Ultra Nate - Free

What this video is

Released March 31, 1997 on independent dance label Strictly Rhythm, 'Free' arrived at a pivotal intersection of US underground house music and UK mainstream pop. Co-written and produced by Mood II Swing (Lem Springsteen and John Ciafone), it fused soul, garage, disco, and dance-pop into a crossover anthem. The video's abandoned-hospital concept — directed by World of Wonder's Bailey and Barbato, key figures in…

Why it matters

'Free' is a canonical entry point in vocal house music history, cited by Billboard, Mixmag, and Pitchfork as among the finest house tracks of the 1990s. Its production by Mood II Swing exemplifies the NYC underground house sound crossing into UK garage and global pop. The video's conceptual…

The director

Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato met as film students at NYU-Tisch School of the Arts in the early 1980s and co-founded World of Wonder Productions in 1991. The Los Angeles-based company specializes in documentary television, film, and LGBTQ+ content. They…