W+K Amsterdam Create Music You Can 'See'

Could this be the next evolution of the music video? W+K Amsterdam has created a new platform which pairs music with augmented reality to create immersive experiences - aka ‘music you can see’.

Launched this week, the LAVA platform transforms SOS, the debut album from Amsterdam-based artist Necessary Explosion, into psychedelic AR sculptures via a custom-designed app.

Created by the agency's dedicated future-forward creative unit, the Department of New Realities, in collaboration with W+K Lodge, Wieden+Kennedy Portland's creative technology group (who you can read more about here), the Necessary Explosion app 'visualises' each of the 11 tracks as digital sculptures that appear to spin on the vinyl record when it's played on a turntable. Audio fingerprinting technology triggers the AR content specifically designed for each track, which users can access through the iOS app on mobile or tablet. Thanks to proximity-based tech, you can also interact with the sculptures, which react as you move closer or further away.

Check out how it works here:

To create the trippy AR animations - which include rainbow-hued skulls, flowers, waves and explosions, W+K worked closely with Necessary Explosion to visually reflect the sound and underlying themes of the '70s-inflected album. Each future iteration of LAVA will be specific to the artist’s vision.

“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," say Anita Fontaine and Geoffrey Lillemon, creative directors of the Department of New Realities. “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 app is designed to be used together with the SOS vinyl LP - you simply drop the needle on the record, launch the app and point your device at the turntable to see the songs come to life. Even if you don't have the physical record or turntable, though, you can still experience the app by playing the album through Spotify or Apple Music, through a secondary device or sound system (not the device the app is operating on) and placing it on a flat surface