SMOOTAPHILIA: ENSEMBLE EROTIC performs a live original soundtrack to notoriously scintillating 1986 romance 9 1/2 WEEKS on Tuesday, June 9 at 8:30pm on TV Eye’s beautiful new screen!

Starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke, 9 1/2 WEEKS was heavily censored by MGM for its initial release in the USA, where it performed poorly. But the uncut version released internationally (and eventually on VHS) soon made it a worldwide sensation. It played for 5 years straight in Paris!

Roger Ebert was an early champion of the film: “The movie 9 1/2 WEEKS arrives in a shroud of mystery and scandal, already notorious as the most explicitly sexual big-budget film since “Last Tango in Paris.” I went expecting erotic brinksmanship (how far will its famous stars go in the name of their art?) and came away surprised by how thoughtful the movie is, how clearly it sees what really happens between its characters.That’s not to say the movie isn’t sexy. I suppose a project of this sort depends crucially on the chemistry between its actors, and Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke develop an erotic tension in this movie that is convincing, complicated and sensual.”

One of the first mainstream films to explore S&M, 9 1/2 WEEKS is now a kinky cult hit. It’s also an exquisitely shot time capsule of 80’s New York City and a reminder of how good everyone looked on film before digital. Kim Basinger in particular singes the screen with her Marilyn Monroe-inspired mix of vulnerability and magnetism. 

Live scored with a new original soundtrack by Smootaphilia: Ensemble Erotic, the film will include full dialogue in a theater setting with seats. There will be an intermission halfway through.

Smootaphilia features Ann Courtney (from Mother Feather) on vocals, Jerome Jordan on guitar, Jeremy Kay on bass, and Smoota (from TV On The Radio) on Casio & beats.

SMOOTAPHILIA BIO

The best sensual experiences are primarily improvised. We can enjoy listening to the same song countless times, but when it comes to physical pleasure the key to maximum sensation is the unpredictable — improvising intimately in the moment with a partner (or partners). Smootaphilia: Ensemble Erotic embraces this idea in the pursuit of sensual music. What is the connection between music, spontaneity, desire and performance?

The ensemble’s origins are innocent enough: Dave Smoota Smith first met vocalist Ann Courtney in the shallow end of a YMCA pool in Brooklyn. They became fast friends and discovered a shared taste for boundary-pushing music: Courtney is revered as the fearless and awe-inspiring leader of Mother Feather. Smoota has recorded and toured as a trombone player with cutting-edge bands such as TV On The Radio and Run The Jewels, has released solo music as SMOOTA exploring provocative and sexual themes, and leads the exploratory instrumental groups Smoota and The Beast and The Smoota Tête-a-Tête. 

When a friend asked Smoota to perform music at a pole dancing party, he knew it was an opportunity to share a stage with Courtney. And thus Smootaphilia was born, from pool to pole dance, with Courtney’s endlessly adventurous vocalizations reclining on a bed of slinky 69 beats per minute erotic funk. Supported by some of NYC’s grooviest musicians—Jeremy Kay on bass and Jerome Jordan on guitar—Smootaphilia continues to explore its potential as it performs live and prepares its debut album for 2026.