CHAI - PARA PARA - Official Music Video

What this video is

Released June 14, 2023 as the lead single from CHAI's final self-titled album (Sub Pop/Sony Music, September 22, 2023), 'PARA PARA' memorializes the para para two-step dance trend that swept Japan in the 1990s. The video arrives at a pivotal moment: CHAI returning to Japanese cultural roots after their internationally collaborative WINK (2021), channeling city pop, eurobeat, and J-pop nostalgia filtered through a…

Why it matters

A landmark document of neo-kawaii's global maturation: CHAI synthesize 1990s Japanese para para dance culture, Yellow Magic Orchestra-lineage synth-pop, Talking Heads/Devo new wave, and Sub Pop indie sensibility into a single visual-sonic artifact. The video's Stratford-directed analog aesthetic…

The director

Los Angeles-based director and video artist; founder of Telefantasy Studios (est. 2004), an analog media lab specializing in broadcast and practical effects techniques. Her work spans music videos, teleplays, sci-fi serials, and immersive installations,…