player and completely reinterprets the whole concept of After the destruction.“This concept is survival in a simulated reality. The DAK accompanied it in its latest video series.

Here are six wild and weird videos from this Mexican band that's been bubbling away here since 2006. Yes, many of us missed them for a long time. But thanks to YouTube algorithms, recent European festival dates and a US tour that begins September 15, they're deservedly reaching a wider audience.

“After Destruction” by After the destruction (2023)

While previous Descartes releases have sometimes taken a sonic kitchen sink approach (two of their influences are John Zorn and Mike Patton), the group's latest often uses more conventional song structures while still remaining endearingly offbeat. This clip, featuring the bobblehead quartet's synchronized, robotic movements, gives off Big Devo vibes. Add in blue neon, smoke, and old-school computer graphics that evoke an '80s aura, and it somehow fits the song's Black Sabbath grind meets loud indie rock vibes. Ibarra's haircut also makes him look like a young Spock.

“A catastrophe” by After the destruction (2023)

This ambient electronic composition highlights a spoken track about mental suffering and then a vocoder melody expressing loneliness. The intentionally dated (late 70s/early 80s) and edited computer graphics and videos of mother and daughter harmonize with the old-school synth sounds. The focus in this lyric video is not on the band members here, but on the surreal images that DAK conjures up. I don't know if you're in a The Screen.

“Apricot Dreams” by Victims of love propaganda (2017)

This video uses a more extreme widescreen aspect ratio than most, so don't watch it on your phone. Horror fans will enjoy the strange atmosphere and characters – a lady in red who sews herself up after having her heart removed; a high-heeled thief with bunny ears and a gas mask; the band in abstract Sgt. Pepper's mode; spastic, gas-mask-wearing violinists; and sinister, twirling ladies in white. If you've ever wondered what a collision of industrial, classical and nursery rhymes might sound like, look no further. The late Nirvana producer Steve Albini was behind the controls on this album.

“Motion Picture Dream Boy” by Victims of love propaganda (2017)

The slow, glowing image of a couple gazing lovingly into each other's eyes while being showered with glitter is briefly interrupted when she slashes his hand with a knife. The rest of the clip feels like a strange private prom for the couple, with the band as accompaniment. That is, until it vanishes into thin air. The scenario feels like it's about to erupt into bloody confrontations. Carrie territory but never does, giving it a sense of underlying dread that's only heightened by the music, which sounds like noise rock stripped down to '60s bubblegum pop – if there can be such a thing.

“Tatort” (Live, 2017)

This concert clip is from a performance in support of Victims of love propaganda. How many bands have a number with air raid sounds and police lines separating them from the audience, with members in hazmat suits eyeing the singer like a murder suspect? That gives you an idea of ​​the unexpectedness of a DAK performance. On their recent tour, the band also performed their synchronized video moves.

“The Peter Pan Syndrome” by The crazy visor (2012)

If you missed the offbeat cabaret shenanigans of the early Dresden Dolls and Panic! At the Disco videos from the 2000s, then welcome to a strange little birthday party that Tim Burton would probably enjoy. It's quirky neo-cabaret with lovely pop harmonies thrown in. Nobody really knows what to call it – it's just surreal fun. Incidentally, the album title means The crazy viewer.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Photo courtesy of Colonia Records via Facebook

You may also like...