In the neon-lit visual model and dancer Dak explores the intersection of his Zimbabwean identity and his queerness through raving.
femme culture co-founder Elkka wrote ‘I. Miss. Raving.’ at the beginning of 2020, in response to the initial days of the pandemic. As we approach a full year of living with COVID-19, the sentiment feels just as urgent.
“When this track was originally written I had no understanding of when the sentiment of nostalgia, frustration and unending desire to be out raving, to be alongside friends and strangers would expire,” she explains. “But here we are and it still feels just raw as it did when I wrote this towards the beginning of last year.”
“In times like these collaboration has been a saviour,” Elkka continues, “and fortunately I have some very talented friends who were able to create something beautiful and symbiotic to go alongside the music which I think really captures the moment we are living in.” She called upon director of photography Michael Filocamo and director Alex Lambert to create the video.
The producer enlisted the talents of dancer and model Dak for the video, who uses the neon-lit visual accompaniment as an opportunity to explore the intersection of his Zimbabwean identity and his queerness through raving. “It stemmed from the idea of what it means to be a queer, gay, black Zimbabwean,” he explains. “Having a sense of identity or looking for it, and about self-discovery and navigating my way through different situations.”
“I have met many different people from different lives and that’s the beauty I always see in raving/party situations,” Dak continues, “finding my own queer family in which I am able to express myself in a safe, open minded, forward thinking and welcoming environment.”
“No matter who we are and where we are, one of the most fundamental human experiences is connection. Connecting with others and the beauty that comes as a result of all these connections made. It’s a marriage of dance, music, identity, personal experiences, freedom of expression and most of all, yearning for connection with other humans.”
‘I. Miss. Raving.’ is out now, on Local Action.
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