For the closing event of Wallifornia Musictech’s 4th edition, participants were invited
to join in ICO live in concert, an event recorded and broadcasted at the Reflektor in Liège. Initiated by festival Les Ardentes, the immersive experience by Belgium’s hip-
hop rising star gathered more than 20.000 fans online on Thursday, July 9th.
Belgium’s Hip-Hop Rising Star
Scheduled as part of Les Ardentes’ line-up 2020, ICO is Belgian rap’s new hope. Highly
connected, ICO is extremely active on social networks, in particular on YouTube, where his
offbeat videos have gathered an impressive community of fans. He is, without contest, the
artist to follow in 2021 and the perfect match for a virtual live concert.
A unique experience
Made possible by the german start-up Granola Studios, the live concert allowed participants to create their own avatar and to attend a virtual venue. A full immersion that allowed everyone the opportunity to freely interact with the specially developed universe, as well as with the other attendees. The perfect occasion for the artist to connect with his audience.
A goal that was definitely achieved, according to Dominik Faber, fonder & CEO of Grano-
la Studios : « It’s our mission to bring fans and artists closer together and I think today we were able to see the full potential of this new form of live entertainment ». The concert was also broadcast live on social networks and reached more than 50.000 fans.
A virtual tribute to musicians
For the Les Ardentes team, this initiative was especially important since it is a way for them to
support artists and technicians involved in the project. But the true objective was to give another
meaning to Les Ardentes’s involvement in the Wallifornia Musictech project.
According to Jean-Yves Reumont, booker at Les Ardentes: “the goal was to challenge the means
offered by new technologies and match them to the needs and expectations of a festival organizer ».
And while he observes that « so far, nothing equals a ‘real’ performance and the energy created by
the interaction between an artist and his audience » he also acknowledges that the success of ICO’s
concert is proof of the potential tech as to offer new creative outlets to artists.
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