This song is a direct connection to the simmering collective-consciousness that lives behind the world: with elements of nu jazz, hip hop, and electronic music, we have a mix of spirituality and avant-garde artistry. The music video for Kali Yuga joins a compelling live-dance aesthetic with shots of the LA river that might remind you of any number of movie scenes from years past: Transformers, The Italian Job, or Grease, for example.
But the sharp contrast between black-clad masked stranger, staid mariachis, mounted cowboys, and aggressive body language creates an original space between that Childish Gambino video that broke the internet and the compellingly physical performance-aesthetic of someone like Maggie Rogers. Kali Yuga, the latest from Oakland icon Zion I, is a visual smorgasbord of receding perspective, that incorporates the soul of Los Angeles into a compression of political acuity, personal revelation, and deep groove.