Sharing an out-of-this-world experience
This playful, fan-based activation helped Kiwi band Shapeshifter promote their new single, Stars.
Shapeshifter’s opportunity
Shapeshifter wanted to build hype for their single ahead of their 6th studio album launch. With a ticking clock and a tight budget to play with, they thought an interactive experience might fly with fans.
To deliver the goods, the band called Ghost Street.
Our Challenge
We knew Shapeshifter fans (new and old) would get excited if we gave them a chance to ‘co-author’ Stars. We wanted to hand them a playful interactive sequencer that would let them remix the song, and share their creations on social media.
To get people using the sequencer, we had to guarantee that their tracks would play back in tune, on time, from any device. For that to happen, we needed to build a browser-based performance interface using the brand new HTML5 Audio API.
Services provided
- Concepting
- Prototyping
- UI & UX Design
- Frontend Development
Client
Shapeshifter
Year
2016
Solution
Riffing off Shapeshifter’s stellar theme, we grouped Stars’ instrumental loops into ‘constellations’ that fans could rearrange using the sequencer.
To slice, queue, and sync playback, we built our own sequencer controller — and added a customised DRM solution so that fans wouldn’t rip remixes from the site.
Finally, we optimised Shapeshifter’s website for desktop and mobile, and added a draggable low/high-pass audio filter with visual touches which echoed Stars’ album artwork.
Try the Prototype
Shapeshifter’s results
Buzz built quickly, with mentions on local radio station George FM sending fans flocking to Shapeshifter’s homepage. Most spent an average of 6 minutes creating their own Stars remix.
That year, the Stars album peaked at No. 2 on NZ charts. The single is currently the band's 3rd most played song on Spotify.