Zen TV DVD Various Artists Ninja Tune DVD (2004) Available at Amazon.

The video medium from labels of Ninja Tune's caliber remains obscure to many of us on the opposite side of the pond; you simply can't flip on American MTV and catch an Amon Tobin video, which is beyond frustrating. Thankfully, Zen TV offers the creme de la creme of material for the deprived among us. Anything goes here, from hand-drawn and computer-generated animation to gonzo cut 'n paste editing to handycam shots and traditional live action footage. What makes this DVD a spectacle is the keen, imaginative vision of the video direction, sometimes handled by the original artists and limited only by the meager budgets of music industry independence.

Many of the selections are heavy on the animation end: Wagon Christ's "Receiver" (A wild sci-fi tale crossing the visual styles of the Futurama TV series with the first Heavy Metal film), Herbalizer's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (featuring crude, stylized cityscapes breathing with graffitti line quality and urban imagery) and Kid Koala's "Basin Street Blues" (an alt comix homage by director Monkmus, cleverly utilizing the artist's turntable heroics to fill in the story) represent the gold standard for 2-D. And, of course, this showcase wouldn't be complete without Mr. Scruff, who offers three playful videos (the classic "Get A Move On" among them) of a winsome visual style that fans will recognize from his packaging and live shows (trainspotters may notice the slight evolution of Scruff's ridiculously child-like "egg people" over the span of time).

On the CGI front, Amon Tobin's "Verbal" takes us on a spectacular Tron-like car chase in three colorful dimensions, and his strange but wonderful "4 Ton Mantis" invokes a computer-generated insect mixed with disturbing video techniques (live action shots of people freeze in the frame; body parts fly off in nightmarish directions.) The Pixar prize, though, might well go to Bonobo, whose director, Conkerco, gives "Pick Up" a surreal pixelated visual somewhere in the ballpark of a spaghetti western and a Dali painting.

We're also treated to more "typical" video fare. Blockhead's "Insomniac Olympics" tells a compelling story of a guy wide awake and with nothing to do; he sits in his apartment and goes through a gamut of distractions before he settles on a deck of cards (then the fun begins). Cinematic Orchestra shows you don't have to be fancy to be effective; "All That You Give" offers the band playing instruments in a lounge club, with legendary singer Fontella Bass belting out notes in close up and with emotional payoff. Neotropic takes a camcorder out while jaunting through scenic imagery, peppering her mellow, harmonica-drenched "Sunflower Girl" with trippy visions of streams, brush and sunflowers.

Not everything on Zen TV will pummel you with minty freshness. There's a completist undercurrent at work here -- some of the older visual work comes across as dated in this format. In particular, Coldcut's "Re:volution" and "More Beats And Pieces" push forth cut 'n paste visuals that mirror their musical techniques. Though the style is slightly derivative (EBN did the surgical video splicing thing first), I wouldn't have it any other way; the low tech vids are packed with Coldcut's barnstorming wit and offer a refreshing and kitschy respite from the rest of Zen TV's ultra slickness. (Guilty pleasure: watching footage of Tony Blair spouting lines like "The lunatics have taken over the asylum!")

There's quite a bit more here that I haven't mentioned, including videos by fairly recent signees like Skalpel and Jaga Jazzist. All of it is worth a look. As a bonus, check out the extras section which allows you to play the videos in random or sequential order, or put on a slide show of past Ninja Tune cover art (perfect for parties!) There is also a segment by Hexstatic, which mashes many of the videos into an extended, overlapping VJ mix (a fascinating favorite of yours truly).

With music video direction getting its proper due and artists like Michel Gondry being treated as true auteurs, Zen TV is a truly timely product.

-- Walt Miller