The English trip hop band Massive Attack launched a new music app for iOS called Fantom that allows fans to hear both the original and remixes of their popular songs.
Designed in part by group member Robert del Naja, the Fantom app interacts with the listener by using their live data, which then affects what the user hears and sees, to create a custom experience.
The app can best be described as "a sensory music player that remixes and reforms songs uniquely using a variety of environmental variables including location, movement, time of day, heartbeat and the integral moving image camera."
And to celebrate the launch of the app, Massive Attack has released four new tracks titled "Dead Editors," Ritual Spirit," "Voodoo In My Blood" and "Take It There."
While the new songs cannot be heard in their original versions, the app does say that they will be "available soon." Still, fans can listen to the custom versions, which are perfectly haunting.
Each tap on the screen leaves a fingerprint, and when the personal version of the song plays, the app uses the iPhone's camera to provide black and white spooky visuals. By tapping on the "Motion" icon, the app uses a motion sensor to change the beat and effects based on movement and balance. The sound of the songs are also affected by the time of the day.
The band also revealed that live social media notifications sent via Twitter will also trigger different mixes of sounds. Users can also share individual mixes in the form of video clips to their social media accounts, text message or email.
Users with an Apple Watch can also use its heart rate sensor to use the user's pulse to interact with the low end of the track.
The credits for the new track "Voodoo in My Blood" suggest the song was made in collaboration with the Scottish band Young Feathers, and "Take It There" credits "thaws," which could be hinting at a collaboration with Adrian Thaws, aka Tricky, who last made a Massive Attack appearance in 1994.
These tracks mark the first time Massive Attack released new music since its 2010 album Heligoland. However, the band announced that it will go on tour in Europe this year, so it was only a matter of time before fans got to hear what they have been working on.
There is no word yet if Fantom will be available for Android, but iOS users can download it now for free. It is designed for iPhone 5s and above.
Source: Fantom
