Small Black: A Musical Tour of 5 Beekman

Years ago when I saw my first Takeaway Show video of Arcade Fire performing in an elevator I was utterly shocked and amazed. It took the concept of the music video to a whole new level, and it quickly ushered in a new paradigm for Internet music videos. Since then many have sought to capture the intimacy, artistry, and spontaneity of the Takeaway Show produced, unfortunately most have fallen short. Today I was made a believer again.

This morning Gothamist in partnership with the team at Foglight Films released a series of two videos recorded with Small Black at the abandoned building at 5 Beekman street, a building that has taken on legendary proportions in recent years in New York. Shot in the building’s five-story open air atrium caped by a gorgeous glass dome, the setting for this shoot is both mysterious and magical, not to mention acoustically mesmerizing. Filling this amazing space with sound, Small Black perform a perfectly stripped down version of “Camouflage” before retreating into the building’s interior to perform “Light Curse” while sitting in the round. View the first video above and check out the second after the jump.