Polo & Pan Explain What ‘Ani Kuni’ Means to Them, and How Its Colorful Music Video Came to Be
French electro-pop producer duo Polo & Pan are two very talented artists who find inspiration in the most interesting of places, and their latest track certainly follows that trend.
Today, May 7, they dropped "Ani Kuni," a lively (and club-worthy) reimagining of a childhood favorite song, with a vibrantly colorful illustrated lyric video to match. But what's the meaning behind "Ani Kuni," and what exactly does it mean to Polo & Pan? We got the chance to ask them directly, and here's what they told us.
Sweety High: What's the meaning behind "Ani Kuni"? Where does the song come from, and why does it have a special place in your heart?
Polo & Pan: "Ani Kuni" is a Native American song that sounds like a beautiful lullaby. We know it from a recording from Canadian artist, Madeleine Chatelard, that was popular in France when we were kids. Interestingly, our own children know this song, too. It's become a kindergarten classic for teachers in France. "Ani Kuni" absolutely represents our love of treasured childhood memories and our wish to transform and transmit our musical inspirations.
SH: What made you decide to take this song and make it your own? What was that process like?
Polo & Pan: First, we tried the Madeleine Chatelard sample on a beat we were working on. It worked immediately. We were very excited. Then we decided to go all-in and re-record the vocal.
SH: Whose vocals are featured on the track? What kind of production did you want to do to bring the most out of their voices?
Polo & Pan: The choir is quite an improbable troop: our two lovely girlfriends, our amazing singer Victoria, our precious creative illustrator and her cheeky daughters. A real family choir! We recorded them with a 1972 Revox tape recorder to capture that rich vintage tape sound.
SH: Who illustrated the amazing music video for the song? Was it a collaborative effort, or did you just give them the song and let them run with it?
Polo & Pan: The illustrators are Noemi Ferst and Benjamin Moreau, co-founders of Radiooooo.com and our creative collaborators since the beginning, from our visuals to our videos and our live performances. We brainstormed together and came up with the idea of making a lyric video roughly based on Sesame Street inspirations. After the initial idea was set, we let them do their thing as they had to work with a very pressing deadline. Once again, we were amazed by the result!
SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Polo & Pan: We are all in need of a big celebration after these past months, we hope this song will bring the child out of you!
Love discovering great new music? Click HERE to find out the meaning behind Cooper Phillip's new song "Perfectly Original."