Adrian Belew will launch his dynamic new music app FLUX on November 25, 2014, beginning with an invitation-only private event in Nashville during a break from scheduled dates this fall with his Power Trio.
Belew has been working for years with Daniel Rowland and MOBGEN on this innovative idea — in fact, he says he first thought of it decades ago — in the hopes of blending an ever-changing array of original music and sounds with engaging creative images and information.
“When I listen to it, I really get excited by it,” Belew tells us, in an exclusive Something Else! Sitdown. “It’s what I wanted it to be.”
As with anything that’s had such a lengthy gestation period, the FLUX app has evolved over time, with one of the latest additions being a series of specially created art pieces to accompany the music.
“In many ways, there were things that surprised me along the way,” Belew adds. “For example, I never envisioned it having visuals. It was always a musical concept to me. I just wanted to hear music that way, and I could imagine it in my head how it would change from this to that. Then suddenly, this would happen and that would happen — and I thought how fun that would be, and how exciting. Eventually, over time, in order to replicate life itself in the way that people live with music, I decided in reality it would have to be something that never repeats. That got me off for years on this track of “how would you do that?” So, visuals weren’t really in my initial epiphany. Things have grown and changed and been added to the idea.”
Today, FLUX promises to be a feast for both the ears and eyes, as listeners are taken on a fast-paced journey through new Adrian Belew songs, snippets of other every-day sounds, behind-the-scenes shots of the music being created and visually exciting imagery. Dig deeper, and the app will not only reveal complete lyrics, but also detailed sessions information and additional content relating to each segment’s creation.
“Once the decision was made that it would be app, and we perceived that it could really be done that way, that’s when things started changing,” Belew tells us. “Then we started thinking, it would have to have visual accompaniment. People wouldn’t want to look at an empty screen. Then other things popped into place. It started these ideas about the other usages this could birth.”
Belew has brought fans into the process along the way, as well, starting a Kickstarter campaign that will both fund future improvements to the concept but also allow listeners — depending on the amount pledged — to learn more about FLUX from Adrian Belew himself, discover archival material from his career and take home a print featuring some of the app’s unique art.
FLUX will be formally released online after the November 25 launch party. “Then people can start enjoying FLUX over and over again,” Belew adds, “and it will never be the same.” Meanwhile, Belew is also preparing for a major new tour with his Power Trio, including North American stops that stretch from October 22 to December 21, 2014.
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