Behind the Scenes of Grimes’ MV “Miku-Maxxing”: Presented by sabukaru and GATA
Airy synths that take the shape of clouds and vocals that soar along electropop melodies, Grimes crafted that ethereal sound you hear in music everywhere nowadays with her own hands. A nod to the internet culture she inspired, she teamed up with Hatsune Miku and Japanese Vocaloid producer SatapanP for her latest single “Miku-Maxxing.”
Grimes’ Visions (2012) and Art Angels (2015) impact cannot be stated enough. Whether it’s her do-it-yourself attitude by producing her own tracks or the electronic textures that she pushed from their homes of ambient and industrial music into a poppier space, Grimes did what felt right to her.
Instead of just taking her own spin on what was hot at the time, Grimes' recontextualization and swirl of inspirations that are authentic to her made her music so fresh. It’s influences like the band Skinny Puppy, an electro-industrial band from her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, that are a marquee example of her unique perspective.
Fellow internet girl, the beloved blue-haired icon, Hatsune Miku, set the standard for vocaloid culture today. Created by Crypton Future Media in 2007, Hatsune Miku is a voicebank that can be used to make music. Her popularity arose in the online of niconicovideo [ニコニコ動画] where independent users would upload videos using her software to make music. Since then, she’s spread all across mainstream media in Japan as well as abroad with vocaloid music legends like wowaka citing Miku as their inspiration to start making music.
Presented by sabukaru and GATA, we got an inside look at the filming of the music video, produced by our creative agency Bianco Bianco, that pairs two legends of internet culture. Radiating kindness and courteousness, Grimes worked through a long shoot with ease. That led to such a beautiful, finished video: glitching through the Miku-matrix; regal halls with Hatsune Miku’s signature blue; and poses that jump through the screen.
Talking with sabukaru and GATA on set, Grimes spoke about her appreciation for Japan and the dedication of Japanese teams. We also captured the production in motion, meeting the crew such as the music video Director Valley and the Director of Photography Yutaka.
Check out the music video, now live on YouTube.
With cooperation by Crypton Future Media, INC. © CFM | DWANGO Co., Ltd./Nebula17
Photography by Nathalie Scarlette
BTS Video by Sonja Anna
Editor Josh Moore
Music Video Credits:
Directed by Valley Oh
Director of Photography: Yutaka Akiyama
Production by Bianco Bianco
Executive Producer Marta Espinosa
Post-Production by Mirai
Creative Direction by Zoo
