Berlin-via-Paris-via-Nigera experimental neo soul artist Wayne Snow gained popularity during the rise of the nu jazz scene in Berlin through his uniquely beautiful and haunting sound, drawing inspiration from artists like Sade, Sun Ra, and Fela Kuti. Wayne Snow’s latest music video release “Seventy” reflects his appreciation for Africa and nature through incredible South African landscapes.
I feel as if I’ve crawled out of rubble on Mars to find a glorious landscape before me, watching some celestial CGI generated object in the distance lower itself into a crater in the beginning of the “Seventy” video. The footage is incredibly warm-toned and vast — it feels like the land around me goes on forever. Snow appears in a field of flowers in a headpiece and a vinyl bodysuit that covers every feature, the sun cloaking everything around in a warm glow. He carries himself with pride and ease, standing tall and proud as he walks through the land. He climbs to the top of an enormous rock surrounded by shimmering orange sparks.
The sky turns to a pale blue shade with some blue tones emerging on the rocky surface around him. When the sun sets, the scenery shifts to hues of deep blue, black and light blue, contrasting the warmth from the start. He falls to the ground, giving into the Earth surrounding him. Snow enters a dream where he emerges from a deep blue water, naked of the clothing that concealed his features before. The water glistens around him, light pulsing to show pure passion reflected on his face as he sings. The video ends with a zoom-out showing Snow passed out in the blue rubble, blissed out in his own fever dream.
The contrast between warm and cool tones make this video captivating, as well as the imagery reflecting Snow being fully concealed in reality vs. unclothed in his dream. The extraterrestrial feel of the video is a modern and beautiful take on the beautiful African landscape, where Snow pays homage to his roots and the nature he feels connected to. The vocal-forward, experimental, slow-paced simplicity of “Seventy” emphasizes the beauty of nu jazz and Snow’s incredible talent; the Afrofuturistic video completes the song, adding a layer of depth and innovation to the already stunning track.
