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Video premiere: Devata Daun sends “Animal Instincts” to space

by Cecilia Johnson

August 31, 2016

I never thought of Icehouse as a movie theater before. But last night, when the curtains behind the venue's stage were swept aside to reveal a mounted screen, I felt like I was sitting in a cinema. On the floor, the patient, hushed audience kept their heads tilted up, and they clapped in anticipation for the main event: a video premiere from local "darkwave" artist Devata Daun.

Daun's "Animal Instincts" is bassy and, yes, dark — but in the way that darkness makes light stand out. It's the third track off her debut album, Look, which she released in April 2016. The video is a solid helping of ambition; to pull off the space shots and gorgeous colors, Daun enlisted Wonderboom Productions' J.Maki as director/editor, Wonderboom's Kyndra Cuartas as director of photography/wardrobe, Wet Poodle Productions (specifically Mike Niederjohn) for VFX, Kaci Wegleitner for make-up, and Gina Paitich for hair. Conrad Flemming built the spaceship set design.

Last night's Icehouse premiere (which also featured performances from K.Raydio, Nick Jordan, and Daun's labelmate/producer c.Kostra) may have been a one-time event, but we can (and should) return to the video over and over.

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.