Since before even the creation of album art, it has been popular to pair music with visuals. Some artists have continued to try and progress this idea by utilising modern technology such as 360-degree video, virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) as with the new platform, LAVA and app Necessary Explosion.
The new app is powered by the ‘LAVA’ platform, and its first iteration features the 11 tracks of SOS, the debut album from Netherlands-based artists Necessary Explosion.
The Necessary Explosion app has been created with the aim of helping audiences visualise the music, with each track being transformed into digital sculptures that appear to spin in time to a virtual recreation of a vinyl SOS record on a turntable.
The app uses audio fingerprinting technology to trigger the AR content which has been designed specifically for each track. Users can interact with the digital sculptures by moving around them, as the animations are proximity-based and will change when users get closer or further away.
Anita Fontaine and Geoffrey Lillemon, Creative Directors of W+K Amsterdam’s Department of New Realities, say: “The music industry has gone through multiple reinventions fueled by media and technology. With LAVA, we wanted to continue evolving the magic of music and the experience of listening, but create something that people have never seen before.
“Necessary Explosion’s impending vinyl release was the perfect opportunity to experiment with this concept, and to pair the nostalgic pace of the 70s with new technology and give it a retro-future twist. With this experience you engage at the same passive, chill rate you would looking at a sleeve or lava lamp – it’s the future digital vinyl sleeve. This first project is only the start of LAVA. We see this approach as a new emerging genre for lots of artists, one which can open up new possibilities for all kinds of AR music experiences.”
The Necessary Explosion app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store. For future coverage on new and upcoming AR content, keep checking back with VRFocus.
via Mint VR