Looks like Tijuana's Casio goth-pop vocalist Dani Shivers is getting her fans geared up for Syzygy, her upcoming sophomore solo effort, with the music video debut of "Body of One," a frenetic killer dance track that takes a few steps right from her usual dark themes by referencing the synth pop that made Depeche Mode so hot, and also showcases sweet vocals reminiscent of '90s English alternative band Lush.
The last time I saw Shivers was at Tijuana's All My Friends Music Festival, where she performedc with her band, Ibi Ego, fresh from their 1998 release. But it's a new year and a new sound for Shivers. She's back on her solo grind with her self-directed, self-surveillance music video. Find out why she's so DIY cool:
Dita Quinones: How involved were you in the making of "Body of One"?
Dani Shivers: I directed and edited the video. My friend Dani Pena loaned me his video projector and helped me shoot. We shot it in three days over a two-week period. I wanted the video to reflect the visual elements in the song. When I listen to "Body of One," I imagined a combination of patterns oscillating between two different digital eras: the one we live in and the one I love. I wanted to create a simulation of wormholes and paranoia. I like the concept of getting lost in the digitality of it all. But also, going back to analog and getting lost there.
DQ: Is it a single off a new album?
DS: Not exactly. Since I finished recording my second album, Syzygy, I started working on new music, re-recording some of my old songs. "Body of One" is a song I wrote very recently. It was a jam I wanted to record and experiment with -- it's so different from the rest of the songs of Syzygy.
Syzygy songs are like brothers and sisters, and "Body of One," is the cousin or the niece. Syzygy doesn't have a release date yet, but I'll have a clue soon.
DQ: "Body of One" shows so much growth but is different from your usual. What sparked the creativity to make this hot dance track?
DS: You know that feeling you get when you try to force yourself to have fun at a party but something is not quite right? Like something is missing? The song is inspired off that feeling. You can split the song into two: beats and vocals. They're each telling a different story.
Watch "Body of One" or download it here. Like Dani Shivers on Facebook.
Dita Quiñones is a multimedia journalist born in Tijuana with a passion for Latin alternative and hip-hop music news. Her main goal is to uplift and inform so that the Latino and hip-hop communities get knitted into the fabric of American history. In addition to SoundDiego, she contributes to Latina, Fox News Latino, Poder, VidaVibrante and HipHopDx. She is also the founder of the infamous music and politrix blog GN$F! Follow Dita on Twitter or on Facebook.
