The Chemical Brothers - Do It Again

JUN 18 2007 · 12:00

The Chemical Brothers - Do It Again (2007) Director: Michael Haussman Era: Mid-2000s Electronic Boom (2007) - Peak era of UK electronic duo global mainstream crossover, coinciding with release of 'We Are the Night' on Astralwerks/Virgin High curatorial value as a confirmed Grammy-nominated, commercially successful music video from a landmark UK electronic act, directed by an awarded filmmaker with a documented cinematic approach. The Moroccan location, magic-realist narrative, and kinetic editing make it an exemplary artifact of mid-2000s electronic music video craft, and a strong pedagogical text for the intersection of narrative filmmaking and dance music promotion. Context: Released June 2007 as the lead single from The Chemical Brothers' sixth studio album 'We Are the Night', 'Do It Again' marked a return to high-energy dancefloor aesthetics after the more experimental 'Push the Button' era. The video's Moroccan setting and its framing of music as a literally hypnotic, liberating force reflects the mid-2000s global spread of electronic dance music and the Chemical Brothers' identity as cross-cultural sonic provocateurs. The cassette tape, an analog artifact, serves as a deliberate anachronism and symbol of music's magical agency, arriving in a pre-digital rural landscape. Nominated at the 50th Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording, the track and video together represent the UK electronic duo at peak commercial and critical visibility. Director notes: Produced by HSI Productions for Astralwerks. Shot on location in rural Morocco. The video follows two young brothers, the younger has a toothache and needs dental treatment, who discover a cassette tape labeled 'Chemical Brothers' in Arabic (noted by sources as an imprecise translation) that falls from the sky. Once played, the music compels all who hear it to dance uncontrollably. The brothers use this power to travel across Morocco, eventually funding proper dental care via a hypnotized bank. The plot device of a tape causing compulsive dancing has been noted by Wikipedia as similar to Fatboy Slim's 'Ya Mama' video. Haussman set the clip in Morocco but framed the narrative as a universal story of youth and energy overcoming tradition. IMDb release date: May 2007 (United Kingdom). Runtime: 4 minutes.