The Swagging Remix - When We Walk In The Place

By Millennium

Millennium - When We Walk In The Place (Official Music Video)

CLICK HERE to view Millennium's 'When We Walk In The Place' (Official Music Video)

Millennium Releases ‘When We Walk in the Place’ Official Music Video

By Werner Caspar

I must have impressed Stryker and Sapphire with my mad swagging skills during our last interview because shortly after, I was invited to the Millennium music video shoot to watch them in action.  Swagging, I learned, is pimp walking with a swagger and is a heavily used theme in the video for their debut single ‘When We Walk in the Place’, a slightly narcissistic dance song about the importance of embracing one's own personal style.  This was going to be a two-day video shoot and they had a lot on the agenda.  

Day One:  The first day of the shoot was set in an intimate Hollywood club where roughly a hundred crew and cast members gathered shortly after sunrise.  In the midst of all the commotion, it felt like being at a casting call for Moulin Rouge.  This outlandish circus included a black opera carriage driven by a rather buxom brunette on a sleek motorcycle, a gold-suited pimp, an Asian dominatrix with her muscular man-slaves, an alien, a toddler with her bottle, a drummer boy, an astonishingly rotund woman, Iron Man and more.  Wave after wave of extras filed in and while helping themselves to coffee, were met by an affable and efficient woman with a clipboard who quickly signed them in as club dancer, VIP patron, skeleton gang, etc.  I swear to you that the pizza we ate during lunch break did not have any special mushrooms in it and this was all actually happening.

The gold-suited pimp was Stryker, who brandished a leopard print cane and matching leopard print shoes.  His pimp hat precariously held a three-foot long black feather that poked everyone in the eyes every time he turned around.  The Asian dominatrix was none other than the blue-haired Sapphire dressed in a black leather dress and gloves.  Her ‘pets’ were scripted as two male models whom she kept close by her side in spiked collars and heavy chained leashes.  Earlier that day, we discovered that the two burly Olympians that she had previously auditioned had cancelled at the last possible minute.  Upon learning this, the woman with the clipboard began sizing up the current pool of men to see who could play the part.  Strangely, I was not even in the running.  In the end, it was the drummer and one of the camera men who were chosen, de-shirted, oiled up and collared.  A second later, I saw the anxious camera man fervently doing pushups in the corner as a last ditch effort to beef up his pecks.  Meanwhile, Stryker and Sapphire took the matter in stride- literally.  They were relentlessly swagging to the beat of the music.  When asked why all the practice, Stryker looked at me with a sober expression, ‘I’ve got goldfish in my shoes, bro.’ Point taken.

The crew and the actors took their places and the cameras began to roll.  Scene after scene unfolded and needless to say there was a lot of swagging and a lot of dancing.  It was not even noon and the set looked like a very happening nightclub.  After a quick costume change, they shot a performance scene of Stryker and Sapphire on stage.  He was still dressed as a pimp, but this time in red velvet with zebra print and an oversized wide-rimmed hat.  She was dressed in silver sequins with shiny silver tennis shoes.  Suddenly, they broke into an extremely cheesy 70’s dance routine and the crowd went wild with laughter (think Saturday Night Fever meets Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air).  After ninety minutes of filming the performance scene, the duo was still on stage having the time of their lives.  Judging by the liquor flowing on set, so were the cast and crew.

The rest of the day proceeded smoothly as they filmed one VIP table scene after another, each having its own unique set of characters including the Blues Brothers, LA gangsters, Virgil Farley and his entourage.  Virgil was the original pimp who, despite his notoriety in the 1980’s, was widely respected by both cons and cops alike.  The table that received the most attention had a petite blond with the word ‘Millennium’ painted across her otherwise pristine body from her voluptuous chest all the way down to her thighs, compliments of body artist Lasco.  At the end of the day, approximately fourteen hours after gathering the cast and crew together, the set was now littered with coffee cups, half-eaten danishes, pizza crusts and upside down shot glasses.  The crew began to break down their gear, and people began exchanging numbers, Instagraming photos of themselves and each other, and saying their farewells.  Everyone was utterly exhausted, except for Milennium who appeared even more energetic than ever as they eagerly talked about the upcoming shoot the next day.

Day Two:  Millennium and crew were now going mobile and virtually every scene would consist of Stryker and Sapphire swagging around town.  The game plan was a bit fluid.  When a particular location struck their collective fancy, Millennium and crew would hop out of their vehicles and film a scene.  For example, if Sapphire needed a peppermint mocha, off we went to the nearest coffee shop to film Millennium swagging with their coffee and newspaper in hand.  They visited a vintage record store, picked up their dry cleaning, and came out of a drugstore with what looked like a pack of Magnum condoms (we won’t ask).  After driving all over town, the crew nonchalantly decided to film a scene of Millennium pumping gas, in a pretty scandalous manner I might add.  I may never look at a pump the same way again.  Needless to say, wherever they walked they drew attention, stopped traffic, and were approached by onlookers.  When a crowd gathered in one location, Millennium took time out to give swagging lessons and the crew obliged by filming these Los Angeles residents strutting their stuff.

After a long day of filming around LA, we headed back to the studio just before sunset.  It was a wrap!  Everyone began to relax and talk about dinner options.  Sapphire removed her thigh high boots and gave a sigh of relief.  Stryker, on the other hand, sat pensive, deep in thought.  Just as someone was about to make a run for burritos and burgers, Stryker said in a steady voice, ‘We need a shot on Hollywood Boulevard.’  After a brief period of stunned silence, protest erupted on all sides.  But after thirty minutes, Stryker convinced the group that it would be the perfect scene for the climax of the song.  As we filmed the final scene of Millennium belting out their last line of ‘When We Walk in the Place’ right in the thick of Hollywood Boulevard, an onlooker cried out, ‘Aw hell no! He got the goldfish shoes!’  Yes, the better to swag with, bro.  Everyone smiled knowing that indeed it was the perfect ending to one amazing and crazy ride.

The music video for ‘When We Walk In The Place’ is now live at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNNPbub7ZO4

You can learn more about Millennium and what they’ve got in the works at www.WhoIsMillennium.com

From Stagnation To Swag-Nation, By Christian McGahey

In view of the president’s state of the union address, our nation is facing a crisis.  It is a crisis of apathy on all fronts really- warfare, elections, healthcare, unemployment and yes, even fashion.  We all have our areas of expertise.  I will not pretend to be a political or social expert and waste your time with my trivial opinion on the state of the nation with regard to these important areas. I am a fashion editor and therefore my focus will be on the crisis of apathy towards one’s personal style.  This is one of the few things we have direct and immediate control over and yet it is being shamelessly neglected by a good majority of the people. The fashion that I am writing about is not the outfits you find on the Parisian catwalks, rather it's the clothes you wear every day.  The thing that most people fail to realize is that fashion is a reflection of who you are on the inside.  Just as your feelings are an indicator of your internal environment, your fashion also speaks volumes on how you see yourself and how the world sees you as well.  The context for your fashion choice is also essential.  For example, if fashion could speak on your behalf, what would an old flannel shirt, shorts and dingy sneakers say?  If you were wearing them to go hiking or to do some garden work, it would say, ‘I enjoy the outdoors and being around nature’- perfectly acceptable.  But if you wore that same outfit to a fine restaurant, it would state (in a low and depressing voice), ‘Deep down I’m ashamed of how I look.  Maybe if I pretend that I don’t care about how I look, people will think it’s cool.  I’ll make up for it with my wit and sparkling personality.’ 

I am not talking about wearing Dolce or Armani.  What you wear is a personal statement that reveals your uniqueness and creativity and has nothing to do with expensive brand names.  Good taste and impeccable style are gifts that we each hold.  Somewhere along the line, we have built apathy towards our outer appearance believing for some God forsaken reason that it does not matter.  You dressed up for that job interview and, once hired, dressed up for the first few days of work.  Through fashion, you told your work peers that you were sharp, on it and completely put together.  Then you became more complacent about your appearance, eventually wearing wrinkled, mismatched clothes thinking no one would notice.  Business attire turned casual until one day, and every day after, you started bringing that big, comfy, ugly sweater to the office.  Your fashion is now screaming, ‘I don’t give a flying duck (spelling auto-correct) about work.  Put me out of my misery and fire me already.’  Another example:  You finally found someone that you are really into.  You take your time getting ready for the first date, picking the perfect outfit.  Maybe you went shopping for new clothes or shoes or maybe you took your favorite outfit to the cleaners.  Whatever the case, you made sure your outfit said loud and clear, ‘I am hot.  If you choose to be with me out of the millions of other people out there, you won’t ever look back baby.’  Flash forward a year later when you seem to live in t-shirts and sweats and your partner can’t even remember the last time you got dressed up.  Your clothes, and you yourself are saying, ‘Things have become routine, boring and stagnant.  Maybe we should take a break from each other for a little while…’

Do the clothes make the man or does the man make the clothes?  Maybe it is a ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg’ kind of question, in which case, who really gives a ship (spelling auto-correct).  What matters is that they are definitely related.  It is time to choose the clothes that are an exact representation of who you want to be; correction, of who you really are.  Why?  For the sake of career advancement and opportunity, for the sake of a long and stimulating relationship, for the sake of your child who dies of embarrassment every time you pick him up from school, and so that arrogant Maître D will stop giving you that beady eyed glare already.

Now that I have given you the ‘why,’ it is time to start listing the ‘how.’

FASHION TIPS:

1. Take an hour to look through your closet.  Your closet is where you house the clothes that you have collected over the years, some you currently wear, some you would not be caught dead in now, and others that just do not really speak to you anymore.  It is time to turn your closet into a functioning wardrobe.  Separate the clothes that know you will never wear anymore and donate them.  I do not think I need to tell you to throw away any shirts, socks or underwear with stains or holes on them, but just in case.  TMI, I know.

2. Now that you have pared down your clothes some, perhaps you will need to shop for a few items to complete your wardrobe.  Have fun shopping and do not rush the experience.  Let the pieces call to you.  Avoid the sales racks or online shopping at this time because you will just be setting yourself up for acquiring a so-so article of clothing that will go to the donation pile in the near future.

3. Wear clothes that give you confidence.  Nothing says more confidence than clothes that fit perfectly.  Find the right size so it is not too tight or loose and that it is the perfect length- right below the ankle for pants and right below the hip for suit jackets.  For shirts and blazers, make sure that the shoulder measurements are correct.  If needed, find a good, inexpensive tailor to make the necessary adjustments.  Note: The cost of tailoring the outfit should not be more than the outfit itself.

4. Do not be afraid to be daring and original.  As long as the end style is a true reflection of who you really are, feel free to diverge from what is trending now.  Like Macklemore said in his Thrift Shop song, do not be one of those dozen people at a party who pays fifty dollars for the same damn t-shirt.  Choose the clothes that you want to wear and put your own personal swag into it.  By swag, I do not mean ‘silly wild ass guess.’  While it is difficult to describe, it definitely embodies style, confidence and a willingness to be different and you just know it when you see it. I typed in the search word ‘swag’ and came across this link to Millennium, a music group: www.WhoIsMillennium.com/photo. After checking out their photos, well, let's just say you get a sense of just how adventurous personal fashion can get.  It is important to note that your personal style may change over time.  That is okay because it means that you are changing and growing as well and that is a good thing. 

It is time to collectively shake off the sweats and the mounting lethargy.  To go from a country of stagnation to Swag-Nation.  To begin to know in our hearts that we can change the world for the better, one article of clothing at a time.  Once our personal truths are no longer suppressed but reflected in our style, we may be better equipped, not to mention better dressed, to tackle our nation’s issues.

'Sultans of Swag', By Michael Stratford

Opposites do attract on so many levels.  Growing up, she was the shiest Asian-American in metropolitan Los Angeles and he was a rebel-rouser in small town Peoria, Illinois.  If they went to the same high school, they would have hung out in very different circles.  They probably wouldn’t have said two words to each other.  Ironically, they were both very studious.  She went to college to study Chemistry and he studied Biochemistry.  Both got their Masters in Business Administration.  But she was the nerd who sat in the front row taking notes, and he was the smart ass who loved challenging the teachers and making the other students laugh.  They also had an affinity for music.  She took private piano lessons for ten years and joined the church choir.  He trained in piano, cello and bass guitar, and composed and produced his own songs.

His home town evidently became too small for him because at twenty-one years old, he packed his bags into a rickety old Dodge and drove to Los Angeles in search of something.  A few years later, she graduated from college and joined the workforce. Their paths crossed for the first time at a large nutrition company, both having landed jobs in the same department.  She was still the good girl, attentive and respectful during meetings, and he still had the rebellious streak, constantly challenging protocols and procedures.  But they were intrigued by each other and began spending time outside of the office.  They each liked being with someone who was so different from themselves.  Of course there were clashes.  She would tell him to slow down and try to follow the rules for once.  He would tell her to stop holding herself back and be a little more crazy.  This tug of war only accelerated their evolution as people and developed into a bond that was unshakeable.  They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, helped to foster each other's talents and had each other’s backs at all times. 

Life grew stable and he again began searching for meaning in what had become a predictable professional path.  They took trips to Brazil, Philippines, Italy, France and Turkey, but it only intensified their desire to experience new frontiers.  At the time, the Middle East was constantly in the news, its people and their religious beliefs largely enigmatic or misunderstood by the western world.  Perhaps the answer to what they were searching for lay there.  After much deliberation, they jumped the corporate ship and moved to Turkey.  Living overseas was everything they had imagined and more. Their time there provided the opportunity to reflect and also brought them into close contact with causes that became dear to their hearts.  During this time, they also faced countless challenges, including tacit accusations of being CIA agents (why else would a couple with their education, martial arts training and no apparent business ties settle there?) After two years living abroad, they just woke up one day, gazed across the splendid vista of the Mediterranean and knew it was time to return.  But the life they would return to was destined to be different this time.  Their time in the volatile Middle East had somehow given them clarity of purpose and the confidence to enter a different type of war zone - the music industry. They moved back to Los Angeles to create music together.

Like most creative works, the process was a bit like alchemy. Melodies would come to him during the night and he would record a rough vocal take on his Android phone in the darkness, half asleep with eyes squinting. They'd write lyrics over the breakfast table or in a cafe and took their time cultivating each song. Then they would record their voices, hers a soft soprano and his, a steady tenor.  They would both smile at each other when it sounded and felt right, and laugh hysterically when it didn't. Composing, producing and mastering were all done by him. They had been back in Los Angeles about a year and were performing at The Roxy on Sunset Boulevard.  That's when things began to happen. One of the audience members turned out to be Ken Wilson, the Arista and Warner Brothers executive behind Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and K-Ci & JoJo among others. Ken had enjoyed their set and invited them over to his table afterwards.  He then said something that would change their view forever and open up a new window. He pointed to the crowd and said, “Look at all of those people in their shirts and jeans with a drink in hand after a long day at work. You talk like them and you dress like them, but you’re not like them. You need to let the freak out.” And with that simple bit of advice, the last vestiges of doubt fell away. Thenceforth, they continued to consult with Ken, whose sage advice proved invaluable. They also began working closely with Kevin Black, the Interscope executive behind Eminem, Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani & Prince, Kevin's partner Jahnei Neamo, and BJ Lobermann of Virgin Music. On the production side, Nalo Duvalle, Omer Avni, Adam Peri, Andrew Achilleos, Javier Mosley and Gordon McGinnis were among the multi-platinum producers who helped them to refine their sound. However, such collaborations occurred sparingly in order to preserve the creative integrity of their music. In general, they learned to heed advice that resonated with them, while other suggestions like ‘Let’s bring in a team of songwriters', ‘Let’s get artist X to sing this hook', 'Let’s get four strippers in bikinis to dance on stage' or ‘Don't let people know you’re a couple’ were all politely put aside.  They knew who they were and what they wanted. Throughout this process, they truly came into their own style, music and purpose.

That was two years ago. They now call themselves Millennium. They half-joke that they will be together for a thousand years.  She is Sapphire and he is Stryker.  The origin of their names is not known.  Their debut album Fusion is a collection of songs in a range of genres, such as pop rock, dance, funk and reggae, inspired by their life-changing journey together.  It is a story of the fusion of two lives into one and the exultant and difficult times shared throughout the years.  Having been among the first to hear the album (which is due to land in stores in the near future), I can say that it is rare for such  a combination of songwriting ability, musicianship and artistic identity to occupy the same space and time- perhaps occurring only once in a generation. Millennium's first single ‘When We Walk In The Place’ is a bold dance song about embracing one’s own personal style. From a couple that has walked all around the world and back, this song carries added weight.  The truth is, even before they donned the spikes, jewels and furs, the couple drew attention.  People here and overseas would comment that they had this positive energy. But until they learned to take risks and embrace their own identity, that energy had been largely muted. And so the opposites that we invite into our lives, be them our choice of relationships, new living environment or career, wind up serving the vital role of testing and defining us. If we live our lives in the safe lane, we never acquire that self-knowledge. And without that, other knowledge we acquire really doesn't add up to much. Such has been the journey of Millennium. Back from a soul-searching stay in the Middle East, one thing is clear: Personal style is definitely something that these Sultans of Swag have got locked down. The next step is up to them.

www.WhoIsMillennium.com

Millennium's Bold Dance Single 'When We Walk In The Place' Generates Global Buzz, By Werner Caspar

 

It was just an ordinary day for Millennium in Los Angeles. I was sitting across the table with my pen and pad. Stryker was sipping his coffee reading the Wall Street Journal and Sapphire was thumbing through emails on her Android phone. The breakfast table was littered with the wreckage of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit. Suddenly Sapphire shrieked causing Stryker to spill his coffee and momentarily bite his lip in mild irritation. "Newswire wants to feature us in an article!" she gushed excitedly. "And it's titled..." She paused for dramatic effect. "The Sultans of Swag!". Stryker shoveled more pancake into his mouth, took a big swig of coffee and looked up with a grin. "Cool!"

Like I said, it was just another day for Millennium, the innovative pop duo out of Los Angeles, California that is quickly generating a buzz for some good reasons. First, Millennium has a look that turns heads. Even on an off day, Stryker is typically seen with a fur on his shoulders, high-tech goggles, spiked wristbands and giant black combat boots. Sapphire, is often spotted in a tight metallic silver dress with white fur boots and lots of bling (sapphires of course). Secondly, they write, compose and produce all of their own music. While Stryker will insist that the music they create is derivative, drawing upon the work of his favorite artists from decades past, it does feel like a breath of fresh air in the stagnant mire of pop music. The truth about Millennium is this:  The two live in a sphere that few of us could fathom or understand- a combat zone of beats, fashion and original music. It occupies their every thought and word from the moment they sit down to breakfast to discuss strategy to the moment they retreat from the studio late at night. Millennium is a force to be reckoned with, gifted with great songwriting ability and an unusual ambition to express their life experiences through music.

Millennium's first single "When We Walk In The Place" is the perfect opener. It's a bold and slightly narcissistic dance song about the importance of embracing one's own personal style- at first listen. However, I'm convinced that in a society that is becoming increasingly homogeneous and creativity disinclined, the seriousness of the song cannot be dismissed. Curious to know the real inspiration behind 'When We Walk In The Place', I asked Millennium if my alternate impression was correct. Both exchanged nervous glances, seeming uneasy that such a critical interpretation should arise. "Honestly, we weren't thinking that deep when we wrote it. It's actually a song that ran through my mind when we'd walk into a restaurant, bar or club. It's completely self-centered and comical. I think that'll come through in the music video." So what's the video about? "Well, you'll have a to wait a couple weeks to see, but basically we're just swagging across the city running errands, getting coffee, going to the drugstore, dry cleaners, gas station..." Okay, that all sounds rather tame. But that's probably exactly what they want me to think. This duo doesn't do tame so there's bound to be a catch. 

What's swagging? "Swagging is what people first started calling our walk when we started filming the video. It's pimp walking with swagger, or  Swagging for short. It garnered enough laughter on set that we decided to film an entirely separate video "Swagging In L.A." which features ordinary Los Angeles residents doing their version of swagging.  It really is quite entertaining." Swagging? Hmm, is it a bit like this? I ask the question while beginning a faltering limp across the living room floor that sends both Stryker and Sapphire into a fit of laughter. "You've got it brother. You're swagging!" 

Judging by the writeups Millennium is receiving in Newswire, Avant Garde, Source One and others, in response to their first single, Millennium is seriously swagging too. The new dance club hit can be purchased here on:

iTunes 

Amazon 

  

CD Baby 

www.WhoIsMillennium.com