This may not be the best tune I’ve ever posted but it’s as important as any, with a powerfully poignant video to match. Just click on the link above to watch it.
The Five Techniques are a collective created by Belfast DJ/producer David Holmes as an act of resistance against the ongoing war against Palestine.
Resistance In The Dark was recorded by Paul Weller (who needs no introduction) and Irish-Palestinian artist Roisin El Cherif (who probably does), aided by Fontaines D.C. drummer Tom McColl and Belfast composer Brian Irvine on synths, produced by Holmes.
I’ve been a fan of David Holmes since he first came to attention 30 years ago with his debut This Film’s Crap Less Smash The Seats. And its successor Let’s Get Killed, a techno musique concrete experiemnt with snippets of real conversations with hookers, pimps and dealers on the streets of New York.
Back then it seemed unlikely he would become one of the world’s leading movie soundtrack composers, but he’s created countless scores, starting out with Out Of Sight and Oceans Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen – and continuing his connection with Stephen Sodebergh on this year’s Black Bag.
Holmes, Weller and El Cherif first connected at Weller’s own Gig For Gaza, and decided to reunite for this project, united in their belief that music, art and humanity can be acts of resistance, with film maker and fellow traveller Douglas Hart piecing together footage of the devastation wrought on the strip by Israeli forces for a heart-wrenching video.
The powerful and positive message of the song, and film, is captured by El Cherif’s haunting Arabic vocals, delivering the moving line: “If my voice should falter, yours will remain.”
Cherif adds, “From Naji Ali to today’s Children of Gaza, Palestine is the story of a people’s fight for freedom. The freedom to be born free in your Homeland. For Palestine our beloved.”
Weller amplifies the message: “This is our response to the ongoing land grab, displacement and genocide against the Palestinian people by the brutal Israeli government. We wanted to show our solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine, and their ongoing struggle and resistance. It’s a struggle of all people denied their rights.”