Pleasure Center is the newest music video from music artist Terabyte. Filmed in her home town Montana before and during quarantine, the creative focus was very apparent. Born Terra Marotz, her credentials include producer as well as performer. We suggest putting on your best Disco outfit, order a quarantine drink and switch on your laptops and smartphones to get into the PLEASURE CENTER!
Interview Meikee Magnetic
How has quarantine been so far for you?
Quarantine has been like an entire life inside life. A month has felt like an eternity because so much is happening in spite of no longer having a day job and social life. It took me a while to adjust to the new way of being and have been moving through a lot of anxiety this year, and I know everyone is. I feel very fortunate in my circumstances and I know that many people are really struggling right now. For me, it’s been really nice to be able to do what I love on the regular with no other obligations getting in the way. I will say though, that the anxiety of 2020 sometimes makes it difficult to focus sometimes. I’m honestly less afraid of Covid than I am of our fascist government and climate change but that’s a conversation for another day. The free time is still nice though, I’m getting a lot of exercise, making and eating lots of good homemade food… it’s actually not the worst. I’ve always been an introvert so I welcome all the free alone time. I’m currently in my hometown in Montana. With everything closed down in LA, I figured there’s no better place to be this time of year.
How were you able to create your new music video ‘Pleasure Center’ during lockdown?
Well the first part of it was actually made pre-lockdown when I was home for Christmas. I have known Ben Jacobson of Galactic Rabbit Films since I was about 6 years old. He’s been into film forever and we had talked about shooting a video together for some time. This was the first Christmas I had been able to be home for awhile. Myself, Ben, his fiancé, my brother and his girlfriend had an all-night party in Ben’s garage. It was freezing because it was the middle of winter. Then in March when COVID (lockdown) descended on us, I decided to come back to Montana and be with my family. We wanted to make the video a little more diverse than the one location, so it was nice to have the chance to come back up and work with Ben. That’s where the shots from the lake came from, the lake in the video is a huge freshwater lake near my hometown. In the spring, the water is really low before they let out the dam on the main stem of the river that flows into the lake. It exposes a huge sandy beach, that was really fun to shoot. We had to keep an eye on the elements, this time of year is known for its epic thunderstorms. During May/June everything is very lush and green. The sunlight sometimes pokes out under huge storm clouds, it’s breathtaking. I was excited to try and capture that vibe.
Do you think filming in your hometown sparked more creativity with you and your team?
Absolutely, this area has always been very inspiring to me. I feel my body physically responding to being in nature because I’m more at peace and able to create more freely. I was being encouraged to come up here and film more with Ben, I’m glad that was able to happen. It took a long time to do a live stream, but I finally did it from a camper in my driveway at home. We got pretty excited about the prospect of more live streaming.
Could you explain to us some of the meaning behind the video and song?
Pleasure Center was written in the middle of a very strange time for me of course, like a lot of pop music, the song was initially inspired by a break up. I wanted to take the idea of a break up and make it bigger, like that general feeling of emptiness and just wanting to actually feel pleasure again. The song is about being in a rut and the beauty of falling apart. It was like the end of 2019 and 2020 have been the strangest years of my life (everyone’s probably). Just this giant pendulum of emotions swinging back and forth in the most peculiar and poignant ways. In May 2019 I’d been listening to Boy Harsher’s album “Careful” on repeat and watching crime shows. I absolutely love how dark their sound is and the very specific mood they invoke. I noticed how crime shows always seem to have arpeggiated synth music. My EP ‘GPS’ was very inspired by this era of big death/rebirth/finding yourself and strength moods.
What does dark beauty mean to you now?
Today, Dark Beauty makes me think of this tarot card I have. On it there are two figures hugging each other, they are identical but one is black and one is white. It symbolizes the dualities that exist within an individual, the act of self-reflection, and the acceptance of suffering as part of you. Yet to accept it with gentleness! Love your darkness…
MORE INFO:
www.terabytemusic.com
www.facebook.com/theeterabyte
