Album Launch: John Frusciante Sends New LP Into Space on Rocket
Some artists launch their new album with a quirky viral campaign or music video. Former Chili Pepper John Frusciante has taken a more literal approach – by legitimately launching his new LP, ENCLOSURE, into space. On Saturday, March 29th, at a “remote High Desert location in California,” the album was loaded onto the “experimental Cube Satellite” Sat-JF14 and blasted into the great beyond onboard Interorbital Systems’ NEPTUNE Modular Rocket.
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But – in addition to being a generally awesome conversation piece – the album-rocket adventure has an interactive component: Starting today, March 31st, fans can download a free mobile app (developed by Frusciante’s label Record Collection and Loducca) that allows users to track Sat-JF14’s movement in real time. “When Sat-JF14 hovers over a user’s geographic region, ENCLOSURE will be unlocked,” reads a press release, “allowing users to listen to the album for free on any iOs or Android mobile device.”
Users who are still able to have a rational conversation after experiencing such an insane event are encouraged to gab with other listeners on an integrated social chat platform. The album preview will last until April 7th at midnight, with Sat-JF14 concluding its transmission; of course, ENCLOSURE, Frusciante’s 11th LP, will be available through more conventional means on April 8th.
“This partnership with John Frusciante, Record Collection and Loducca represents a new chapter in our quest to further explore the cosmic relationship between science and art,” says Interorbital Systems CEO Randa Milliron. “ENCLOSURE is a musical masterpiece and we’re thrilled to be able to utilize our proprietary space technology to facilitate this unprecedented form of space-enhanced distribution.”
Of course, Frusciante isn’t the only musician with his eye on the sky: Back in 2002, Lance Bass trained with the Russian cosmonaut program, and last year, troubled pop heartthrob Justin Bieber booked himself a ticket on Virgin Galactic’s space tourism vehicle SpaceShipTwo.