Peckham-born Temz Clipstar is cut from a different cloth. A self-confessed film and comic book buff, Temz may have only released his debut single at the top of the month, but it's already giving him a reputation for going against the grain. That debut single, "Down", has now been given some cinematic visuals courtesy of director George Maguire and it really doubles down on that, incorporating science fiction and romantic comedies into his unique brand of rap.
Produced by long-time collaborator Fergus Martin, the track itself is a woozy, almost psychedelic piece of hip-hop, dripping in charm and personality. Brining all that to life in ways you might not expect, the George Maguire-directed video amplifies the rom-com themed lyrics and puts them into a sci-fi setting that calls to mind the likes of Blade Runner and Ex Machina. In it, our protagonist is shown struggling with his love life, eventually resorting to trying to find love with an android... before that fails him as well.
Speaking with Complex via email, Temz told us: "The video for 'Down' is directed by George Maguire and combines my love of rom-coms and dystopian movies. The concept of the video is about a man who has everything in the world but still struggling to find someone 'down' for him, so he ends up buying an android. He tries to teach her affection and throughout the video she becomes a lot warmer to the main character, almost showing human like emotions, however it never truly fills the void of having a real person who's 'down'. This vacant feeling is compounded in the last scene, when his android malfunctions, leaving him alone once more."
