Vampire Weekend On Songwriting And Sneakers

Videos by American Songwriter

A little while back, Converse dropped the first segment in their “Three Artist” series. Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Santigold and Pharrell told us why they dig Converse, and got together to record the exclusive song “My Drive Thru.”

This time around, Converse has Vampire Weekend’s production wiz Rostam Batmanglij, up-and-coming chillwavers Best Coast and rapper Kid Cudi. Another excellent round of picks (the folks behind the iconic-for-fifty-years Chuck Taylor brand have good taste.)

Each artist gets their own video, which is a little snapshot into their lives, style and creative process, with, of course, the requisite camera pans to their footwear.

In Batmanglij’s segment, we get to check out his Brooklyn pad, where he bangs out ideas for new VW songs on his upright piano. The keyboard player and guitarist talks about his DIY attitude, and how he learned to use computers at the age of seven. For those interested in how Vampire Weekend achieves their unique sound, the video is a rare look into the man behind the curtain.

Check out the Best Coast and Kid Cudi segments over at Converse.com. There’s even a free mp3 download of the three artists collaborating on a track called “All Summer,” which offers a crazy-cool amalgam of each artist’s style.