High5Collective
Encyclopedia
The High5Collective, often abbreviated H5C, is a group of independent visual artists based in Los Angeles
, California
. As a production team, they began releasing videos in May of 2011. The collective gained exposure mainly through the Indy blogosphere, but also received some support from larger websites such as Pitchfork
, Rolling Stone
, and The Huffington Post
. It is unclear who the members of the group are, although there has been speculation that there are five main individuals leading the collective. Their website provides the following information: “We make art for artists that inspire us. New videos every couple weeks. Enjoy the art, bitches.”
. On May 31st, 2011 the video was featured on Pitchfork in the Forkcast section of the website. On June 2nd, 2011 it was also featured on Rolling Stone’s website in which they described “[It] plays out like a sexy nightmare in which a group of party girls wander around the desert in a daze before encountering a mysterious man with a sinister, corrupting influence.”
Shortly after, they garnered notoriety with the subsequent releases of their unsanctioned videos for Frank Ocean
and Tyler, the Creator
of Los Angeles-based alternative hip hop collective OFWGKTA
. As High5Collective’s second appearance on Pitchfork, their video for Frank Ocean’s “We All Try” was featured in the Forkcast section on June 8th, 2011. Pitchfork mentions, “The video features a young woman in the wake of a heinous crime, and it concludes with a potentially fiery bang”. The video was also featured on WorldStarHipHop on June 9th, 2011
H5C’s first official video, for Dutch DJ Sander Kleinenberg’s song “This Is Our Night”, was released on June 13th, 2011. A week later the video was featured on the front page of VEVO
where it received 600,000 hits in a matter of days
High5Collective’s video for Tyler, the Creator’s “Transylvania” is perhaps their most controversial piece as of yet. Mark Schoneveld of Yvynyl wrote, “It’s fearless. It’s depraved. It’s disgusting. But wow, it’s good in the same way that Harmony Korine
’s film Kids
is good… there is definitive value to having a strong visceral reaction to art. It makes you question things. It makes you draw lines around your own values. It challenges you to define your right and wrong. It is invigorating. Or maybe, it really is just trash. Either way, this is bottom of the barrel in all the best ways possible.” On June 28th, 2011 Frank Ocean posted the Transylvania video on his personal Tumblr
and wrote, “this is good. trippy. but damn good”. The video for Transylvania also marks H5C’s second appearance on WorldStarHipHop, featured on June 28th, 2011.
On July 2nd, 2011 was the High5Collective’s first appearance in print, when they received a write-up in the UK magazine NME
. In the Buzz section was the caption, “The Cali-based creatives have been tickling our fancy of late with their ace and inventive avant-garde filmography. They say ‘we make videos for artists that inspire us’, a remit that focuses on creating ‘professional un-official’ clips. As such, they’re the brains behind the Weeknd’s ‘The Morning’ and Frank Ocean’s ‘We All Try’.”
On July 12th, 2011 was the High5Collective’s third appearance on Pitchfork with the video for Ty Segall
’s “Girlfriend”. Pitchfork wrote, “…as chilling as a few other unofficial productions the group has released recently.”
Their video for the song “The Suburbs” (an Arcade Fire cover) by Mr. Little Jeans – aka Norwegian singer Monica Birkenes – was featured on The Huffington Post on August 14th, 2011. Huffington Post remarked, “ Why bother even making a video when you’ve got these guys? A group called the High5Collective is putting out unofficial music videos for artists that are so well-done, everyone is giving them well-deserved credence… the video [“The Suburbs”] expresses the darkness of the suburbs in an unexpectedly brutal way, with a girl who appears to be disturbingly sad at the center.”
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. As a production team, they began releasing videos in May of 2011. The collective gained exposure mainly through the Indy blogosphere, but also received some support from larger websites such as Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, and The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
. It is unclear who the members of the group are, although there has been speculation that there are five main individuals leading the collective. Their website provides the following information: “We make art for artists that inspire us. New videos every couple weeks. Enjoy the art, bitches.”
History
The High5Collective first gained attention with the release of their unofficial video for the song “The Morning” by the Toronto-based independent R&B singer, The WeekndThe Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye , better known by his stage name The Weeknd is an Ethiopian Canadian singer. Songs recorded under The Weeknd name first leaked in late 2010, though the identity of the individual behind the project was initially unknown.The Weeknd released a nine-song mixtape, House of Balloons, on...
. On May 31st, 2011 the video was featured on Pitchfork in the Forkcast section of the website. On June 2nd, 2011 it was also featured on Rolling Stone’s website in which they described “[It] plays out like a sexy nightmare in which a group of party girls wander around the desert in a daze before encountering a mysterious man with a sinister, corrupting influence.”
Shortly after, they garnered notoriety with the subsequent releases of their unsanctioned videos for Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis Ocean , better known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of OFWGKTA.-2005-2010: Career beginnings:...
and Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Okonma , better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator, is an American rapper, record producer, music video director, actor, graphic artist and fashion designer from Los Angeles, currently signed to English independent record label XL Recordings and his own record label, Odd Future...
of Los Angeles-based alternative hip hop collective OFWGKTA
OFWGKTA
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, often abbreviated OFWGKTA and also known simply as Odd Future or Golf Wang, is an alternative hip hop collective from Los Angeles, California...
. As High5Collective’s second appearance on Pitchfork, their video for Frank Ocean’s “We All Try” was featured in the Forkcast section on June 8th, 2011. Pitchfork mentions, “The video features a young woman in the wake of a heinous crime, and it concludes with a potentially fiery bang”. The video was also featured on WorldStarHipHop on June 9th, 2011
H5C’s first official video, for Dutch DJ Sander Kleinenberg’s song “This Is Our Night”, was released on June 13th, 2011. A week later the video was featured on the front page of VEVO
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
where it received 600,000 hits in a matter of days
High5Collective’s video for Tyler, the Creator’s “Transylvania” is perhaps their most controversial piece as of yet. Mark Schoneveld of Yvynyl wrote, “It’s fearless. It’s depraved. It’s disgusting. But wow, it’s good in the same way that Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine
The story is told from the perspective of a young man suffering from untreated schizophrenia, played by Ewen Bremner, as he tries to understand his deteriorating world. Julien's abusive father is played by Werner Herzog...
’s film Kids
Kids (film)
Kids is a 1995 drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.The film features Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Harold Hunter, and Rosario Dawson, all of them in their debut performances...
is good… there is definitive value to having a strong visceral reaction to art. It makes you question things. It makes you draw lines around your own values. It challenges you to define your right and wrong. It is invigorating. Or maybe, it really is just trash. Either way, this is bottom of the barrel in all the best ways possible.” On June 28th, 2011 Frank Ocean posted the Transylvania video on his personal Tumblr
Tumblr
Tumblr is a website and microblogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog. Users can follow other users, or choose to make their tumblelog private. The service emphasizes ease of use. The site ranks as the 10th...
and wrote, “this is good. trippy. but damn good”. The video for Transylvania also marks H5C’s second appearance on WorldStarHipHop, featured on June 28th, 2011.
On July 2nd, 2011 was the High5Collective’s first appearance in print, when they received a write-up in the UK magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. In the Buzz section was the caption, “The Cali-based creatives have been tickling our fancy of late with their ace and inventive avant-garde filmography. They say ‘we make videos for artists that inspire us’, a remit that focuses on creating ‘professional un-official’ clips. As such, they’re the brains behind the Weeknd’s ‘The Morning’ and Frank Ocean’s ‘We All Try’.”
On July 12th, 2011 was the High5Collective’s third appearance on Pitchfork with the video for Ty Segall
Ty Segall
Ty Segall is an American musician and songwriter. He sings, plays guitar and drums. He has released four solo albums and is a member of the bands The Traditional Fools, Epsilons, Party Fowl, Sic Alps, and The Perverts.-Recording career:...
’s “Girlfriend”. Pitchfork wrote, “…as chilling as a few other unofficial productions the group has released recently.”
Their video for the song “The Suburbs” (an Arcade Fire cover) by Mr. Little Jeans – aka Norwegian singer Monica Birkenes – was featured on The Huffington Post on August 14th, 2011. Huffington Post remarked, “ Why bother even making a video when you’ve got these guys? A group called the High5Collective is putting out unofficial music videos for artists that are so well-done, everyone is giving them well-deserved credence… the video [“The Suburbs”] expresses the darkness of the suburbs in an unexpectedly brutal way, with a girl who appears to be disturbingly sad at the center.”
Filmography
- The Weeknd – The Morning (May 2011)
- Frank Ocean – We All Try (June 2011)
- Sander Kleinenberg – This Is Our Night (June 2011)
- Tyler, the Creator – Transylvania (June 2011)
- Le Chuck (June 2011)
- Timmy and Beakman (June 2011)
- Antarctic Riffs (June 2011)
- Does It Offend You, Yeah? – The Wrestler (July 2011)
- Le Miaow – You and Me (July 2011)
- Ty Segall – Girlfriend (July 2011)
- Tranny Extras (July 2011)
- Hush The Fuck Up (July 2011)
- Hush Hush – Sex Party (July 2011)
- Mr. Little Jeans – The Suburbs (August 2011)
- Sander Kleinenberg – Closer (September 2011)