xThe local music scene in Singapore has flourished rapidly over the years. Mixing a form of modern art with traditional ethnic cultures has created a flow of rhythm that is unlike any other in the world. Taking front and centre stage in more recent times is the hip-hop artists of Singapore. Acts like Shigga Shay, Lineath and many others have created their own unique sound that shows their vision of the Lion City in lyrics. Very recently, WORKINPROGRESS have had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of two of Singapore’s rising lyrical geniuses latest music project.
Rapper Ihasamic! and producer Wovensound have collabed in the past. But what they cooked up for the New Year of 2021 was beyond the scope of anything they’ve done before. Ihasamic!’s latest EP, Repack, was the love child of these two artists coming together once again and it delivers on all fronts. A mix of smooth, captivating vocals from artists such as CHAE, Shai and Raina Sum blend with Ihasamic!’s hard-hitting and entrancing rap lyrics across 4 tracks that make up this stellar EP.
Along with the audio launch of Repack, the duo wanted to release an accompanying Visual EP, taking their viewers through the album’s addictive lo-fi sounds and impeccable direction on the screen. Directed by Ihasamic, this Visual EP brings the viewer through a journey, viewing the thoughts of a person struggling with his mental health and this feels like a never-ending loop.
Shoot In Progress
That video was shot a few weeks prior to the Repack EP launch on Jan 7. Within the span of 6 hours, the visually stunning music video was directed and filmed by Ihasamic! and his talented team.
WORKINPROGRESS went down to assist with the shoot. The experience was eye-opening for us. It gave our team a better understanding and insider knowledge on the behind the scenes works of a music video shoot.
Our day started at 9 am as we made our way to the art studio at UBI tech park. Once in the large indoor studio, time just seemed to fly by. From 10 am to 12 noon we helped with the setting up of lights, cameras and set props. After preparing everything that would be needed for the first scene, a small break followed before we began to shoot.
The 6-hour shoot was a rewarding process. Our WORKINPROGRESS Creative, Ameer, was working alongside camerawoman Hannah Teo to capture every scene of the video perfectly. Their combined efforts along with precise instructions from the video’s Art Director, Qiyan “Rice” Tan, allowed things to move much more smoothly and quickly.
The Slam Dunk
The highlight of the shoot would be the climactic scene where Ihasamic! would have his head dunked into a 3ft tank. A scene where he would be rapping the lyrics to the album’s 3rd track, Scream Me To Sleep, underwater.
We ran into a few unexpected problems when shooting this particular part, starting with how we were going to fill the tank. It took a moment but we eventually worked around the problem of not having any buckets by using one of the camera cases as a makeshift to fill the tank.
Once the tank was filled we were ready to dunk Ihasamic! into it. After a few dry practice-runs, the cameras began to roll and he was dunked headfirst into the tank by a very excited Wovensounds. Though there were a few hiccups, the resulting visual that was captured was phenomenal.
The shoot, and album, closed with the final track, Tight Timeline Revert ASAP. A fitting track which allowed Ihasmics!’s to ‘thank’ his audience for listening to him and following him through his musical train of thought that was Repack. The ending visual of the whole crew, including our team from WORKINPROGRESS, was a fitting end to what was a magnificent team effort by everyone involved to make this video shoot a resounding success.
It’s A Wrap
With the video shoot wrapped up, all that was left was the editing, which was handled by Ihasamic himself. Our team had captured many behind the scenes shots that were used as art pieces during the launch of the video. One of the images captured by our colleague Divian was also used as the official cover art for the launch of the video.
Our collaboration with his team wasn’t over yet though. At the launch of Repack, we worked together with him again, this time capturing the reactions of his guests as they viewed his Visual EP for the first time.
The launch was an overwhelming success and the Repack EP was widely praised by fans and critics alike. The success of Repack is a testament to the hard work put in by Ihasamic and Wovensound. The EP is a beautiful, engaging musical adventure with the accompanying video being the icing on the cake.
You can stream the Repack EP now on Spotify and check out the Visual EP on Ihasamic!’s official page here. Ihasamic! and Wovensounds next EP, the six-track project ‘Vertigos Fulfilled’, will be out in June and we are all itching to hear more from this amazing duo.
The Repack video shoot was a memorable and unforgettable experience for us at WORKINPROGRESS. We look forward to working with Ihasamic, Wovensound and the rest of their amazing team in the future.
