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Pharrell Williams will co-own Roli's modular instrument business
There's no question that Pharrell Williams has had at least some fondness for technology (his Daft Punk collabs and gold-tinged smartphones were big clues), but now he's taking that appreciation to Will.I.Am levels. Roli has revealed that Pharrell is not only becoming its Chief Creative Officer, but will invest in and take co-ownership of the modular instrument startup. He'll have a vested interest in Roli's success, in other words. The company hasn't outlined the terms of the deal, but the superstar will help develop "revolutionary" digital instruments that are accessible and "iconic."
Apple's rebranded Music Festival will be livestreamed on Beats 1
Apple's iTunes Festival is coming back to London with a new name and a slightly different format. For starters, it's now called Apple Music Festival -- an obvious move to promote the recently launched music streaming service. It's still being held at the city's Roundhouse venue, but this year the company is opting for a 10 night run (September 19-28) rather than its usual month-long affair. That could put extra pressure on its free and seemingly randomised ticket allocations, so Apple will also be streaming the festival through Apple Music. Everyone will be able to watch the performances both live and on-demand, with coverage on Beats 1 and social media snippets on Apple Music Connect.
Pharrell, Drake and Elton John will DJ on Apple's Beats 1
With Apple Music launching in less than a week, much of the focus has been on its relationship with artists and the royalties it pays. Thanks to Taylor Swift, it appears to have weathered its minor storm, allowing it to focus on other parts of its upcoming launch. Beats 1, for example, will begin broadcasting on June 30 and will be fronted by ex-Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. When Apple's first live radio station was announced, it wasn't known how the company intended to fill the programming gaps between the three main hosts. However, the New York Times reports that it has lined up a number of high-profile musicians to do their part, with Dr. Dre Pharrell Williams, Drake, Jaden Smith, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Disclosure and even Elton John due to present their own shows.
Apple lines up Pharrell, Maroon 5, Blondie and more for 2014 iTunes Festival
Apple may have broken from tradition to bring an iTunes Festival to the US earlier in the year, but that didn't mean it wouldn't spoil us Brits with another month-long series of concerts. As in previous years, Apple has gone hard, bringing another healthy lineup of music stars, including Pharrell, Maroon 5, Kasabian, Sam Smith, David Guetta, Calvin Harris and over 50 other bands and singers to Camden's iconic Roundhouse venue in September. Those concerts will be streamed live online, with fans from over 100 countries able to view them from their computer, iPhone, iPad, iPod and also via their Apple TV boxes. If you live locally, you can, of course, also apply to watch your favourite act live, as Apple is handing out tickets as part of a traditional online lottery. To enter, fill in your details at the source link below or lookout for special promotions on Global Radio or in the Evening Standard paper.
Pharrell seeks N.E.R.D.vana with Gizmondo Enzo Tee
Look Pharrell, just because you've Yin'd Stefan Eriksson's crashed Enzo onto your Tee doesn't mean your own Enzo won't get Yang'd. Dietrich is out there, somewhere.
Pharrell tires of gilded BlackBerry, targets iPhone next
Remember Pharrell Williams' solid gold BlackBerry 8700? Well, it turns out there's this little problem with coating your electronics in gold: they become obsolete long before the gold does. No worries, though; when you're Pharrell, exchanging that ancient piece of RIM kit for something a little more en vogue is as simple as pulling out the pocketbook. As you might imagine, Pharrell's newly yellowed iPhone is no fewer than 18 karats in purity, but unlike other phones in his collection that suffer from some amount of signal degradation, this one maintains the black plastic piece on the rear for reception's sake (now why you'd actually want to make calls on this as opposed to, say, just looking at it, we have no idea -- you'd have to ask Pharrell). No word on just how much coin was exchanged for this little surgical procedure, but we're pretty sure we don't want to know.
Pharrell to help with Halo 3 launch in UK
When Microsoft announced their plans for the Halo 3 launch last week all the events and festivities took place on US soil, leaving our European friends sad and left to fend for themselves. Or so we thought, because today Microsoft announced their UK launch event plans which include a big screen and a special music producer. UK ... be sad no more!The Halo 3 UK launch event will take place at 6:30PM at London's IMAX cinema (the UK's largest) and include appearances by British broadcaster Jonathan Ross and music producer Pharrell Williams. The launch event will also include what they call a "photographic exhibition" (don't ask) and a VIP only after party where Master Chief and company will party hard and drink way too much. What isn't mentioned, but is nearly guaranteed, is the fact that thousands of fans will lining up, screaming and jostling for position to be the first to get a copy of Halo 3. Aspirin will be neccessary.
Precious metals infect Pharrell's BlackBerry 8700
Look, do what you want with your hard-earned dollars, we say -- just don't come running to us when you leave your six-figure phone on the bus. That there is hip-hop's Pharrell Williams, doing his best not to show any signs of discomfort while struggling to hold up his 18-karat gold BlackBerry 8700. We have to believe that thing weighs a proverbial ton if it's anything close to solid, and to pick a device as utilitarian as the friggin' BlackBerry 8700 to pimp out seems a bit off to us. At any rate, if RIM had anything to do with this monstrosity's manufacture, at least it probably put a decent dent into their legal bills.
