Bluebrain releases NYC's first ever location-aware album today, Central Park: Listen To The Light
Central
Park ('Listen to the Light') is NYC's first 'location-aware' album,
composed and conceived by music duo Bluebrain, available exclusively as a
FREE iPhone app
VIDEO: The Making of Central Park: Listen To The Light -
VIDEO: Central Park - Album trailer -
 |
New
York, NY: Bluebrain's latest release is not a traditional album -- it
can't be listened to passively in one sitting or, for that matter, at
just any location. Central Park ('Listen To The Light') is a
site-specific work of music that responds to the listeners location
within the stretch of green of the same name in New York City. Available
only as an iPhone and iPad app, the album will be released as a free
download starting today, October 4th, 2011.
Central Park ('Listen To The Light') is the second in a series of site-specific app-albums, following The National Mall, released last May, designed to experienced within the boundaries of the parks in New York and Washington DC respectively.
Both
albums work by tracking a user's location via the iPhones built-in GPS
capabilities. Hundreds of zones within the landscape are tagged and
alter the sound based on where the listener is located in proximity to
them. Zones overlap and interact in dynamic ways that, while far from
random, will yield a unique experience with each listen. The proprietary
design that is the engine behind the app stays hidden from view as the
melodies, rhythms, instrumentation and pace of the music vary based on
the listeners' chosen path. Unlike other music-related apps, these are
not musical toys or instruments. Nor are they a compliment to a
traditional album release. The app is the work itself. A musical
'Chose-Your-Own-Adventure' that does not progress in a linear fashion
but rather allows the listener to explore the terrain and experience
music in way that has never been possible before now. Chris Richards
wrote in a Washington Post cover story, "Bluebrain (The National Mall) is helping to redefine what an album actually can be...it's truly magical".
Bluebrain
is the Washington DC-based music duo of brothers Hays and Ryan
Holladay. In their two years of existence, they've gained a local
reputation for executing imaginative projects throughout the city and in
collaboration with area institutions. They've been commissioned to
create works for the Smithsonian, Corcoran and Philips Collection. Soon,
they will begin work on the third in the series, a location-aware album
mapped for sections of California's Pacific Coast Highway.
RELATED LINKS:
Official Site - http://www.bluebra.in/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/bluebrainofficial
Trailer for Central Park - http://vimeo.com/26700564
Trailer for The National Mall - http://vimeo.com/24250620
Bluebrain talks to Pitchfork's Kill Screen about Central Park - http://killscreendaily.com/articles/neo-location
NY Post Story - http://nyp.st/oDLCdL
(Editor's Note: Are you kidding me? This is the coolest thing I have ever seen.)
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