Leave it to Basement Jaxx to make me not hate the ubiquity and bland appropriation of twerking in pop culture lately. Just as the word has become shorthand for “I know a funny street word,” there’s this delightful video from the electronic/dance act for their track “Never Say Never.”

The ready-for-the-disco track is the second single from their upcoming album, Junto. It’s like a cuddly Chris Cunningham video, featuring a team of Japanese researchers trying to build the perfect Twerk-bot in order to help the world up its twerking game.

Saman Kesh wrote and directed the video, which feels like a piece with his Controller short, which likewise featured bleeding-edge technology in a gleaming version of Japan. Kesh has also directed videos for Placebo and Cinnamon Chasers.

Junto is the duo’s first album since 2009’s mostly excellent Scars (they also contributed to the Attack the Block soundtrack which was absolutely flawless). This feels like the Basement Jaxx team of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe returning to their Rooty days, with soul and more soul and disco-inspired sound – I like it. Less so, their previous single from the same album, “Unicorn,” which is more mid-90s house music than I’m ready for this afternoon. Ask me again later, I might like it.

Junto will be available on August 26 from PIAS America.

[Source: Gizmodo]