Richie Hawtin must have recently watched The Matrix, because he and his Minus crew have broken their self-imposed 10 weeks of silence by unveiling The Cube.

Said to be “a highly advanced communications device that responds positively to the presence of humans,” The Cube is, according to a press release, Minus’ latest exploration in how DJs interact with their audiences. The strange, shiny device will be present for the CONTAKT event series, set to take place over the next several months in cities around the world.

Show attendees will sign up for a CONTAKT membership card, which contains a microchip devised from the same technology as The Cube. With this card, members will be identified and acknowledged upon arrival at the shows, and will be able to interact with the machine via iPones and WiFi-enabled devices, download unreleased Minus tracks, upload demos, or just kneel in front of the thing and look awed like that dude pictured above. Those who choose to participate will have the chance to win a Native Instruments Traktor Scratch System.

It remains to be seen as to whether or not this nebulous, vaguely described piece of technology will spell hours of fun or sci-fi disaster, but at the very least, fans will get to catch some great music by Hawtin, Magda, Troy Pierce, Marc Houle, Hearththrob, Gaiser, Loco Dice, JPLS, and others. Don’t forget to wish them a happy anniversary.

Dates
05/24 Detroit, MI: St. Andrew’s Hall
06/20 Barcelona, Spain: Sonar Festival
07/22 Gent, Belgium: Vooruit
08/29 Montreal, QC: Venue TBA
10/11 Berlin, Germany: Coumbia Halle
10/18 London, UK: S.E.One
12/06 Tokyo, Japan, CLub Phazon
12/13 Buenos Aires, Argentina: Venue TBA