Labsessions, a new video and intimate concert series curated by Charleston artist Khari Lucas is impressive from the start. The opening shot of their debut session with Infinitikiss is a pair of overhead shots followed by a 20 foot moving camera shot that looks like it was done with tracking, yet there is no track. Â The three videos are beautifully shot in the Hed Hi Media studio in Charleston, and place a general focus on music with soul and jazz influence, along with focusing on artists of color. This series is set to film between March and July with the shoot dates of each artist listed at the bottom of the post. Just last week they recorded their second installment featuring Diaspoura.Â
Labsessions looks to shine a light on Charleston’s thriving underground music scene, one that doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. In their press release they note that “the majority of institutions and venues have typically failed to provide a proper platform for many artists in the area who do not fit into those genres and scenes that are celebrated. Factors such as racial prejudice and general favoritism have contributed to this.” With this series they aim to work against these issues by providing a platform and resources to showcase their talent and art.
Underground scenes like Charleston’s and the artists that this series will feature have long been the true lifeblood of music scenes in the past. The unconventional sometimes breaks through at unexpected times, often depending on the nature of society. I say this specifically with the No Wave art and music scene of late 70’s and 80’s in New York in mind, though that anti genre scene faced some different challenges than what Lab Session’s mentions.
The reception of the videos so far has been overwhelming on social media, as would be expected from such a well done project. Two drummers of popular South Carolina indie rock acts commented on the series, one calling Infinitikiss frontman Nick Jenkins a visionary, while the other noting that it was the coolest South Carolina music content he’d seen in a while. Over the years we’ve seen Nick Jenkins in a variety of ways, showcasing experimental music and art at Indie Grits and another series that came to mind, his sound experiment residency at King Dusko called Dojo Nowhere a couple of years ago. As unconventional as the artists in this series are, they are embraced across the SC music scene in a variety of ways, often covered in a positive light by Charleston City Paper along with Free Times in Columbia, along with finding homes for the avant-garde at venues like Redux, Infinite Room, and the Nickelodeon Theatre community and Indie Grits Festival in the Midlands. This series looks to open that window even more, already racking up nearly 5,000 views on Facebook since its Monday release.
Schedule
March 9th – Infinitikiss April 6th – Diaspoura May 4th – Contour June 1 – The Ands July 13th – Niecy Blues
