Ted Kennedy

Electronic artist Ted Kennedy has been quietly leaving his imprint on Toronto's DIY scene for years, and his video for "Falling" is like his big, colour-packed unveiling.

Originally hailing from Barrie, ON, and calling Toronto home for the better part of a decade, Kennedy has built a community around Handlebar's monthly Frequencies concert series, which he founded, and the Killjoy Collective. As much a musician as a careful curator, Kennedy has worked both on the stage and behind the scenes to create a vibrant space for budding Ontario artists, producers and MCs.

It's fitting, then, that his visually stunning "Falling" video grew serendipitously out of that scene. Its inspiration came from a Frequencies show where Kennedy and his co-performers played in front of colourful flashing retro computer visuals. Some Minor Noise frontwoman Jane Void came away with this Instagram post, and it served as the template for the whole video.

Kennedy went to fellow Killjoy members Karol Orzechowski and Jill Krasnicki, better known as the electronic artist Animalia, to create the video, which came together in three weeks. Orzechowski helped Kennedy expand the aesthetic of that Instagram post into a full, fleshed-out concept that also captured the song's darkly melodic and brooding atmosphere.

It features quickly changing colours and geometric shapes projected over Kennedy with a silhouette of Krasnicki dancing in the background. "It was totally improvised in the moment," Kennedy said of her strikingly elegant dancing. "I asked her to be in the video two days before we shot, she heard the song, and she thought there was something she could add."

Take a look at the video for yourself below.

"Falling" comes from Kennedy's upcoming Lost EP, which will see physical release on March 31. You can also listen and download his previous effort Late at the bottom of the page. - Exclaim!

“My music,” explains Ted Kennedy, “is a constant struggle to make more modern sounds, without disowning, or disavowing, my musical roots.” Moving from Barrie, ON to Toronto over a decade ago, Kennedy’s roots run deep through the city’s music community, in part from founding the monthly Frequencies concert series around Handlebar in Kensington Market, and as a member of the Killjoy Collective (which includes Animalia, Garbageface, and Elms).

Kennedy’s blend of techno textures, new wave edginess, and hip hop cool make for some cutting edge modern pop that knows how to reference the past without being overtly reverential. His new EP, Lost, is a collection of songs that came to him over the past fall and winter. If they were born in the chill of December, none of Lost‘s four tracks feel icy and cold; instead, they radiate warmth and familiarity.

Lost is officially out on March 31, and will be available digitally and on limited edition cassette. Ahead of it’s release, Kennedy is sharing an advance stream of Lost in its entirety in the streaming player below. - Quick Before it Melts