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This Band Set Off A Car Alarm And Shot A Music Video Around It In One Take

This Band Set Off A Car Alarm And Shot A Music Video Around It In One Take
(Too Many Zooz/YouTube)

How can a car alarm, arguably one of the world's most annoying noises, make beautiful, captivating music?


Well, New York musical troupe Too Many Zooz, accompanied by a very talented pickup truck, are here to show you.



That wonderfully entertaining music video was shot in one continuous take and stars trumpeter Matt "Doe" Muirhead, saxophonist Leo Pellegrino and drummer David "King of Sludge" Parks.

The band have performed alongside Beyonce, been widely sampled and feature in collaborations with artists such as Kaskade and Jess Glynne, but it's their quirky creations which have brought them viral fame and millions of YouTube views.

"We're always trying to push the envelope and find new ways to make music," Matt told the Press Association. "That's the essence of brasshouse. Experimentation."

Brasshouse is a term the band coined themselves, a self-defining genre of music and one which they have even given a TED Talk to explain.



"I think this video in particular is really polarising, in the way that you love it or hate it," Matt said of Car Alarm. "As an artist, that's a job well done.


"The very worst thing you can have are static viewers who don't feel anything from what you're saying."



Some YouTube viewers loved the sound.

"If only all car alarms that go off in my area at 6am can be this pleasant" - CreepsMcPasta

"damn this taste nice in my ears" - Berd

"I love that you didn't put the sound of the car really down as people do with this type of music, it really puts the whole thing together" - Hating Mirror

"The only group talented enough to make beautiful music out of a car alarm! I love it keep it up boys!!" - A. Eddy



Others couldn't quite get into the groove.

"Good music but the car alarm makes this unlistenable." - Mark Paulson

"Would have enjoyed it more if the alarm was just a bit more silent." - sum cate

"hated the car alarm.. :/" - Kongolox

"Sorry guys, but the alarm ruined it for me... 😕 It shouldn't have lasted for any more than 10 seconds top. As some commenters posted, it would have been better suited as just an intro, while the instruments do the rest of the talking. 😉" - GuuzakaTube




The band's previous experimental works include "Bedford," a song filmed in one take on an early morning underground train in Brooklyn.


"'Bedford' was one take mostly because that's kind of what that situation permitted," said Matt. "We were dealing with train times and police and stuff like that.




"(Car Alarm) took a lot of rehearsing, both from our side and the film crew's side.


"Like 'Bedford,' it is shot in one continuous take. That alone makes this sort of thing really difficult for obvious reasons."


Matt said "Car Alarm" took five or six takes, a feat made all the more impressive by the deliberately added theatre of the alarm stopping halfway through.

Too Many Zooz followed up "Bedford" with a more highly produced, choreographed number, "Warriors," which includes a nod to their subway theme from "Bedford."




So, what does the future hold for Too Many Zooz?


"We're working on a lot of cool stuff, most of which I can't talk about yet," said Matt. "I feel like that's always the case for us.


"Constantly touring and constantly creating. Sitting on a bunch of awesome content waiting for the right moments."


If you'd like to keep an eye out for the band's next special moment, check out their YouTube channel and Twitter page.