Massive Attack’s App Lets Fans Remix Their Album ‘Mezzanine’

Continuing their 20th anniversary celebrations for their seminal release Mezzanine, Massive Attack have shared a free music app that allows users to create interactive remixes of the album’s tracks.

Described as a “sensory music experience”, this is the second iteration of the band’s music app called Fantom Mezzanine. Fantom utilises stems from the album’s classic tracks such as ‘Teardrop’, ‘Angel’ and Inertia Creeps’ combined with “iPhone sensor functions such as camera, microphone, acceleration and location for sampling, recording and unique playback,” says Robert Del Naja, member of the Bristol electronic outfit and co-designer of the app.

The app also allows you to sample sounds from around the world to create your own unique remixes from the album.

Other artists have previously used apps to encourage people to explore the interactive possibilities of music. Brian Eno famously launched his “generative music” app Bloom during the early days of the Apple’s app store back in 2008.

In addition to new features, Fantom also boasts new blockchain technology, developed with London based music rights company Blokur, that tracks “the usage of individual stems and audio assets within the app, and producing a “dynamic rights structure” for every new piece of music that fans create using Fantom,” reports trade publication Music Ally.

This app launch is just one of the latest unorthodox offerings the band used to mark Mezzanine’s anniversary. In addition to a traditional LP reissue, the band also translated the record into DNA encased in one million cans of spray paint.

Earlier this year, the group announced a massive world tour, including long stretches in North America and Europe that features Cocteau Twins vocalist Liz Fraser for a number of dates.

A newly remixed version off the expanded 20th anniversary reissue titled ‘Teardrop (Mazaruni Dub One)’ has also been released ahead of the reissued album’s release in early 2019.

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Format: UK English