Ever since teasers appeared in August, Linkin Park and STEVE AOKI fans have been tearing apart the Internet in search of the studio version of “A Light That Never Comes,” their first song together. Today, from their official websites, www.linkinpark.com and www.steveaoki.com, both artists have finally told fans how to find it: by playing the new, free, 3D Facebook game “LP RECHARGE,” which launches today.
PLAY THE GAME HERE!
The song was originally unveiled as a surprise during AOKI’s performance at the Summer Sonic festival in Tokyo last month, where he was joined onstage by Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda. The shaky, distorted cell phone recordings from the concert were the only records of the song until now. Today, fans will work to unveil the studio recording of the song, which, once unlocked via the game, will be serviced to radio and will stream on demand exclusively on Xbox Music.
The game, a product of the imaginations of Linkin Park and gaming giant kuuluu Interactive Entertainment AG, is a free-to-play action/strategy game featuring band-designed characters and missions. Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, an art school graduate with a BFA in illustration, helped design the game.
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“I think this song and release show where we’re at right now,” said Shinoda. “Making the song with Steve, premiering it through the ‘Recharge’ Facebook game, and debuting it via Microsoft’s Xbox Music—I think it’s all indicative of our band’s commitment to experimentation and pushing boundaries.”
Once the single is unleashed, the audio will stream on demand exclusively for 14 days on Xbox Music, Microsoft’s all-in-one music service. Following the Xbox Music launch of free streaming on all Web browsers, the new Linkin Park/STEVE AOKI single, “A Light That Never Comes,” will also be made available on all of its other platforms in varying capacities, including Xbox 360, iOS, and Android. With a branded destination on Xbox 360 and online at Music.Xbox.com, fans can listen and see behind-the-scenes footage of how the collaboration came together. This association, a product of a long history of collaboration and innovation between Linkin Park and Xbox, marks the beginning of a new multi-faceted relationship between Linkin Park and Microsoft, which will combine the band’s interest in music, art, and technology with Microsoft’s unparalleled innovation in the digital entertainment space.
“Xbox Music is really about uniting artists with their fans by bringing all the music you love to the devices you already have,” said Jerry Johnson, General Manager of Xbox Music. “We’re excited about this relationship with Linkin Park as it helps us expand our vision with one of the most popular bands in the world, and one that continually strives to innovate in the tech-meets-music space.”
“A Light That Never Comes” will be on the upcoming Linkin Park album, RECHARGED, which features new interpretations of songs from LIVING THINGS, the band’s most recent album that debuted at No. 1 in over 20 countries. RECHARGED will be released October 29 on Machine Shop Recordings/Warner Bros (full track listing and remixer reveal forthcoming). A limited-edition version of the album will feature an interactive 3D sculpture based on LIVING THINGS album artwork. The sculpture was derived from a digital manipulation of a lion’s head, housed in a glass globe surrounded by a magnetic liquid called ferofluid. This one-of-a-kind piece allows fans to interact with the solution via a magnetic stylus to create unique patterns and designs. Included with the sculpture is a 48-page art book, 2 CD folio pack including LIVING THINGS and RECHARGED, and the aforementioned magnetic stylus. All contents are contained in a custom hinged, clam shell-styled, display box. Each box set will be numbered and LIMITED TO ONLY 500 globally. Pre-orders will begin Monday, September 16 at www.linkinpark.com, while pre-orders of the digital RECHARGE album will begin on iTunes once the new single is unlocked.
Later this fall, STEVE AOKI is launching his Aokify America Tour featuring Borgore and Waka Flocka Flame as direct support with special guest Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes/N.E.R.D.) appearing on select dates. Presented by DIM MAK—the independent record label, events/lifestyle company, and apparel line founded by AOKI—the North American tour will travel across major venues and amphitheaters throughout the U.S. and Canada. In addition to “A Light That Never Comes,” STEVE AOKI continues to lead the worlds of electronic and independent music with a barrage of hit original singles and remixes, including his most recent releases “Boneless,” currently sitting at #1 on Beatport, and several upcoming projects for Dim Mak Records as well as Ultra Music.
STEVEN AOKI | LINKIN PARK | KUULUU
