The Super Furry Animals are set to make history with their fifth studio album, 'Rings Around The World', due for release on 23 July 2001 on Epic Records. This is the first time that an album will be released simultaneously on DVD and more conventional audio formats. 'Rings Around The World' can be listened to in 5.1 surround sound, with each of the thirteen album tracks accompanied by a specially commissioned film exclusive to the DVD format. The DVD project, which has taken a year to complete, will also carry five exclusive bonus tracks and five exclusive bonus films, remixes of each track, and a large 'extras' section containing previously unreleased footage. In addition, the DVD includes a cd-rom section linking directly to a unique section of the 'Rings Around The World' Web site: http://www.ringsaroundtheworld.co.uk. The hidden micro-site is accessible only from the DVD. The Super Furry Animals 'Rings Around The World' DVD will retail at £18.99. Eighteen films have been specially commissioned for the DVD by the Super Furry Animals with a budget per film of between £2,000 and £7,000. These include: Touch Sensitive 'Touch Sensitive', the film accompaniment to the album track 'Stooges', was created in two and a half weeks by animator Neil McFarland using Flash technology. Animation merges with sensuality using pop-art influences and bold fractals to produce an erotic comical extravaganza. Drawing Rings Around The World The album's title track provided Irish artist Sean Hillen with his first excursion into filmmaking. 'Drawing Rings Around The World' is a low-tech sci-fi animation using one of the artist's still images as the initial inspiration. 'Presidential Suite' by London based design and moving image company 4K is a colourful tongue-in-cheek take on American culture past and present. The animation centres on an old jet flying around the USA over a landscape of 'happy family' images and consumer durables, interspersed with cigars, stars, weaponry and Elvis. Other filmmakers include Martin McCarthy, Darren Watkins, Pete Fowler, Simon Pike, Conkerco, Co-lab, Dylan Jones, Peter Gray, D.O.N.A, John Shahnazarian, Mark James, Johnny Hardstaff, Spencer Bewley & Lazy Eye, Jake & Jim, Mike 'Spike' Jonez and Andy Barmer. The filmmakers were selected for their vision and creativity rather than their specific filmmaking experience. Gruff from the Super Furry Animals describes the filmmakers as; "…different people we wanted to work with. Some of them were designers of video games we liked, some of them were artists who'd never made films before. One of them was the guy who cuts our hair." The creative freedom given by Epic, which allowed the band to pursue a totally different visual-based direction, and guest stars Paul McCartney and John Cale, with Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas contributing string arrangements, have all contributed to what the Super Furry Animals describe as "the album of our dreams". 'Furrymania' June 2001 'Furrymania' will be taking hold across three UK cities in June 2001. Manchester, Glasgow and London will each experience a gig played in surround sound, an acoustic matinee, a screening of the DVD of 'Rings Around The World' in surround sound and 'Furrysounds' club nights at which members of the band will DJ. Ends