Jones Meadow and Jacques Greene have spoken out against a bizarre rave-inspired video from the Conservative Party promoting Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.
Yesterday, the Tory Party shared a video with the hashtag #GetBrexitDone, encouraging the country to come together set to visuals inspired by a rave aesthetic and backed by the song ‘Middle’ by Jones Meadow.
Come together.
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Back the new deal.
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Get Brexit done.
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Move on as a country.Let’s #GetBrexitDone. pic.twitter.com/6S2lDrmnd6
— Conservatives (@Conservatives) October 22, 2019
However, Meadow has told NME that he “was not aware of this”, adding “I don’t want to be involved with it in any way.”
The track was supplied for the applied by Epidemic Sound, who licence music to creators royalty free.
“We take the moral rights of our musicians very seriously and are working with Jonas (Jones Meadow) to ensure his music isn’t used in any way which may compromise those rights,” Epidemic Sound’s CEO Oscar Hoglund told NME.
Check out Meadow’s original track below.
Meanwhile, the artist Hassan Rahim has also likened the design of the advert to that of Jacques Greene’s album, ‘Feel Infinite’.
“Honestly, I’m not the one to give two shits about getting ripped or copied, you’ll never see me call anyone out,” he wrote. “Even big agencies cause they corny anyways. i’m usually amused – but sometimes it’s just… dark!”
Rahim added: “Worth noting it’s entirely a fact that these people have no idea who I am, they are simply referencing a rather common aesthetic in modern electronic music since Jacques Greene’s influential 2017 record.”
Greene himself then responded, simply Tweeting the ad with the message “go fuck yrself lol”
go fuck yrself lol https://t.co/6MBBuweD8g
— jg (@jacquesgreene) October 22, 2019
honestly i’m not the one to give 2 sh*ts about getting ripped or copied, you’ll never see me call anyone out. even big agencies cause they corny anyways. i’m usually amused.
but sometimes it’s just… dark!
cc @jacquesgreene @LuckyMe https://t.co/aLLoSBKKPZ
— out getting rims (@hassanrahim) October 22, 2019
worth noting it’s entirely a fact that these ppl have no idea who I am, they are simply referencing a rather common aesthetic in modern electronic music since @jacquesgreene @LuckyMe influential 2017 record
— out getting rims (@hassanrahim) October 22, 2019
Others have also taken online to question the Party’s decision to assimilate with rave culture.
“Please tell me you are not rebranding the end of freedom of movement with upbeat music and catchy slogans as if it’s something cute and fun lol,” wrote the artist Mina. “Weirdos.”
Plz tell me you are not rebranding the end of freedom of movement with upbeat music and catchy slogans as if it’s something cute and fun lol. Weirdos ??? https://t.co/ytZuwnocGP
— ? MINA ? (@minamusicuk) October 22, 2019
Conservative Party using club music sounds, aesthetic and language to try and gather support for Brexit. Told you it would get stranger. Buckle up. https://t.co/cbf07ty6XH
— Mat Dryhurst (@matdryhurst) October 22, 2019
The Tory hard Right trying to "get down with the kids" – and, as in so much else, failing
UK Conservative Party shares bizarre Brexit video resembling rave promo https://t.co/1r9SgYGgWj
— redricardo #VoteLabour?✊ (@corbynnow) October 22, 2019
This advert is only explained by assuming the Tories went to one rave and it was shit. Jacob Rees Mogg got sold a smint thinking it was a pill, and BoJo shat himself. https://t.co/T7cfdGmU0T
— dan le sac (@danlesac) October 22, 2019
that said, Tories seeking to sanitize + regulate club / rave culture so they can coopt and recruit from it is nothing new nor those artists fault. The reckless irresponsibility and violent energy of an invented clubland they demonised is now in perfect brand alignment with Brexit
— ཊལབསརངཧ (@David_Rudnick) October 22, 2019
Tory techno? Nah. Somebody stop the Conservative's attempt at seshy meme-making, right now https://t.co/03Qukyu1q2
— Víctor R. Villar (@VictorRVillar) October 22, 2019
Uh oh the tories found out about business techno
— Olly (@CostellOlly) October 22, 2019
The Conservative Party are yet to respond to complaints about the video.