Xitelabs in the incredible time period of less than 2 weeks, created a new visual art show for Kid Cudi featured on more than 14 songs.
The completed visual works were featured at Hard Summer Festival 2019. Our producer Anders Rahm brought this opportunity to the team.
Anders had been previously working with Kid Cudi on Notch IMAG effects and multimedia content for his live shows. Our job was to collaborate in
creation of an entirely new visual show which incorporated Notch, enhanced live camera effects, high end animations, live visual performances
and d3 programming. Our team used a cutting edge combination of different technologies to create a repeatable workflow that allowed for the live VJ feel
while having a pre-programmed show. By introducing a 4k recording system with the help of Jay Spriggs, our team was able to capture Notch, Resolume, and Crescent Sun live.
Those files were programmed into Disguise along with more Notch effects by Eric May. The motto of the team, mainly Vello, was “Put a block on it!”
During the performance you could see a palpable connection to the music and energy of the visuals as tens of thousands hummed along to Kid Cudi’s
Saturday night headlining set. For an artist well into his second decade in music, it was a humbling moment for Cudi, and he was all smiles
throughout the set. The crowd justified him belting, “I can still feel the love!” the moment he queued up the song.
Hard Summer had a record setting 170,000 dance music fans gather in the middle of the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for
the this 12th annual edition. Kid Cudi closed out the main stage with a mixture of his recent work with Kanye West on last year’s Kids See Ghost,
and what many in the crowd seemed to consider formative music from his early career. Fans also got treated to a special surprise
“Erase Me” unreleased remix by Steve Aoki.
Here is what Billboard had to say about the Kid Cudi show which featured our work @Hard Summer:
“Kid Cudi closed out the main stage” Billboard.com Show Recap
“Hard Summer 2019 Best Moments” Billboard.com Dance
Client: Kid Cudi
Creative Director / VJ: Vello Virkhaus
Touring Account Manager: Darcy Khan
Producer: Anders Rahm
Notch: Tanner Thompson, Richard De Souza, Patrick Defasten
d3 Server tech: Jay Spriggs
Animation Companies: Optical Animal, Wolves Visuals
Animators: Andrew Williams, Fezz Stenton, Kyle Gordon, Aurelian Ionus, Brady Bothwell
VJ/Resolume Artists: Tanner Thompson, Vello Virkhaus
Big Thanks to our whole team and everyone involved!