The app stores are teeming with new releases, but who has time to go through them all? We do. Bringing you a selection of the most interesting, creative, and innovative apps each week. Submit your suggestions for next week in the comments below.KORG iELECTRIBE Gorillaz Edition [iPad]This fall, the Gorillaz made headlines and history when they recorded their newest album, The Fall, on an iPad. And now the digitally progressive group have teamed up with Korg, who make analog, digital, app, and plug-in synths, keyboards, modules and all sorts of other music making equipment, to get their very own iPad app. The iElectribe is an instrument app for the iPad, but this special edition differs in that it lets you play around with the sounds from the aforementioned album.Amen Break [iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad]
Praise whatever deity you worship, for it has arrived. The Amen Break is a 6 second drum loop from a B-side called “Amen, Brother” released by The Winstons in 1969. If you don’t know what it is, you’ll have heard it sampled in everything from hip-hop to reggae to drum ‘n’ bass to TV commercials. A fantastic oral history of the loop can be heard here, and now it’s come in app form so you can play around with this celebrated and ubiquitous beat, tapping the screen to play the slices, tilting your phone to change the pitch, holding down for rolling buzz mode, and combining the two for whirling drills.Camera360 Ultimate [Android]
In years from now, our descendants will look back at this period in human history and think, “Jesus, those guys sure did take a lot of pictures.” It must be the most pictorially documented period ever—all these digital image files sitting on people’s computers, on social networks and on photo sharing sites—it’ll be rich pickings for historians of the future. Anyway, to help those future digital archaeologists, here’s a camera app for Android that will professionalise your handset’s standard camera and basically give you lots more options. All the most coveted digital effects, from HDR to Japanese style (whatever that may be), different modes like tilt-shift and scenery—all adding up to some pretty pictures for our descendants to marvel at.TEXT2IMAGE [iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad]Here’s a net.artwork created byTed Davisthat translates text into blocky images, potentially painting a thousand words as a collection of glitchy pixels. So if you ever wanted to know what your old university dissertation/favourite film quote/a tirade of f-yous might look like as a digital image of linear forms, now you can find out with this generative tool that cross-pollinates the disparate symbolism of word and image. Swipe to change from colour to black and white and double tap to save to your image library.[via Creative Applications]Gurk II, the 8-bit RPG [Android]
Following on the 8-bit tales of Gurk, the 8-bit RPG comes this pricier (although hardly pricey) sequel. The graphics and gameplay are like you’ve been transported back to 1986, The Legend of Your Youth. So you get little bottles of pixelated potions to cast spells and replenish health with, monsters to battle and command, village folk to converse with, stores to splash ye olde cash in, terrains to explore, dungeons to brood in and 8-bit graphics and MIDI soundtracks to get all dewy-eyed over. Although getting dewy-eyed over an aesthetic that has since had a massive resurgence, supports an entire retro-industry and is hardly just confined to a fondly—and possibly distorted—remembered childhood will take some doing. Get your Gurk on.
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Praise whatever deity you worship, for it has arrived. The Amen Break is a 6 second drum loop from a B-side called “Amen, Brother” released by The Winstons in 1969. If you don’t know what it is, you’ll have heard it sampled in everything from hip-hop to reggae to drum ‘n’ bass to TV commercials. A fantastic oral history of the loop can be heard here, and now it’s come in app form so you can play around with this celebrated and ubiquitous beat, tapping the screen to play the slices, tilting your phone to change the pitch, holding down for rolling buzz mode, and combining the two for whirling drills.Camera360 Ultimate [Android]
In years from now, our descendants will look back at this period in human history and think, “Jesus, those guys sure did take a lot of pictures.” It must be the most pictorially documented period ever—all these digital image files sitting on people’s computers, on social networks and on photo sharing sites—it’ll be rich pickings for historians of the future. Anyway, to help those future digital archaeologists, here’s a camera app for Android that will professionalise your handset’s standard camera and basically give you lots more options. All the most coveted digital effects, from HDR to Japanese style (whatever that may be), different modes like tilt-shift and scenery—all adding up to some pretty pictures for our descendants to marvel at.
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Following on the 8-bit tales of Gurk, the 8-bit RPG comes this pricier (although hardly pricey) sequel. The graphics and gameplay are like you’ve been transported back to 1986, The Legend of Your Youth. So you get little bottles of pixelated potions to cast spells and replenish health with, monsters to battle and command, village folk to converse with, stores to splash ye olde cash in, terrains to explore, dungeons to brood in and 8-bit graphics and MIDI soundtracks to get all dewy-eyed over. Although getting dewy-eyed over an aesthetic that has since had a massive resurgence, supports an entire retro-industry and is hardly just confined to a fondly—and possibly distorted—remembered childhood will take some doing. Get your Gurk on.