MUMBAI: Music as a form of expression has showcased many facets and as the mode of consumption keeps changing, so does the style of music. With digital platforms slowly taking over the way music is presented, it seems inane videos are the way to go now.

After the Korean pop song Gangnam Style made people across the globe gyrate to ‘horse riding’ inspired dance moves, the latest internet sensation grabbing eyeballs is the Harlem Shake.

The viral video usually showcases one person (often helmeted or masked) dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, surrounded by other people not paying attention or unaware of the dancing individual. When the bass drops, the video cuts to the entire crowd doing a crazy convulsive dance for the next 15 seconds. Moreover, in the second half of the video, people often wear minimal clothes or crazy outfits and costumes while wielding strange props.

Harlem Shake is actually a dance that originated in Harlem, a large neighbourhood within the northern section of the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the 1980s. People break into an impromptu jig as part of the trend, now being referred as Harlem Shake itself. It is a viral sensation that is alarmingly ingenuous and unsettlingly hilarious at the same time.

The original internet meme was uploaded by five teenagers from Queensland, Australia, under the name The Sunny Coast Skate. The song begins with a person wearing a helmet and dancing, while his other friends are sitting unaware of him grooving to the song ‘Harlem Shake’ by electronic musician Baauer.

Within the next 15 seconds, the video switches to the whole group of friends doing a crazy convulsive dance. The frenzy is such that it has triggered a series of viral videos - shot in colleges and offices randomly.

The success of the videos has been attributed to the anticipation of the breakout moment and short length, making them very accessible to watch and easy to replicate. Reportedly, there is also a strong vein of humour running through each video that is not dependent on language, further increasing its potential to spread virally.

Although the initial critical response has been massively positive, there are also many who do not find the video appealing in anyway and admit that anything uploaded on the net has the ability to go viral now.

While the trend is slowly catching up in India as well, leading international music channel 9XO went ahead and created their version of the video and uploaded it on YouTube.

Speaking with Radioandmusic.com on the same, 9XO programming head Luke Kenny said, “It is a fun fad that has hit the internet waves and set off a trend. It is very entertaining for a short span and the cinematic technique of the jump cut is what works in its favour. Someone in our office suggested we make our own version of it, and that is how this came about.”

Earlier, digital platforms like YouTube featured several videos of different genres of music. But now, with internet penetration increasing and gaining tract, the quality of videos have also begun to see a change with loud videos garnering more attention.

“The trend has always been there, only now it gains the attention of the people faster because of the internet. Earlier, we had songs like Lambada and Macarena which became hits, but this song will die out quicker than them,” Kenny added.

The art form was originally established by five teenagers known as The Sunny Coast Skate from Queensland, Australia. After a while, more people started to replicate the original video and upload their own versions to YouTube, making the video a viral phenomenon. The video has reportedly garnered around 12,350,000 views since it was uploaded on 2 February.

He stated, “Silly things get popular on the internet now as they entertain the people for a short span of time. There is no harm in that and this will keep happening now as the forms and style of consumption keeps changing.”

Baauer, is now climbing the charts as the song and video has attained popularity in different regions across the world. It recently reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.