Latvian rappers Gustavo and ansis have created a vibrant music video for their collaborative hit "Efekts," which was released earlier this year.
The video adds a visually compelling layer to the already lively track, giving listeners an exciting and fresh take on the song. Gustavo is the music composer of the piece, with lyrics written by Gustavo and ansis.
"I remember watching ansis during the rehearsal process at last year's “Straume” hip hop festival as he prepared for his evening performance. During the rehearsal, while testing his vocal effects pedal and toggling various effects on and off, ansis said - one, one..., two, two..., that's an effect..., effect. I immediately recorded this phrase on my phone because I realized it could be the chorus of a song. A month later, I reached out to ansis and proposed creating a collaborative piece of music. He agreed without hesitation. Knowing ansis's diligent and masterful approach to the creative process, I felt early on that we would create something special together. My intuition didn't let me down," commented Gustavo on the creation of the song.
The song “Efekts” was written for Gustavo's fifth studio album, “Tagad tikai sākās”, which was released this spring. Shortly after the album's release on streaming platforms, “Efekts” became one of the favorite and most listened-to tracks among the “Tagad tikai sākās” record. The album contains a total of 13 songs, including “Mums vajag atpakaļ Gustavo” and “Tagad tikai sākās”, which have already become radio hits.
"It seems to me that both of us are the kind of figures on the Latvian rap stage who find it hard to resist interesting challenges. Both Gustavo's dynamic beat and the concept of “Efekts”, which we had to turn into a catchy rap song with a personal message, and now the music video — I think both of us are aware that our wealth of experience was essential in tackling all of this the way we did. It's quite difficult to compare this collaboration to anything else because, first and foremost, it's a collaboration with one of my most important mentors, whom I've known in music for 20 years, and it's surreal to create something like this together as a team in 2023. I tried not to fall behind. It wasn't easy!" - added ansis.
"We wanted to enhance the dynamic and energetic atmosphere of the song “Efekts” with an appropriate, vibrant music video, which was expertly executed by director Elvijs Pārpucis and the LATER video team. “Efekts” is the eighth music video created as part of our collaboration. Although the filming process lasted almost a full day and presented its fair share of challenges, I am extremely happy with the result we achieved, especially because this time it was accomplished in a really uplifting and fun atmosphere," commented Gustavo.
For the video, ansis also created a special sound effects track that not only conceptually aligns with the overall message of the song but also successfully enhances the composition and video by blending them and adding an extra dimension and dynamic to the story.
Gustavo's latest album “Tagad tikai sākās” is available not only on streaming and download platforms but also in CD format. You can purchase CDs, vinyl records, and other items related to the artist on the website - www.beidzot.lv.
Photo credit: Rihards Gēcis
