PlayBack: Apartel - Is It Hip?

09/23/2016 04:22:43 PM

Since the time Eraserheads became a dormant status band, Ely Buendia has become a man of many experimental sorts in the music industry, from Pupil to the Oktaves, back to Eheads (well, just for the limited times) and even going solo.

And this year, Buendia has formed and became one-fifth of the soul powerhouse Apartel. And also, just this past week, the band just launched the music video of “Is It Hip?” their first single off the album Inner Play.

Close to 10 minutes long, Is It Hip? music video was a product of another genius Marie Zamora. She wrote and called the shots of this project also known as the short film The Candy Man. And frankly, it was indeed a project well done through the support of TBA, the triumvirate of producers behind those successful films in recent memory (Heneral Luna, remember?) and the moviehouse Cinema '76. 

Talk about following suit of the debuting musicians in the industry right now. Yes, despite their experiences and roots. 

This clip, though, has sent the real meaning of gangster life back to the current ages. While present people are claiming gang or thug life was all about donning oversized apparel, using illegal substance drugs, waging war at the streets, and spitting faster than Twista, Is It Hip? reopened the other side of the term by depicting the underworld of mafia and combining the elements of drugs, sex, money, and rockstar lifestyle without the aid of looking too punk. 

It told a concise story of being a mob in such a twisting, subtle manner but with prowess.

The mere fact that this version lasted for 10 minutes and focused more on the story makes the performance video a bit left out; unless they release a version intended for the music channels here in the country. But that will all boil down on how they could express and balance them up to make Apartel more recognizable to the young guns.

Author: slickmaster | © 2016 september twenty-eight productions