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Jamie Lidell's mic acts as a light-controlling joystick in new 'You Naked' video

Jamie Lidell's mic acts as a light-controlling joystick in new 'You Naked' video

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jamie lidell (sandra ciampone)
jamie lidell (sandra ciampone)

Jamie Lidell's latest video sees the British electronic & soul musician performing in a projection-mapped cube where light dances around him. That may not sound like the most original concept for a video, but here's where the clip for "You Naked" stands apart: the cube is interactive, and Lidell is able to control the light patterns by manipulating a sensor-equipped mic stand. No post-production was used to create the visual effects.

London-based Flat-e Collective both directed the video and designed the technology for it. Creative Applications reports that the box is comprised of a steel frame with projection gauze wrapped around, and Flat-e used four projectors hooked up to PCs to cast the visuals. The various effects were created with a custom app that allows Lidell to adjust his environment by shifting the orientation of his mic stand; the visuals also react to the music, with different frequency bands mapped to different parameters.

Lidell is taking the tech out on tour

This video isn't the only place the technology will be put to use, however, as Lidell is taking the setup out on tour from next month. "We wanted to make Jamie feel totally in control of the visual, so he could play it almost like he would with his audio equipment," Flat-e producer Kat Anderson told Fast Company. "As the same setup is going on tour with him, we wanted the system to be very robust." "You Naked" is taken from Lidell's self-titled album, which is coming out on Warp on February 18th.