Synopsis

Battles perform "Tonto" at night in a vast abandoned Welsh slate quarry, surrounded by a grid of tall illuminated columns. The musicians appear as small, intense figures within the stark landscape, while the lights pulse, flicker, and sweep across the installation in close synchronization with the song's intricate rhythms. Alternating wide shots and fragments of the band's performance emphasize the contrast between the quarry's rough, chaotic terrain and the precise, geometric light structure. The result is an eight-minute audiovisual performance rather than a conventional narrative video.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was created around a custom light installation of vertical LED columns placed in a disused Welsh slate quarry.

• The lighting was programmed to react to the music, with the columns flashing and changing in time with "Tonto." The system was controlled through DMX and software developed by the visual artists.

• The installation was designed to reflect two sides of Battles' sound: the strict, mathematical quality of the arrangements and the unpredictable, organic chaos of the quarry landscape.

• At approximately eight minutes, "Tonto" was unusually long for a music video of its period. The band chose to present the song in full rather than create a shorter broadcast edit.

• The shoot took place during a single night in difficult outdoor conditions. The production notes describe the video as being shot on video with a 35mm adapter in a Welsh slate quarry.

• The video premiered at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2007.

• The clip was included on the bonus DVD packaged with the late-2007 "Tonto+" release, alongside a making-of feature and Battles' "Atlas" video.

• The video received a D&AD Wood Pencil, recognizing its art direction and visual execution.

• John Stanier later recalled that the quarry had also been used for the cover photograph of Led Zeppelin's 1973 album "Houses of the Holy."