Gorillaz is a virtual band formed in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel. The band's music is a collaboration between various musicians with Albarn being the only permanent member. Their style is broadly alternative rock, but with a large number of other influences including hip hop, electronica, dub and pop.
The reason the band is essential to the understanding of new technologies' influences on our society is that, essentially, you could look at it like second life. Two men have made millions by becoming four made-up characters. At live perfomances they use hollographic images instead of appearing themselves of these characters, never breaking the pretence. This ties in with the alias' that we as a society are creating for ourselves, and audiences love this "futuristic" and original approach to music and the combination between music, art and technology.
The band is an alternative example of the convergence happening between the different forms of merdia. Rather than a item of new technology, like the MP4, it is a band made up of the convergence of different new technologies, like the way animation is created, music produced and advertised and performed. It goes against the traditional conventions of elite persons created in the music industry as well, as it is entirely fictional with a range of non-permanent artists playing the music and, whereas as a society we are focused one representation, this band has taken technology to be able to create their own representation of themselves and their characters.
