Playing with your face with a wiimote...

[Cermage]

WHAT makes Daito Manabe tick? Try 160 volts.

The Japanese techno artist sticks wires to his face and zaps current through it in time to the music.

It is designed to raise eyebrows and, when the power moves him, make them jump around like startled caterpillars.

Choreographed ticks run riot and teeth chatter for the man with a cult following and more than 1.5 million hits on YouTube.

In Melbourne for a show at the Loop Bar tonight, Daito, 33, said he started off with the idea of putting sensors on his face and running the responses through a computer to copy his expressions onto another person.

But "you can't copy a smile without the emotion", he told the Herald Sun.

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Undaunted, Daito decided to use the technique to put on a show to music instead.

"The music is original," he said.

"We can use any music but using my music is much better than rock and roll. There is not enough information in that."

To ramp up the twitches, he uses a Wii remote control.

"Around the eyes, it really hurts," he said.

Each of the 16 electrodes delivers 10 volts to his face.

In 18 months, Daito's act has become so hot giant Japanese beer company Kirin pays for him to travel the world.

Like all artists, Daito faces burnout.

Unlike others, his could involve flames, so from two shows a week, he's cut down to two a month.

"I was told by doctors to do it for no more than 20 minutes," he said.

"There might be scarring or something."

Daiton Manabe plays at the Loop Bar in Melbourne tonight.

source

 

[Goli]

Oh
My
God

I love his sigh at the start, it's like: "Here we go... again...".

 

[KingVamp]

It was lol , creepy , weird , awesome , and sweet all at the same time.

Talk about suffering for your art XD

 

[Anakir]

I don't understand why a wiimote is related to this.

Regardless, the video was cool.

 

[_Chaz_]

In 50 years, this will be how people dance...

 

[YayMii]

that...was...awesome.

 

[Cermage]

I don't understand why a wiimote is related to this.

Regardless, the video was cool.

he uses the wiimote to crank up the voltages, changing the intensity of the twitches.