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Nicoorion – DÆMON: Chapter I – Medea
- 8 jun
- 4 min de lectura
Electronic music has long maintained a fascination with mythology. From the cosmic allegories of early ambient pioneers to the techno scene’s recurring obsession with ritual, transcendence and altered states, artists have repeatedly turned to ancient narratives as a means of understanding contemporary anxieties. Yet few recent projects engage with myth as comprehensively as DÆMON: Chapter I – Medea, the latest audiovisual work from Chilean filmmaker and musician Nicolás Orion under his Nicoorion alias.
Presented as the first chapter in a broader conceptual series, DÆMON is less a conventional music video than an initiation rite. Directed by Lucas de la Vega in his debut behind the camera, the piece inhabits a liminal space between experimental cinema, performance art and electronic music visualisation. Rather than illustrating the accompanying track through narrative clichés or dancefloor iconography, it constructs a symbolic universe where image, movement and sound operate as equal forces.
The project's central reference point is Medea, one of Greek mythology's most enduring and controversial figures. Yet the work avoids the trap of direct adaptation. There are no attempts to reconstruct classical settings or dramatise familiar episodes. Instead, Medea functions as an archetype—a vessel through which themes of desire, sacrifice, transformation and inner conflict are explored. The result feels closer to an invocation than a retelling, drawing viewers into an intensely personal psychological landscape.
This emphasis on interiority becomes immediately apparent through the video's physical language. Bodies do not simply occupy the frame; they become instruments through which meaning is transmitted. Nicoorion, Bruno de la Vega and performer Úrsula Campos appear not as characters but as symbolic presences, locked within a choreography of attraction, tension and metamorphosis. Their interactions unfold with a deliberate ambiguity that resists easy interpretation.
Campos's contribution is particularly striking. Drawing from her experience in Butoh and physical performance, she introduces a visceral dimension that elevates the project beyond the aesthetics commonly associated with electronic music videos. Her use of hair suspension transforms the body into a site of endurance and transcendence, creating images that feel simultaneously beautiful and unsettling. These moments evoke the sensation of witnessing a private ritual whose meaning remains partially concealed, a strategy that gives the work much of its hypnotic power.
Visually, DÆMON: Chapter I – Medea embraces an aesthetic vocabulary dominated by deep crimson tones, oppressive shadows and carefully controlled compositions. The influence of Federico Fellini emerges not through overt quotation but through a shared fascination with dream logic and symbolic excess. Meanwhile, echoes of Ari Aster can be detected in the video's treatment of ritual and collective unease. Yet despite these references, the work never feels derivative. Instead, it synthesises disparate influences into a coherent visual language that feels distinctly its own.
The cinematography frequently privileges texture over narrative progression. Faces emerge from darkness, gestures linger beyond their apparent purpose and spatial relationships become unstable. This approach mirrors the structure of the music itself. Rather than functioning as accompaniment, the soundtrack acts as the video's nervous system.
Created by Nicolás Orion alongside longtime collaborator Bruno de la Vega, the track DÆMON occupies an intriguing territory between melodic techno, ambient composition and cinematic scoring. Its progression avoids the straightforward peaks and releases associated with club-focused melodic techno, favouring gradual emotional accumulation instead. Layers of atmosphere unfold with patience, creating a sense of suspended motion that perfectly complements the video's ritualistic imagery.
The production work, developed together with José Ascui and finalised through mixing and mastering by British engineer Barry Sage, reveals a meticulous attention to sonic depth. Sage's extensive experience working with artists such as The Rolling Stones, New Order and Pet Shop Boys is evident in the track's sense of spatial clarity. Every element appears carefully positioned within the stereo field, allowing the composition to retain both intimacy and scale.
What ultimately distinguishes DÆMON from many contemporary audiovisual projects is its refusal to prioritise accessibility over atmosphere. In an era dominated by algorithmic visibility and rapidly consumable content, Nicoorion has chosen a more demanding path. The work asks for immersion rather than attention. It encourages contemplation rather than immediate understanding.
This approach aligns with the conceptual framework underpinning the broader DÆMON project. Drawing on the original etymological meaning of the term—not as a demonic force but as an inner guiding spirit—the series seeks to explore the hidden impulses that shape human experience. Creativity, shadow, desire and transformation become recurring themes, suggesting an ambitious long-form narrative that extends beyond individual releases.
As an opening chapter, Medea succeeds precisely because it leaves questions unanswered. It establishes a mythology without fully explaining it, inviting viewers to return and uncover further layers. The result is an audiovisual work that feels unusually complete in its artistic vision yet deliberately unfinished in its narrative implications.
For a debut chapter, that tension is perhaps its greatest achievement. Rather than offering closure, DÆMON: Chapter I – Medea opens a door into a symbolic universe whose most compelling mysteries remain ahead.
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