FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Beshken's "Force of Evil" Video Will Blow Your Mind and Give You Peace

Watch the NYC beatmaker's beautiful stop motion video, soundtracked by field recordings gathered around the world.

We've had our eyes on electronic artist Ben Shirken—better known as Beshken—for a minute now, since he first lured us in with the waking dream vibes of last year's "Faceless" video alongside the mercurial grooves of his Closed Doors EP.

Since then, the LA-born, NYC-based beatmaker has met with some chaos. While waiting for a train to Florence at Rome's Termini station last summer, Shirken's backpack was stolen, and his laptop, hard drive, lyrics journal, and wallet lost along with it—more than five years worth of music gone, when all was said and done. At the same time, he was navigating a long distance relationship, and the combined experience inspired Shirken to pen his recently released For Time Is the Longest Distance Between Two People EP, a lush, chameleonic collection of rhythm-forward electronic tunes assembled from field recordings gathered in Florence, Tel Aviv, Big Sur, and New York. "The project explores growth that crystallizes over time after a work is unwillingly surrendered," Shirken said.

Today, Noisey is pleased to premiere the beautiful stop motion video for Beshken's song "Force of Evil", produced by animator Jordan Tager, and created using paper which she hand painted with gouache. It's a beautiful piece of work that draws on the song's central theme of self renewal, juxtaposing stark landscapes with surreal, vibrant world. "Self centeredness and the constant dismissal of Earth's decaying ecosystems will eventually lead to the destruction of our home planet," Shirken said. "The real question then becomes… How long do we have left?"

Watch the premiere of Beshken's "Force of Evil" video below.

Andrea Domanick is Noisey's West Coast Editor. Follow her on Twitter.