Playlist: Tyrone Rhabb

What’s the best music video you’ve seen recently and why?

There are many standout music videos from this past year, so it's hard to narrow them down. But if I had to choose one, I'd start with Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti - FE!N, directed by Gabriel Moses. The video feels so simple in its concept but intricate in its execution. The song is high energy, and the video does a great job conveying that feeling without the use of traditional video editing techniques.

Honourable mentions: A$AP Rocky - Tailor Swif directed by Vania & Muggia. This video takes the concept of "thinking outside the box" and turns it into a fever dream. I imagine when they were asked how weird the video would be, they simply answered "yes.” 

The video for Hanumankind - Big Dawgs is not to be slept on! Director Bijoy Shetty and DP Abhinay Pandit had some really cool approaches to the shooting style here. They make the audience feel like we're part of the stunts.

What’s the first music video you remember being impressed by? 

Missy Elliott - The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) is one of the first videos I really gravitated to as a kid. There's an embracing of the surreal in a lot of those early Hype Williams videos that I've always loved and am still inspired by. 

In contrast to many early hip-hop videos that were focused on raw portrayals of the streets, Hype Williams' videos had a highly stylised and sometimes futuristic flare to them. He truly made the videos bigger than the song itself.

And what’s your all-time favourite music video? 

I'm not sure I can pinpoint a favourite video, but Kendrick Lamar - Alright directed by Colin Tilley is definitely in my top five.

This video led me to start paying attention to the calibre of art and creativity that Kendrick brings to all his projects. Like many of his other videos, Alright uses elements of surrealism to convey powerful messages that may otherwise go overlooked. There's an intellectual stimulation present that I think is very refreshing to the industry as a whole.

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?

Music videos are a changing art and everyone's trying to push the envelope in one way or another. I think directors like Hidji, Hiro Murai, Shapxo, Hannah Lux Davis, Omar Jones, Karena Evans, Gibson Hazard, Calmatic, Lacey Duke, Ray Neutron, Dave Meyers, Colin Tilley, Melina Matsoukas and Zac Wiesel are all performing at such a high level. Some are obviously more famous than others but the artistry is all there and I'm inspired by every project they create.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Oddly enough, I'm on a synthwave kick at the moment. Anyone who has recently worked in the edit suite with me has probably heard some of my bizarre (but vibey!) Spotify playlists at work. Outside of that, I've been listening to: SAULT, Samara Cyn, Brainstory, SZA, RUBII, Dajah Dorn, Jalen Ngonda, Doechii, Chappell Roan, Magic City Hippies, Tame Impala, and Saint Wave...yea my taste is all over the place.

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use?

Before I was an editor, I was a gaffer and best boy electric...so I love lights and more specifically, lighting design! I'm a nut for ambient lighting, accent lighting, and the small lamp aesthetic. My favourite pieces of tech are the Philips Hue Smart LED lights in my office. 

As an editor, I tend to work late at night, and there's nothing worse than having a ceiling light on at 11 pm. I have a couple of Hue light bars behind my computer monitors for aesthetics but also to save my eyes at night as I stare at monitors for hours. I can dim them and change colours through the app on my phone. Once they’re on, I’m in the zone.

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why?

I'm actually a big Billie Eilish fan and think she'd be really cool to work with. She's a generational talent and can kind of do it all in my opinion. To work on a project for or with her would be pretty special.

It would also be incredible to work with SZA, A$AP Rocky, Remi Wolf, Kendrick Lamar, and Childish Gambino. They're all artists who push the envelope when it comes to their videos.