Pleasure - Elcka

1999

Pleasure - Elcka (1999) Director: Tony Van Den Ende Era: Late Britpop / Post-Britpop Transition (1999) - British art-school rock at the commercial cusp between Britpop's decline and the rise of early-2000s alternative; Island Records / Universal upheaval period. High curatorial value as a rare surviving promotional artifact for a single from Elcka's commercially suppressed second album. The video's confirmed director (Tony Van Den Ende, 92+ directorial credits) and its Radio 1 B-listing status make it a significant document of late-90s UK alternative rock infrastructure. Its unusual international traction (Russian MTV hit) adds cross-cultural research value. As the album was never officially released, this video represents one of the only audio-visual records of this chapter of the band's career. Context: Released in early 1999, 'Pleasure' by Elcka sits at the twilight of British Britpop's commercial dominance. The band, signed to Island Records and having toured as support to Morrissey, represented the art-school wing of 1990s British rock. The video was a hit on Russian MTV, demonstrating the transnational reach of UK alternative rock in this period. The song's release was ultimately overshadowed by Universal's acquisition of Island Records, which led to the shelving of Elcka's entire second album for over a decade, making this video a rare document of an unreleased chapter of 1990s British rock history. Director notes: Confirmed via Last.fm Elcka wiki page which directly cites the YouTube URL matching this file (wz_t5CsJc8c) as the video directed by Tony Van Den Ende. The single 'Pleasure' was released in early 1999 and was B-listed by BBC Radio 1, and the video was notably a hit on Russian MTV. The single was intended as the lead release from Elcka's unreleased second album, provisionally titled 'Softly, Softly, Catchy Monkey', recorded with producer and DJ Ashley Beedle. Universal dropped the band following the acquisition of Island Records before the album could be released.