The future of music videos has arrived: a VR experience where you 'touch' the tune

Electronic music genius Bonobo has embraced virtual reality for his latest release. The song, ‘Outlier’, is now playable as an interactive VR experience. 

If listening to music while going about your daily business seems a little non-committal to you, then you might want to try out a new interactive VR music video from Bonobo, which has been made by Horizons Studio for the Google Daydream platform.

In the virtual reality experience, you fly through various landscapes, controlling both the music and the environment around you with the Daydream controller.

An interactive experience

This interactive element is what separates the Bonobo’s experience from those that have gone before. Gorillaz recently released a 360 music video that promptly broke viewing records, but this was a non-interactive experience that simply allowed the user to look around pre-defined scenes. 

In contrast, the new VR experience generates all its visuals in real-time, which allows it to be interactive. 

Experiencing a music video in VR could not be further away from how most people experience their music nowadays, as something to have on in the background while doing other things. In contrast, this experience forces you to give the music your full attention with both your eyes and your ears. 

The experience is available now through the Horizons App which is available on the Google Play Store

Jon Porter

Jon Porter is the ex-Home Technology Writer for TechRadar. He has also previously written for Practical Photoshop, Trusted Reviews, Inside Higher Ed, Al Bawaba, Gizmodo UK, Genetic Literacy Project, Via Satellite, Real Homes and Plant Services Magazine, and you can now find him writing for The Verge.