Converse Unleashes ‘Oh Hello’ Video Series with Friends, MNDR and Peanut Butter Wolf
In August, Andrew W.K., Soulja Boy, and Matt & Kims’s head-turning video for “I’m A Goner” for Converse’s Three Artists, One Song campaign instantly garnered buzz for its cheeky absurdism. Converse’s latest music film also involves three wide-ranging acts and is equally playful – and, thankfully, bloodless. The “Oh Hello” video series captures indie poppers Friends, dance maven MNDR, and Stones Throw impresario Peanut Butter Wolf in chatty vignettes at the sportwear label’s recently launched Rubber Tracks recording studio, an experimental work space where burgeoning artists can apply to record for free.
The eldest of the musicians, producer Peanut Butter Wolf, traces his Stones Throw label days back to its foundational year, 1996, when he was “only into to hip-hop.” He remains a master class DJ, an ongoing routine he says has come “full circle” as it allows him to continually rediscover (and reinterpret) music. The kids also keep him young: he thrives on “finding new talent and living through them,” claming his roster is stronger than ever.
Stylish synth artist MNDR, a.k.a. Amanda Warner, who plays Fun Fun Fest this weekend, represents the class of new talent Wolf admires. In her film, she discusses her love of Bay Area and Berlin techno scenes, growing up on a farm, and her early attempts at recording in her parents’ “modest 70s basement studio.” Her songs spring gradually from improvised keyboard chord progressions, she says, leaving lyrics for last. “Ten thousand years later, a song is born.” she laughs.
The third video segment focuses on Brooklyn female duo Friends, whose latest video for “I’m His Girl” is generating major blog hype. In their “Oh Hello” clip, the girls discuss their lifelong friendship (the band name is quite literal) and recording process. “It’s just kind of magical to be able to sing into a 50 year old microphone that makes you sound like a classic record,” Samantha Urbani says.
Watch Friends’ “Oh Hello” film for Converse:
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