West quickly posted 'Welcome to Heartbreak' after learning that Chairlift used similar technique for their new video.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Kanye West in his "Welcome to Heartbreak" video
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

Kanye West went on the offensive Tuesday, posting a video for his song "Welcome to Heartbreak" on his blog after he learned that another act used a similar visual technique for its video.

"This is not the next single, 'Amazing' is the next single," West wrote (although not in all-caps, as he often does). "This is the video we've been working on for the last month. We know there is another video out there using the same technique, so we were forced to drop it now."

The other video he's referring to is Chairlift's "Evident Utensils," which also features a bleeding-pixels element.

The "Welcome to Heartbreak" director, Nabil Elderkin, told MTV News late Tuesday that the technique is called "data moshing." It's been employed by a number of artists in the past, he said, most notably Takeshi Murata. Elderkin explained that for "Heartbreak," he used it to convey the haunting element of the track, which is the opening number on 808s and Heartbreak.

"I wanted to use it more of strategic way, using calculated moshes, colors and textures to compliment the effect," the director said. "Different parts of the songs represented different feelings and I wanted to come with a visual representation of the flow and textures that are I feel are very important in this song. I shot different things in super-slow-motion with the Phantom just for transitional movement and textures."

This isn't the first time Elderkin has worked with West. The Los Angeles-based photographer also directed 'Ye's video for "Champion" from his last album, Graduation. The two have developed a chemistry of sorts: Elderkin was present in Hawaii during the recording of 808s & Heartbreak, and he and West are collaborating on a photo book based on the rapper's Glow in the Dark Tour.

Elderkin said he pitched the idea to West following a meeting for their book and pestered the rapper to pursue it.

"I knew that was the song this video had to be for," Elderkin said. "He liked what I showed him and I nagged him a few times about doing it. ... I told him again, I really felt this would be a great visual for the song, and he pulled the trigger. I got busy on the phone trying to put it together, and somehow we did it the next day in New York. I shot all the extra components the following week in L.A.

"He basically left the bag of fries open for me to rummage in," Elderkin added. "He is obviously a super-creative guy who likes to push the envelope and I think from our brief discussions he knew this was going to do it."

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