Tokyo-based illustrator-turned-VJ Shantell Martin will release her first DVD, titled KOOB’S, on November 20, 2008 through the lightrhythmvisuals label. The DVD will be available for US$24.99 at selected music and DVD retailers globally and online.
Martin was last year voted among the world’s top 10 VJs by DJ Magazine and has become a much sought-after performer in Tokyo, London and New York since her appearance on the Japanese club scene two years ago. The DVD features a diverse collection of short videos that demonstrate Martin’s playful inventiveness with both the concept and tools of drawing. Each video is backed by an audio track produced exclusively for KOOB’S by a range of DJs and musicians and is accompanied by its own special guest VJ remix. Multi-angle programming allows viewers to interact for a “home VJ experience” by switching between the original tracks and their remixes in real time. Also included are Quicktime clips suitable for VJ software applications.
The DVD marks a natural progression for the artist, who trained as an illustrator but has gone on to do collaborations with everyone from fashion designers, magazine publishers, live bands and ceramic artists, as well inventing two new forms of VJ-ing that allow her to interact with other performers and audience members alike. “With this DVD, apart from it being the next phase in my plan for world domination,” she says laughingly, “I wanted to do something that allowed me to make work using a diverse mix of media and then share it easily. I also wanted to produce different tracks in a way that anybody could, hoping to inspire people to get up and do it for themselves.”
Clips can been seen and DVD purchased online at the lightrhythmvisuals site.
