Live Review: Phanosland melds synthwave and Cypriot culture in ‘Aphrodite’s New Order’
Newcomer PHANOSLAND has cast out a cinematic narrative for his culture-fused neo synthwave tune, ‘Aphrodite’s New Order’.
Newcomer PHANOSLAND has cast out a cinematic narrative for his culture-fused neo synthwave tune, ‘Aphrodite’s New Order’. This new visual offering coincides with the limited 7” vinyl release of Phanosland's For The Lovers EP, first released on digital mediums in February this year.
Stemming as a creative project from Sydney-based artist Phanos Proestos and a perpetually changing roster of instrumentalists, Phanosland integrates dark synthwave tones with deep vocals, electronic beats and undercurrents of Phanos' cultural heritage. A captivating amalgamation of spoken-word verses (partially in Cypriot Greek), pouncing synth lines and lodes of instrumental layers is bestowed in ‘Aphrodite’s New Order’, also rich in percipient imagery and lyrical references to Greek mythology and the Cypriot coup d'état of ’74.
Filmed at a Greek Community Club in Sydney, the video takes place at a meeting ground for a community far away from home, opening to a backstage scene of a man and a young girl before a performance.
"There is something heartbreaking about an open-mic night, it is something I've wanted to capture on film forever", explains director Julian Tuna. "As I wandered around the Lakemba Greek Community Centre with Phanosland, we got a feel for what the video could be and how we could capture the feeling of the song there. It was pivotal. Once we had seen it, the video took a new form", while still yielding shape from the crux of the track and Phanos’ own creative concepts.
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“Paroula’s Greek dancers are at the centre of our film,” Tuna added, "the performer's movements capture the pride and sadness that comes with holding onto your culture in a distant land. It’s a loving tribute to the Greeks’ own country and the land that they now live in—Australia.”
While the footage segues between talent acts, exceptionally synched with musical queues from the song’s varying instrumental sections, the curation of impassioned performances in the film ultimately go unnoticed under the room's dim lighting and audience of empty chairs.
'Aphrodite's New Order' is the opening track from Phanosland's For the Lovers EP , out now on limited release 7" vinyl and other digital media via Dinosaur City Records.
Words by FREYA DINESEN
Image: David Gauci
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