Leading Electronic Dance Music act creates first orchestra of phones

Electronic dance music act Booka Shade will create its first orchestra of phones when it invites 600 revellers to raise their smartphones into the air to project sounds and colours during a performance in Berlin on 9 May.

Each smartphone at the gig at Umspannwerk will be controlled by the dance music duo live on stage, creating a visual and musical spectacle that will enable fans to become part of the performance. The interactive gig will rely on actual audience phones. Cues on big screens around the venue will tell the audience when to hit ‘Go’ on a specially-created Vodafone app - and the music will begin.

Arno Kammermeier, one half of Booka Shade, said: “We have always wanted to break boundaries with our music - and mobile technology has made this possible. During a 45-minute show, there will be select parts in which we’ve found a way to synchronise different sounds to people’s handsets. For the first time, our partnership with Vodafone will enable us to truly unite an audience by making them our orchestra.”

Fellow band member, Walter Merziger, said: “We’re still the musicians, but the smartphones will be playing our tunes and casting bright, colourful lights across the venue. With so much opposition to using smartphones at gigs because of image and video rights infringement, we want to show how mobile technology can actually be used to make a performance even better.”

Vodafone Group’s Brand Director Barbara Haase said: “It’s fantastic to partner with Booka Shade to create this unique experience and to help this pioneering group achieve such an inspiring First. Booka Shade is the first group to work with mobile technology in such a creative way at a gig, bringing their fans even closer to the music.”

A short film will be made of the performance that will be shared on Vodafone’s social media channels celebrating ‘Firsts’. To find out more about Vodafone Firsts, visit www.firsts.com

About Vodafone Firsts
Vodafone Firsts is a programme which helps people to do remarkable things for the first time. Recently, two grandmothers from the Netherlands became an internet phenomenon when Vodafone enabled them to experienced flying on a plane for the first time. Other Firsts have included one man surfing one of the most dangerous waves in the world and a woman who has started the first female fight club to protect women in India.

Firsts focuses on a simple concept: Vodafone inspiring people to do something remarkable for the first time, with the help of mobile technology, from making their first call to sharing their first video.

For more information, contact:

Vodafone Group
Media Relations
www.vodafone.com/media/contact

Note to Editors

*Further details of Vodafone Firsts can be found at:
http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/media/vodafone-group-releases/2013/vodafone-announces-vodafone-firsts-new-global-brand-engagement.html

About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies with approximately 419 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 31 December 2013. Vodafone has equity interests in telecommunications operations in nearly 30 countries and around 50 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com

About Booka Shade
Shade are Berlin-based duo Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier. They have emerged as one of the most pioneering electronic dance music acts of the past two decades, recently releasing their fifth studio album ‘Eve’, through Embassy One/Blaufield Music and headlining at the Gobi stage at Coachella. Resident Advisor named them one of the world’s Top 5 live acts. Their biggest hit ‘Body Language’ has become an anthem for festival goers the world over and was also used as a sample by will.i.am in ‘Get Your Money’.

The Berlin pair are highly sought after remixers, lending their magic touch to artists such as Depeche Mode, Moby, Yello, Hot Chip, Kings Of Leon, Tiga, and The Knife. In 2012, they were hand-picked by BBC Radio 1’s Pete Tong to mix his annual ‘All Gone Ibiza’ compilation. DJ appearances in the last year have included the Space Ibiza opening party, and a range of US festivals including the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.

Booka Shade’s music absorbs influences from all genres: classical, rock, jazz, film score which has arguably contributed to their wide appeal. Their impressive contribution to electronic music across many genres since 2004’s ‘Memento’ has seen them become dance music pioneers.

Bookashade.com
Booka Shade’s album ‘EVE’ is available on iTunes http://smarturl.it/EVEALBUMITUNES