Electronic musicians Steve Aoki and 3LAU to integrate CryptoPunk’s NFTs into new ‘conceptual’ supergroup
Back in the crypto haze of 2021 when NFTs were the future, Steve Aoki and Justin “3LAU” Blau emerged as the foremost proponents of all things blockchain in mainstream electronic music.
The pair are now taking their decade-long friendship a step further by forming PUNX, a supergroup with a Web3 slant. Although not explicitly an NFT project, PUNX expects to potentially intertwine their music with blockchain technology. It promises to stage both personal and metaverse experiences, presumably sometimes simultaneously. PUNX plans to release music and start packing stadiums in 2023.
“PUNX sits at the intersection of music and Web3, drawing on Aoki and 3LAU’s collective experience,” the group announced in a statement released through Shore Fire Media. “Aoki and 3LAU’s shared love of bloghouse and electro music along with their passion for CryptoPunks’ pixelated cyberpunk world led them to create their brand new PUNX”.
One certainty is the inclusion of CryptoPunks, the collection of 10,000 pixelated characters that became one of the most sought-after digital assets last year. Both DJs are collectors with Blau holding CryptoPunk #6708 and Aoki holding six of the NFTs. PUNX presents itself as the first musicians to use CryptoPunks IP, a reference to the decision by Larva Labs to offer IP licenses to all CryptoPunks holders.
In addition to becoming one of the world’s most in-demand DJs, Aoki has built up considerable NFT credentials. In 2021, he dropped the Dream Catcher NFTs with digital artist Antoni Tudisco. He was later selected by Sotheby’s as part of the Contemporary Curated series and most recently created A0K1VERSE, an NFT membership community.
Blau’s own NFT journey has been more music-focused. 3LAU has generated more than $20 million in primary sales through the tokenization of his own music, particularly throughout the 2021s Ultraviolet releasing 33 NFTs, which marked the third anniversary of his debut album. In early 2022, he launched Royal, an NFT marketplace for music rights.
“Over the past few years, we’ve navigated the crazy world of Web3 together,” the supergroup said in the statement. “We can’t wait to share with the world a new sound and all the crazy ideas we’ve been creating in the studio.”
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