LEGO unveils full set of music VIDIYO masters

LEGO and Universal Music Group have announced the full range of the upcoming LEGO VIDIYO series - and they've even signed on a special music star - the first ever human version of a minifigure.

LEGO VIDIYO combines music, augmented reality, physical and digital LEGO, all wrapped up in an app that helps kids become the next big music video director.

Designed for children aged between 7-10, VIDIYO is essentially one big playground where kids can create LEGO-themed music videos to the tune of popular (and classic) tracks. These  videos come complete with a variety of customisations, effects and skills. Read more about it here.

This time the LEGO minifigures are Bandmates, who come together in the digital world to put on a song and dance to a selection of 30 popular and classic music tracks.

Six Bandmates come with their own BeatBox, which is a nifty little carry case that can store the characters, and a very special little tile that looks like an album cover. This tile is called a BeatBit. These BeatBits provide a variety of audio and video effects in the VIDIYO app.

LEGO plans to release 130 BeatBits this year, and there are more than 1400 unlockable elements only accessible through playtime and challenges.

The VIDIYO app (available on iOS and Android) is where everything comes to life in heart-pumping 60-second performances. Kids can create their own bands for performances – select clothing, band names, and album covers. They can then post their creations privately for friends and family, or on the internet (with parental consent, anonymity and external moderation) so kids can stay safe online.

The six BeatBoxes and 12 Bandmate characters include:

• 43102 'Candy Pop' in the Candy Mermaid BeatBox (Pop)
   
• 43103 'Pirate Punk' in the Punk Pirate Beatbox (Punk)
   
• 43104 'Alien DJ' in the Extra Terrestrial Dance Music BeatBox (ETDM)
   
• 43105 'Party Llama' in the Party Llama BeatBox (Tropicon)
   
• 43106 'Unicorn DJ' in the Unicorn DJ BeatBox (K-pawp)
   
• 43107 'Robot Break-dancer' in the HipHop Robot BeatBox (HipHop) 
   
• 43101 Bandmates: Red Panda Dancer; Cotton Candy Cheerleader; Shark Singer; Bunny Dancer; Discowboy Singer; Genie Dancer; Samurapper; DJ Cheetah; Ice Cream Saxophonist; Alien Keytarist; Banshee Singer; Werewolf Drummer

LEGO VIDIYO products will be available from March 1st and are just the first of many to come. BeatBoxes are priced at NZ$29.99 with the Collectible Bandmates priced at NZ$5.99.

Who is L.L.A.M.A?

Universal Music Group label Astralwerks has signed up an artist called L.L.A.M.A, who is the human incarnation of the Tropicon BeatBox minifigure, DJ Llama.

L.L.A.M.A says, "Labels are for clothes. No musical style is off-limits for me. I just want to work with people that don't take life too seriously.

L.L.A.M.A's single 'Shake' features artists NE-YO and Carmen DeLeon. Shake is also the theme

"It's an honour to sign the first ever llama and LEGO minifigure to a global record deal. When L.L.A.M.A first played us the early demo of 'Shake', we all knew we wanted to work with him," says Astralwerks VP marketing, Luke Armitage.

"The LEGO Group's partnership with UMG completely aligns with our mission to surround the electronic music space with innovation.

Watch this space for a hands-on review of LEGO VIDIYO, coming soon.