Textual Analysis Of A Music Video: Africa Shox- Leftfield

Within the video; the choice of images truly reflects the music and the genre of house, electronica and freestyle. The grey colour pallet connotes imagery of steel and metallic glimmer, noting the electronica genre. The genre is also shown with the array of neon lights upon signs and skyscrapers; another image used is the concept of the performer falling apart almost like a robot that is unable to work. Another genre mentioned is house; with the video showing many codes and conventions of the genre, examples being the day-glo jackets of the security guard (sharing the conventional yellow of the New York taxis where house was reaching widespread popularity), the urban settings including alleyways which emphasise underground genre and electric fences (con notating danger and excitement- especially when linked with the lyrics of electric fence, electric fence.) The freestyle genre is also displayed within the video, breakdancing having roots in Hip-Hop culture amongst African-Americans as a protest dance, ironic with the white breakdancers. All of these New-York culturally specific images conform with the genre to appeal wit

h the audience whom are already fans to the band and genre, keeping the loyalty of a core fanbase. However, the bleak settings set to portray New York in a negative light as a major city in America, seen in the location and dim, sparing, lighting to emphasise immorality.

The music and visuals link perfectly, an early example is the visual of the security guard talking through his radio amongst the statical sounds of a voice in the music. Another example follows instantly, as a fast blurred pan is seen upon the radio cut-out- automatically bringing the audience into the setting and first into the action. The performers ragged swaying, almost falling to the drop in the song, also fits together the music and the visuals, this effect disorientates the audience on both viewing and hearing the video, placing them more firmly in the scene. This effect is also used within the quickening pace and more variety of tilted, disorientating pans once the beat fully kicks in. This is a contrast to the creeping and lurking tracking shots seen in the alleyways previously.

The narrative structure of the video is linear narrative based, showing the performers struggle within the the city and, as the video progresses, makes the viewer sympathise with the performer as he struggles to find identity and help.

The use of a futuristic, metallic city hints towards inter-texuality of the sci-fi genre, the bleak and dangerous setting hinting at a dystopic and dangerous world; seen in books such as Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and popular video game series Fallout. Links to Fallout are also made with the concept of zombie-like Ghouls who are seen as subordinate and disgusting by others, very much like the black performer whom due to ignorance and poverty has been desensitised almost to zombiefication.

Dystopic game series Fallout; set in an apocolyptic America, shares many parralels with the ignorant and dangerous America in Africa Shoxx. The use of ghoul characters in Fallout are very similar to the black performer, fragile and ignored by a society they need to survive.

The constant ignorance of the black performer; watched by sucessful white people as he falls apart, sets to establish the left wing policies of the band (referring to the name of Leftfield to reveal the motives.) The political ideology reflected within the video creates a couragous and fair image of the band, who are willing to show their ideology in such vivid form. This helps selling the track with the like-minded audience willing to support their ideology and fans of the genre; aiming for those intrested either/or the political aims and music of the band.

With this ideology, very negative values are comminicated of what not to follow but to avoid, the ignorant and much better off white characters ignore his literall falling apart and instead set to destroy him. This is shown in most blatent irony with the breakdancers breaking off his leg; as the white breakdancers fail to consider that their breakdancing has roots in African culture as a protest dance; the genre itself also stems from African protest music brought over due to the slavery of Africans.