Spoek Mathambo - Control - (2011)

Spoek Mathambo has made a dark and moody cover of Joy Division's "Control" that seems to be the perfect photo-negative version of the original song, with dark where there's light and light where there's dark.

Pieter Hugo & Michael Cleary have expertly added to the Joy Division homage by shooting Spoek in graveyards, preaching like a priest of the new era of dance music through a megaphone. With gangs of boys and girls who dance reminiscent of an epileptic fit, eyes rolling in their heads. With contrasting black and white fluids pouring all over and expulsion of milk, the buzzing like dead flies, it becomes a visual homage to Ian Curtis and Joy Divison fitting the song, while again being an inversion that's greater than the sum of its parts.

In short, I'm in deep deep love with this whole thing. I'm off to buy a megaphone and a white suit, and yesterday's retweet from Speok honestly made me squee like a Beatles fan girl. I might have had a crush on Eran Creevy's relaunch of the running man dance in music videos 08, and wanted to marry the Old Spice campaign but I'm so over all that now. Spoek wins. I am his disciple dancing 'til dawn.

Artist: Spoek Mathambo
Directed & shot by: Pieter Hugo & Michael Cleary
Edited by: Richard Starkey @ priest.co.za
Produced by: Jon Day @ orangefilms.co.za
Production Designer : Mike Berg @ Hyper Art

Cast List : Amahle, Lwandile, Musa, Siyabonga, Monwabisi, Aluluto, Nicolas, Lusanda, Avusiwe, Liso, Simamikele, Sanele, Tshepo, Unathi, Nkosinathi, Sibulele, Noluvuyo

2nd Camera: Ebrahim Hajee
Assistant Director: Oliver Kruger
Production Manager: Amanda Arbuckle @ orangefilms.co.za
Styling: Richard de Jager
Props Master: Este Opperman
Props Assistant: Mark Busak
Props Driver: Alfa Mwinyimkw
Cosmetic Make-up Designer: Clinton Aiden Smith @ cosmesis.co.za
SFX Make-up: Margueritte Blom & Daleen Badenhorst
Make up: Candy Stylumdall
SFX: Doug Hardy & Fedrico Zanolin @ stuntsa.com
Colorist: Jenine Lindeque
Choreographer: Vanessa Brierley @ Spirit Enterntainment
Dance Group Co-ordinator: Pindiwe Gxidolo
Dance Group Co-ordinator: Siviwe Mbinda @ Happy Feet
Dance Group Co-ordinator: Pamela Mtati @ Likhwezi Marimba
PA: Remembrance Nkanana
PA: John McDonald
PA: Neil de Villiers

Special thanks to the following companies:
Panalux, Cosmesis, Hyperart, Stunt SA, Unity Film Location Management, Spirit Entertainment, Stratosphere Sound, Happy Feet, Likhwezi Marimba Dance Group, The Langa Hostel Committee