Watch The Tongue's Aussie-First Interactive 360-Degree Video Clip Before His Album Tour

This year has gotten off to a big start for Aussie rapper The Tongue (aka Xannon Shirley), with the acclaimed rhyme-smith getting 2016 under way with an eponymous tour for his recent LP, Hard Feelings.

However, expanded horizons are hardly a new concept for the seasoned performer; the tour itself comes off a massive end to 2015, which saw The Tongue release the video clip for Never Going Down — and, in case you've not seen it, you should know that it is incredible and explores brave technology establishing it as Australia’s most advanced video of last year. While fellow Aussie rapper Ry has also utilised 360-degree technology in a video clip (for Neon Part 1), The Tongue's has taken things a step further by being the first Aussie 360 film clip with full interactivity.

Talking to The Music recently ahead of his Hard Feelings tour, The Tongue made it apparent that he is still clearly buzzing on the final product even a couple of months beyond its original unveiling.

"It’s exciting and I think it’s where the future of filming is going," Shirley told The Music.

"Because it’s truly interactive and I haven’t seen any other rappers using it, and I’ve researched it, definitely no other Australian rappers doing it* so it was exciting to use."

The Sydney-based rapper released Hard Feelings, his fourth album, via Elefant Traks late last year. The record's hit track, Never Going Down, features Ngaiire swinging the hooks. The video, shot entirely at Sydney’s The Workshop art studio, is an interactive experience lifting viewers to a new degree of control over the video, giving 360 new reasons to play this clip. "The scope of the technology is breathtaking, with no two viewings of the video being the same," a promotional statement explains.

Never Going Down shows off the MC performing to the camera playing out in various forms, all of whom are being knocked off violently in a kidnapping attempt by a masked assailant in a mean feat to kill the rapper which never seems to eventuate given that he reappears again to take back the mic thus continuing the uplifting jam heralded a chest-beating anthem. Where the audience of this video clip comes into play is by scrolling across the screen following the narration of the video, which then circles the view of the set, providing new scope to the different versions of The Tongue in a 360-degree experience.

“[We] did it a bit differently using one single-lens camera with a wide-angled lens and a tripod which clipped into separate degrees around the room,” explains Shirley. “The genius of the technology was the way it spliced the shots together to look seamless from six different films put together to make one.”

The makers of the interactive journey, directors Josef Heks and Shaun Dougherty from Cinemersive, break down the value-added experience and genius of this video’s concept.

“360-degree video is redefining the possibilities of traditional film and video production. With a compatible smartphone, tablet, VR headset or even just the click of mouse, this new technology allows audiences to interact with video and look wherever they want in an immersive 360 degree environment.

“To watch 360-degree videos, you’ll need the latest version of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, or Internet Explorer on your computer. On mobile, use the latest version of the YouTube app for Android or iOS.”

If you let it pass you by until now, you'll want to amend that ASAP. Check out the clip below, and see theGuide or check The Music App for details on The Tongue's forthcoming tour dates and locations.