As part of the celebration for what would have been David Bowie’s 75th Birthday on January 8th, the late artist’s estate has announced the re-release of five albums from the latter part of his career remixed in 360 Reality Audio, Sony’s immersive music format.
Produced by longtime Bowie collaborator and legend in his own right Tony Visconti, the new versions of Heathen, Reality, A Reality Tour (Live), The Next Day and★ will be available to stream on Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer, and TIDAL from January 21st. The new releases join Space Oddity, which was re-imagined in 360 Reality Audio by Visconti in 2019 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the album’s release.
If that’s too long to wait to experience a bit of Bowie in 3D, then four archival live performances are already available for streaming in 360 Audio via the Artist Connection app. The tracks, including Man Who Sold the World, combine live audio and video from Bowie’s final A Reality Tour, recreating a realistic concert sound.
To playback 360 Audio, Sony says that listeners can use headphones “from most manufacturers” as well as the brand’s own certified speakers and soundbars. Users with Sony headphones can go one step further and use its Headphones Connect app to analyse their ear shape with their phone camera and to help optimise the soundfield.
The ongoing Bowie 75 festivities also include pop-ups in London at 14 Heddon Street (where the covers of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars were shot) and his former neighbourhood in New York (150 Wooster Street). The attractions offer visitors an interactive career-spanning deep dive into the sound and vision of David Bowie, including costumes, limited edition vinyl and immersive HD screening rooms with 360 Reality Audio.
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