The Chinese band Absolute Purity and FRED & FARID Shanghai Release Dystopian Music Video 'Crime Fiction'

The band Absolute Purity, led by the singer Wen Jun, and the team at FRED & FARID Shanghai have created a thought-provoking and visually stunning work of art that challenges us to reflect on our relationship with technology. 

Absolute Purity, one of the hottest upcoming bands in China, and independent creative agency FRED & FARID Shanghai, have teamed up to create a new music video for their single 'Crime Fiction.' In a world where ChatGPT hits the earth like an asteroid, the music video is a dystopian narrative that critiques the total control that technology can have on society contrary to the initial promise of technology to be a liberation.

Propelled by their lead singer, Wen Jun (文隽), a talented young Chinese artist, Absolute Purity is re-energizing the young Chinese generation with their music, a contradictory mix of a fierce and extreme force, alongside tasteful drops of poetic innocence and desperation. Their style mixes post-punk, electronic, experimental, and psychedelic, making them one of the most exciting bands on the Chinese music scene today.

“When I was writing the lyrics of this song, I wanted to capture my own inner feelings about the tension and pull between people and their relationships. The lyrics are intentionally vague, abstract, and more focused on emotions and consciousness, leaving space for the listener's own projection and imagination" says Wen Jun ( 文隽 / Lead singer at Absolute Purity).

In this narrative dance film, we are transported to a future where people are disconnected from each other and consumed by virtual reality. The hero, a mother with a young baby, is suddenly disconnected from her headset and begins to dance, breaking free from the virtual world and reconnecting with her emotions. Encouraged by this newfound freedom, she seeks to liberate her roommates and baby and escape from her virtual prison. As she finally frees herself and her roommates, we understand that their escape wasn’t real. It was just another level of the simulation. 

“When I was writing the lyrics of this song, I wanted to capture my own inner feelings about the tension and pull between people and their relationships. The lyrics are intentionally vague, abstract, and more focused on emotions and consciousness, leaving space for the listener's own projection and imagination" says Wen Jun ( 文隽 / Lead singer at Absolute Purity).

In this narrative dance film, we are transported to a future where people are disconnected from each other and consumed by virtual reality. The hero, a mother with a young baby, is suddenly disconnected from her headset and begins to dance, breaking free from the virtual world and reconnecting with her emotions. Encouraged by this newfound freedom, she seeks to liberate her roommates and baby and escape from her virtual prison. As she finally frees herself and her roommates, we understand that their escape wasn’t real. It was just another level of the simulation.

'Crime Fiction' is an essential commentary on the impact of technology on society and is a testament to the power of creative collaboration. The music video is a perfect example of how music can transcend cultural boundaries and provide a platform for meaningful discourse. The dystopian theme of the music video resonates with the current global dystopian zeitgeist, where individuals and societies are grappling with the impact of technology on our lives.

'Crime Fiction' is above all "an unapologetically brash satire about a future humanity so consumed with advanced VR and the infinite possibilities of the Metaverse that it has been totally subjugated to technology," says Feng Huang, CEO/Partner and Executive Creative Director at FRED & FARID Shanghai.

As French Renaissance writer, François Rabelais, said "Science sans conscience n’est que ruine de l’âme [Science without conscience is nothing but the ruin of the soul] – "We all have a responsibility when it comes to our relationship with innovation and technology. Especially here in China, where the technological penetration rate across generations is extremely high," opines Adrien Goris, Group Creative Director at FRED & FARID Shanghai.

FF Production, FRED & FARID Shanghai’s in-house production company, gathered a team of mavericks for the project, including DJ Furth, a versatile American-born director and true visual artist, who spent a decade living in China and has recently worked with top brands such as Nike, Louis Vuitton x Numero, Saint Laurent, and Celine.

"The project was created in the midst of so much uncertainty, navigating fluctuating Covid policies in China, and yet together with the FRED & FARID team, we pulled it off in a truly impressive way," says DJ Furth.

Anneliese Charek, an super-talented LA-born choreographer based in Shanghai, imagined the entire choreography performance for the talents in this 5-minute-long music video. Together, they relentlessly practiced for weeks in their studio, even practicing at home during Shanghai's city-wide lockdown. Among many other renowned talents, such as the acclaimed Australian film editor Matt Osborne, senior colorist Nicola Gasparri at The Mill Shanghai, upcoming cinematographer Goopi, and production designer Majima, as well as the online/VFX duo Patrick Firmansyah & Allegra Firmansyah from PXA CO.LtD.

'Crime Fiction' is now available on all major streaming platforms, and the music video can be viewed on the band's official social media channels.