Dev Ray
So Many Wizards offshoot Dev Ray presents the following world premiere for their Elise Mesner directed video for “I’m So Excited”; a cover of the Pointer Sisters’ eternal classic. From primitive lipstick applications, blue mattress antics & a whole lot more; Dev Ray angles the radio standard toward more contemplative, & subtle stratospheres of sound. Band leader Devin Ratliff transforms the 80s gem into a spa day outing excuse involving synchronized poses, grapes, cherries, ice cream cones & a whole lotta choreographed dance moves. Their rendering of the Pointer Sisters’ perennial favorite becomes something of an avant-garde art house event where post-modern meditations turns into an eccentric afternoon to remember.
Dev Ray’s rendering of “I’m So Excited” becomes a visual feast for the senses where the epitome of ecstatic exhilaration is expressed through hosts of calisthenics & splashes of color. From vintage cordless phones submerged in water & a whole host of synchronized maneuvers & movements; Dev Ray rejuvenates through meditative actions that exhibit everything that revolves around a kind of subdued state of ineffable excitement. The lipstick streaked mattress rising & rolling motions are seen in slow motion, as the original is transformed into a tranquil & transcendent day at an idiosyncratic sort of spa. The Pointer Sisters post-disco classic is re-rendered into an affectionate display of rollicking, rocking, & rolling gestures that exhibit the aspect of losing control (as the original insinuates) and all the good times associated with. From here we see all sorts of fancy sherbet ice cream, multicolored bottles of soda pop & the director’s own cameo that runs from ballerina style footwork on the bright blue mattress to entertaining a bevy of polychrome beads in a bathtub. Dev Ray updates the old school hymn for the ages with a track that will inspire everyone to indulge in the arts of self-care & acts of treating one’s self to a day of leisure.
Dev Ray’s own Devin Ratliff introduced their cover of “I’m So Excited” & the corresponding Elise Mesner visuals with the following insights:
The idea of covering “I’m So Excited” had been a flirtation of mine for years. It started out as a joke to myself; how insanely upbeat this song is intrigued me, but I’d sing the chorus out loud, slowed down and dreary—to amuse myself and whoever was standing next to me. I soon realized, “I’m So Excited” would sound really good this way and wanted to do it without an ounce of irony. I played it on the organ and knew it would work because the chord progression is so sweet. I looked up all the lyrics and they resonated with me and my past experiences.
My good friend, Elise Mesner heard my cover and completely loved it. She said, we have to do a video for this! YEAH! There is nothing better in the world than to have someone voluntarily want to work on art with you. I was so honored and excited. We both instinctively knew that we wanted the video to be surreal and artful. Elise is the perfect collaborator. I call her the “Queen of Clean” because she’s a photographer first and knows how to compose a clean shot and has a great sense of production/creative design. She was very insistent on having the blue mattress star in the video and I was very insistent on having her completely submerged in the bathtub! This is my first collaboration with Elise and I am so happy to finally share it. Also, we just released a So Many Wizards video and in current production for a video for my other band Dr. Fadeaway fronted by the amazing Alathea Reese. Exciting stuff!
