Serj Tankian has collaborated with designer apparel brand HEX for a backpack that has access to exclusive unreleased music from the System of a Down vocalist.
To the eyes, it looks like a regular sleek backpack. But through the camera of a smartphone and an augmented reality app, you can actually access Tankian’s unreleased music, unlocking the bag’s “own song.”
“I like the idea of listening to physical objects and having a musical score to them, it’s just a new and interesting thing that I’ve been working on,” Tankian said in a press release. “I started painting about four or five years ago because I was interested in seeing what my music looked like. So all of my pieces are musically scored, activated by an optical recognition app you can download called Arloopa. So you can actually walk into a gallery or wherever with your smartphone, point it at a particular painting and be able to hear it.”
In addition to including music, the backpack touts some nice physical specs with the traveling musician in mind, including a plush lined double laptop pocket, separate tablet pocket, water resistant fabric, and various internal pockets for hard drives and other small pieces of music gear. Its lining is printed with Tankian’s “Space Clock” artwork.
(Buy: Tickets to System of a Down’s Upcoming Shows)
“It has been such an honor to work with Serj on this collaboration,” HEX co-founder Trent Valladares said in a press release. “He is among the most creative people I have met, and moves so easily between music, art and technology. We’re also extremely proud of the bag, it’s got everything that a frequently traveling musician could want.”
The backpack retails for $195.95, and is available for order via HEX. Watch Tankian discuss its backstory below.
As for System of a Down, it’s been 14 long years since they released a new album. However, fans can catch the band on a 2020 European tour, with tickets available here.