*By Amanda Weston*
There's something about catching a show at a comedy club that you can't quite get when watching a stand-up routine on TV.
"There's a special connection when you're at the venue, the comedian's on stage and you're in the room. So to recapture that is hard on video," said Cipha Sounds, host of truTV's "Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks."
His show is trying to change that.
"Laff Tracks" [overlays](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZxWJ6CTr63aQuz6C0uPAMPQbBG4jmZ2q) exaggerated video re-enactments on recordings of up-and-coming comics' stand-up routines.
"These re-enactments give it a whole new life. It makes a joke come alive, and also you want to re-watch it because it's not just some just comedian walking back and forth onstage ー which is fine, because I love doing that ー but it gives it a whole new life," he said.
Breathing new life into the genre is especially important in the streaming era ー while Netflix has made a concerted effort to sign on top-tier comedians, from David Letterman to Jerry Seinfeld, younger talent can still find a stage on platforms like YouTube.
"Nowadays, there are so many outlets, so many venues, so many different styles of comedy you can do," Sounds said. "It's literally the best time in comedy."
"Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks" returns for its second season on September 13 on truTV.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/laff-mobbs-laff-tracks-at-forefront-of-comedy).
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