Piercing through the sound waves with a radioactive tinge and funky swagger, NYC musician binki blurs the lines of conventional music genres with his biting new EP, Motor Function. Out now via Fader Label, the four-song release is driven by a post punk attitude, binki’s shapeshifting vocals and electrified instrumentals. Danceable, head banging and loose, binki hits multiple targets with his fresh take on anti-love songs via effortless vocal transformations and an acid-drenched delivery.
Now, binki has released the music video for the last song off Motor Function, “Invisible Fence.” The inventive cinematic piece was inspired partially by great heist movies throughout the decades — this concept inspired by the song’s fast paced nature. With a charismatic performance and playful delivery, the music video crashes together in a fun and nonchalant way.
“To me, the song sounded like it came out of a heist movie from France or something,” notes Drake Li, the director of the music video. “So I wanted the video to reflect that and reference some of those kinda films. We took the most inspiration from Chungking Express and Le Femme Nikita. The actual shoot was a little hectic. We may or may not have been shooting without permits. We might have been kicked out of our main location. The guy who kicked us out might have been a total asshole. Maybe. Allegedly.”
While the filming of the video was a bit frantic, the final result is indicative of an artist who doesn’t just think outside the box, but rather embraces the space where there are no mental boundaries. Born to Kenyan immigrants, binki, AKA Baraka Ongeri, started out with an interest in acting, but fell in love with music instead. Influenced by his older sister’s music taste, and taking time during the pandemic to immerse himself in music theory and groundbreaking and stylistic musicians including David Bowie, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Lou Reed — binki has broken through the music scene thanks in part to his unique musical prowess and grassroots efforts to share his music and connect with fans.
“My lyrics are typically inspired by my day-to-day experiences,” says binki. “They come out like vomit. [Being in quarantine] I was in this position where I had a massive desire to make stuff but the obstacles were just too big.”
Though the pandemic hampered binki’s inclination to make new music, it helped ground him in new ways of thinking as he exposed himself to multiple artists and points of inspiration. And, this fall, binki will embark on his first U.S. tour supporting Glass Animals with two shows at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary on Sept. 18 & 19. He will also have a show at Santa Ana’s Constellation Room supporting Role Model on Nov. 9.
Words: Patti Sanchez
For more information, make sure to follow binki on Instagram.
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