head5, the Collectible NFT Series from deadmau5 x Smearballs, Partners with MoonPay and Umbria to Unlock Greater Access to the mau5verse
AVAILABLE NOW VIA head5.io
LOS ANGELES, March 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via InvestorWire — The head5 collection, available on the Polygon blockchain, is the metaverse-ready avatar collaboration between deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman) and artist Nick denBoer. Today (March 3), head5 – the foundation of the mau5verse, a collection of all that is deadmau5 across the digital space: music, video games, literature, NFTs and more – has partnered with leading global crypto payments infrastructure provider MoonPay and Eth-Polygon bridging solution Umbria to make the collection accessible to a wider audience.
Through the partnership, MoonPay is helping collectors of deadmau5’s head5 easily access the collection by creating an on-site widget that allows users to seamlessly purchase Eth on the Polygon blockchain (Eth-PoS, or wEth) using debit or credit, and sidestep any bridging fees. The new partnership makes accessing and purchasing a head5 NFT both fast and easy, providing a greater level of access to the community. The partnership comes shortly after the launch of MoonPay’s NFT Checkout, the world’s most advanced plug-and-play solution allowing any brand, creator or marketplace to give their users a simpler, faster way to buy and sell NFTs with a credit card in minutes.
MoonPay CEO Ivan Soto-Wright says: “MoonPay is committed to bringing the next billion people into the world of crypto by making the process seamless. We’ve done that for crypto, and now we’re doing it for NFTs, too. We believe NFTs will radically change the way we think about art, fan engagement and intellectual property. That’s what makes the mau5verse project so exciting. We’re proud to help Joel and the team continue to build an incredible and passionate community.”
Meanwhile, Umbria has also been an integral part of the crypto-native community that has gravitated toward the head5 project. If a collector already has Eth on mainnet (L1) and would like to use it for minting a head, Umbria provides the fastest and cheapest way to bridge their Eth to the Polygon blockchain. The Umbria solution was suggested by the head5 holders – the community behind the success of the project.
The head5 collection is a range of 5,555 generative avatars created by deadmau5 and legendary director, animator and visual artist Smearballs. Nick denBoer, who is Smearballs, is to thank for many of deadmau5’s insane tour visuals featuring dancing bug-eyed farm animals and the many characters in the music videos for “Monophobia,” “Pomegranate” and “Drama Free.” This project is an extension of those worlds and characters, where collectors will not only own an NFT but will benefit from additional token utility and rewards throughout the mau5verse. The collection provides deadmau5’s most passionate fans and collectors entry into the next epoch of the mau5verse community. head5 is integrated in over 600 digital and metaverse spaces.
Owners of NFTs in the head5 collection will get special access to a range of exclusive perks, including but not limited to:
- Guestlist to deadmau5 shows.
- Early and exclusive access to VIP experiences and live show tickets.
- Early access to deadmau5 music.
- Community votes on future mau5verse roadmap.
- Integration into Ready Player Me and The Sandbox.
- NFT airdrops.
- Companion drops.
- Whitelisting for future NFT projects.
- Figurines, vinyl and plush toys.
- Prints and comics.
- Merchandise.
- NFT project collaboration perks.
+ more.
The Art Inspiration, Smearballs
head5 is a collection of 5,555 avatars derived from 200 3D assets split into four categories: skulls, eyes, mouths and ears. A generative script was created to spawn the unique combinations with a layer of art direction to make dominant strains of matching designs. Collectors may get lucky and uncover a “perfect match” of all four asset categories and obtain one of the full matching designs. There are subsequently many subcategories of dozens whereby an avatar has three of four or two of four matching traits of a certain strain.
There are also five Jokers mixed in the population like in a deck of cards. These Jokers are among the rarest finds and have a hat that is not found anywhere else in the population. There are also two Goat lords, one of which belongs to deadmau5 and one that belongs to Nick Den Boer.
“I’ve been collaborating with Joel for over six years on tour visuals and music videos. I’ve made many crazy iterations of his iconic mau5 head, from dancing farm animals to 26-eyed aliens, but never at this scale. 5,555 head5 is a real army of freaks that I hope his fans get a kick out of collecting and wearing in the metaverse.”
– Nick denBoer
The head5 collection made its debut this past October when it was unveiled during the Sandbox Miami Experience during the day of the deadmau5 multiday event. The (literal) box in the sand featured five of the 5,555 generative avatars in augmented reality (AR) as they will be seen in an upcoming metaverse game. (The integration is likely to go live by Q3 of 2022, making it the first Polygon avatar collection to be integrated in the Sandbox Game.) Following Miami, head5 made their way to NFT.NYC, the world’s largest NFT conference, where it was previewed at the Bright Moments Gallery for some of the biggest members in the NFT space.
Polygon, the chain where head5 lives, has continued to prove itself to be the L2 solution the crypto community has waited for, alleviating high gas fees and transaction speeds without sacrificing security. With gaming at the forefront of the mau5verse, the upside Polygon brings to the table is undeniable. Polygon is a protocol and a framework for building and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks. This multichain system is akin to others such as Polkadot, Cosmos, Avalanche, etc., but with at least three major upsides: It is able to fully benefit from Ethereum’s network effects, it is inherently more secure, and it is more open and powerful.
SALE INFO:
- Date: On sale now.
- Where: www.head5.io
- How: Eth-PoS (also known as wEth)
Price: 0.15 Eth
(*If bridging, additional fees will need to be considered.)
If a collector has never bridged before, we advise them to read our minting guides below.
Need Help?
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About deadmau5
Joel Zimmerman, more commonly known as deadmau5 (pronounced “dead mouse”), is one of the world’s most respected electronic music producers of modern times. Enjoying international chart success with his platinum-certified single “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,” as well as “Professional Griefers,” “Sofi Needs A Ladder” and “I Remember,” he has also released seven critically acclaimed albums. The multiple JUNO Award-winning and GRAMMY®-nominated artist’s ability to push the boundaries of his talent grows at an equal rate to his fan base, which counts 15 million and more over his combined social media channels. His latest music offerings include “Pomegranate” with The Neptunes, “Bridged By A Lightwave” with Kiesza, “Channel 43” with Wolfgang Gartner, “Hypnocurrency” with REZZ, “When The Summer Dies” with Lights, “Hyperlandia” featuring Foster The People and “this is fine.” with Portugal. The Man. In the live realm, his 2019/20 U.S. cubev3 tour featuring production of his own design and implementation ranked in the top 10 of Pollstar’s top tours globally. Beyond his music career, he is also a co-founder of gaming venture PIXELYNX and is an executive of HD streaming platform StreamVoodoo.
For more information, visit:
www.deadmau5.com
www.twitter.com/deadmau5
www.instagram.com/deadmau5
www.facebook.com/deadmau5
www.mau5trap.com
www.hau5trap.com
About MoonPay
MoonPay is the world’s leading global crypto payments infrastructure provider. Leading marketplaces around the world are providing their users with a simpler way to buy and sell NFTs using MoonPay’s industry-first NFT Checkout solution, which allows the purchase of NFTs instantly with a credit or debit card. The company is active in more than 160 countries and is trusted by 250+ leading wallets, websites and applications.
For more information, visit: http://www.moonpay.com or contact MoonPay@mhpc.com
About Umbria
The Umbria Narni bridge is a cross-chain asset bridge enabling the migration of assets between cryptocurrency networks. Users can seamlessly move their assets across chains using the Narni bridge’s liquidity bridging model. Bridging using Narni is 10x faster and 10x cheaper than bridging with traditional validator bridges.
About Smearballs
Nick denBoer is an award-winning director, animator and video artist based in Toronto, Canada. He has developed a unique style of visual comedy, combining video remix and animation techniques under his online brand “Smearballs.” Nick honed his skills working as a writer and bit creator for Conan O’Brien, producing and remixing popular culture segments for the show. His groundbreaking short film “The Chickening” (a poultry-infused remix of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”) graced the screens of over 100 film festivals around the world, including TIFF and Sundance. Nick’s unmistakable style has found a home in many productions. He has directed and produced award-winning ads for Old Spice and KFC, music videos and tour visuals for deadmau5 & Flying Lotus, countless TV shows, films, web and VR projects. Most recently, Nick has made a name for himself in the NFT space and has found success selling his own artwork as well as collaborating on groundbreaking NFT projects with the likes of Beeple, The Wu-Tang Clan and, most recently, the head5 project with deadmau5. http://www.smearballs.com/
About SEVEN20
Founded in 2018 by CEO Dean Wilson, SEVEN20 is a technology and entertainment company designed to overturn the traditional music management model in favor of a partnership-based approach that fully empowers its artists. In the time since, the company has adopted even bigger goals. Through the freedom of the blockchain, SEVEN20 seeks to push the entire music and entertainment industry forward with new IP and equity deals only possible with this technology. Wilson is an influential and innovative figure within the electronic music industry as well as the longtime manager and business partner of GRAMMY Award-nominated electronic music phenomenon Joel Zimmerman — aka deadmau5. With SEVEN20’s new pivot, he and deadmau5 are taking what they’ve learned from years of owning and controlling their own masters and publishing and are looking into the radical new future that the blockchain enables for the industry.
About MetaCake
Metacake is a U.K.-based development company specializing in web3 services and innovation. They have overseen multiple successful NFT launches since the start of the year and are active contributors to the maturing NFT ecosystem.
About Ready Player Me (Wolf3D)
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For more information on deadmau5, contact:
Alexandra Greenberg/Falcon Publicity
agreenberg@falconpublicity.com
Follow Falcon Publicity:
Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
For more information on MoonPay, contact:
moonpay@mhpc.com
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