Disclaimer, long, and opinionated post!
Although I've been algorithmically generating music
myself for years, I'm not sure if it's the future of music.
I am very interested in the process, and also the results of
such explorations, but the idea of listening to an endless
stream of algorithmically generated music doesn't interest
me at all. I very much admire the craft involved in the
generation of such music, but I often find it becomes quite
boring and predictable after some time. Musicians
especially, are very quick to hear things in music. Idioms,
progressions, rhythms, counter melodies etc. When we listen
to an album over and over again, we often find new things in
the track which we had not heard before. It's a process of
listening and exploration of the music. These little
patterns and idioms become the reason why we listen to the
same music over and over again. I can only speak for myself,
but I'm sure that when I listen to sections of my favorite,
something happens on a psychological level that releases, to
quote Brian Wilson, 'good vibrations' in the soul. It's not
very often I get these on the first listening. It can
happen, of course, but in most cases I find it happens when
I get to know a piece of music. So for me at least, getting
to know a piece of music is intrinsically tied to
appreciating it. When I listen to continuous streams of
algorithmically generated music, I just don't get the same
'good vibrations'. Just to clarify, I often listen
to algorithmically generated music. But I listen to the same
5 minute piece over and over again. Thus I get to learn the
piece and form an appreciation of its structure and form.
In summary, I don't really know whee that came from! And
it's only one person's opinion. I still think your project
is absolutely cool, and I have enjoyed listening to your
tracks. So please don't take any of this as a slur on your
great work to date! Cheers.
Rory.
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