Esteemed turntablist DJ QBert is known as a member of the DJ crew Invisibl Skratch Piklz and he's worked with artists like Run the Jewels and Dr. Octagon, but now the man born Richard Quitevis has yet another claim to fame: he's just unveiled what is being called "the world's first interactive album packaging." It's for the new double album Extraterrestria/GalaXXXian.
These albums came out last summer, and this new vinyl pressing comes courtesy of a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that earned over $128,000. The packaging was designed by Brooklyn firm Morning Breath Inc alongside QBert's own Thud Rumble banner.
It uses Bluetooth to create a touch-sensitive MIDI turntable. This connects to Algoriddim's djay app, and allows users to trigger turntable sounds using their fingers on the artwork.
QBert has now shared a video showing exactly what this will look like, and it's impressive to say the least. Watch the clip below; as you can see, the bluetooth DJ decks come as an insert in the gatefold packaging and they work in tandem with a smartphone. The app can also be used to manipulate MP3 files, meaning that this artwork makes it possible to create on-the-fly remixes.
Press materials refer to this as "the world's first interactive album packaging." This claim is debatable (since many LP covers have been interactive in various, less flashy ways), but it's probably fair to say that we've never seen album packaging that also functions as DJ decks before.
Meanwhile, Extraterrestria and GalaXXXian are both available on iTunes.
These albums came out last summer, and this new vinyl pressing comes courtesy of a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that earned over $128,000. The packaging was designed by Brooklyn firm Morning Breath Inc alongside QBert's own Thud Rumble banner.
It uses Bluetooth to create a touch-sensitive MIDI turntable. This connects to Algoriddim's djay app, and allows users to trigger turntable sounds using their fingers on the artwork.
QBert has now shared a video showing exactly what this will look like, and it's impressive to say the least. Watch the clip below; as you can see, the bluetooth DJ decks come as an insert in the gatefold packaging and they work in tandem with a smartphone. The app can also be used to manipulate MP3 files, meaning that this artwork makes it possible to create on-the-fly remixes.
Press materials refer to this as "the world's first interactive album packaging." This claim is debatable (since many LP covers have been interactive in various, less flashy ways), but it's probably fair to say that we've never seen album packaging that also functions as DJ decks before.
Meanwhile, Extraterrestria and GalaXXXian are both available on iTunes.