Music videos compiled from found footage are inherently watchable. There’s a built-in curiosity factor, surprising and confirming that, yes, at one time — and not always very long ago — the world really looked like, dressed like, and acted like that. The tape doesn’t lie.

The latest artist to rummage through the VHS archives is retro soulman Mayer Hawthorne, who’s stitched together clips from Detroit’s The New Dance Show for his new single, “A Long Time.” The song is the first taste of the Ann Arbor, Michigan native’s upcoming album, How Do You Do, his first for Universal Republic. Not only are the fashions on parade in the video fantastic (a cape, a triple-watch leather belt, a “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” sweatshirt), but the show’s low-budget take on the Soul Train Line features dance moves that even today are outta sight.

Bonus: After the last notes of “A Long Time” fade out and The New Dance Show signs off, stay tuned because Hawthorne has appended an old commercial for a local electronics/toys retailer. Tell ’em Honest Hank sent you there:

Purchase Mayer Hawthorne – “A Long Time” via iTunes. And snag a free download of his cover of Chromeo’s “When The Night Falls” (sans Solange, sadly) via Arjan Writes.