u-gruve Guide for Composers Is Now Available
2015-08-10
Since I first started talking to composers about contributing music for u-gruve, it became very apparent that while the basic…
We all have our favorite places: Under a weeping willow by the Lake in Central Park. Strolling beside the reflecting pool at Lincoln Center. Watching the sunset from a riverside promenade. Many times we're listening to music on our mobile devices. Sometimes it fits, and sometimes it doesn't.
But what if the music was already a part of the place, waiting for you to discover it? And what if that music responded to your precise location in that place, morphing from section to section, allowing you to produce your own personal soundtrack, just by walking around?
U-GRUVE is the app that lets you do just that. Now you can create soundscapes with original music composed specifically for select public spaces. And because the arrangement is controlled by your position and interaction within the space, the resulting piece will vary every time.
U-GRUVE blurs the line between listening and performing, and turns your normal, passive, listening experience into one that is enriching, memorable, and unique, ultimately strengthening your connection to the places you love.
Once you download and install the free app, here's all you need to do:
Make sure you've got GPS turned on
The app will show you the closest one. If you're there already, great!
...and start gruvin'!
At present there are six active U-GRUVE locations within New York City, with works currently in progress for Portland. As we include more composers from around the world, our geographic coverage will expand accordingly.
Lincoln Center · Riverside Park / Hudson Greenway (89th-96th Streets) · The High Line · Central Park - Hallet Nature Sanctuary / The Pond
Central Park - Conservatory Gardens · Governor's Island
Director Park
U-GRUVE AR was designed and created by Richard Rodkin, a New York-based composer and creative technologist. The app was officially launched for iOS on May 07, 2016, in conjunction with the inaugural session of New York Creative Technology Week, and was selected as an exhibiting partner.
U-GRUVE AR is published by Memetic Arts, Inc., a New York-based digital media company focused on bringing innovative Creative Tech-driven applications to market.
U-GRUVE AR is made with the Unity Technologies game engine.
The User Interface is also built within Unity, and leverages the Hutong Games' PlayMaker plug-in, for dynamically managing and displaying the data and controlling all UI interaction.
The UI itself is rendered by Tasharen Entertainment's NGUI plug-in for Unity.
All music appearing in U-GRUVE AR is used with permission of the composers, who retain full ownership and copyright of their respective works.
