Balako Host an Off the Wall Game Show in "Hora De Balako" Video

Something about Rio de Janeiro duo Balako's debut single begs for it to be made into a music video. While "Hora De Balako" is undeniably carried by funk momentum, it's just as memorable for its cinematic, tongue-in-cheek style—if you close your eyes it's not hard to imagine some kind of freewheeling clown car scenario, or a hilariously campy action movie sequence.

What they ended up going with is even better: a satirical game show where contestants wrestle one another to compete for personal hygiene products. Using a combination of grainy archival footage of real TV shows and original scripted material, Diogo Strausz and Rodrigo Peirao give their spaghetti western-esque disco track the visual accompaniment it deserves.

"I co-directed the video with Mauro Lima and we were responsible for everything—the scripting, casting, and production. It was totally guerrilla and we missed a few nights of sleep, but with a lot of help from our friends we managed to make crazy idea become reality with very little budget," Peirão told THUMP over email. "It explores the grotesqueness of Brazilian TV shows, depicting a surreal contest in which eight participants battle each other over soap tablets inside a bathtub. [My bandmate] Diogo has done a bit of acting but it was my first time since kindergarten."

"Hora De Balako" is out now on Joe Goddard's label Greco-Roman.

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