I've started a new album. It is called squeakyshoecore. It is algorithmically generated acid using some software I wrote. I am going to release it online bit by bit, as I finish each track. I will announce each new track here on this blog.

The software makes two different beats and two complementary melodies using random number generators and some carefully tuned algorithms for using those random numbers. The melody shaping rules involve applying a low dimensional random fractal effect on very basic seed melodies, producing a type of self-similarity which seems to sound interesting to humans. The beats are created using a variety of custom rule sets, much like my previous work with algorithmic hip-hop in CanOfBeats and my algorithmic drum-and-bass generator, GhostWave.

After that I manually control how loud each of the parts are present in the mix, what effects are being applied to the different parts, and the parameter values of those effects. I use a midi controller to mix it in real time and record it.

Soon I will make the latest version of the Pure Data patches ("GarageAcidLab") available online under a Free Software license.

Enjoy the first tracks!

P.S. Some other music I've released on the net previously is Cryptolect, end-of-millenium style chopped-up breakbeats.

Thursday 22nd of October, 2009 @ 7:30pm

The Roebuck Pub (SE1 4YG)

• Rob Munro
• Jonny Stutters
• Ryan Jordan
• Chris McCormick
• Cane Toad Orchestra

I'm probably going to play a set with my Garage Acid Lab Pd patches, if I can get it together in time.

cc65 has C and runtime library support for many of the old 6502 machines, including

• The Commodore VIC20, C16/C116, C64, C128, C116, Plus/4, 510 (aka P500), the 600/700 family and newer PET machines (not 2001).

• The Apple ][ and successors.

• The Atari 8 bit machines.

• GEOS for the C64 and C128.

• The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

• The Supervision console.

• The Oric Atmos.

• The Lynx Console.

This is the compiler that I used to create aSid, a program which turns your commodore64 into a synthesizer.

The zipfile under the image above contains a Pure Data patch which procedurally generates a virtually infinite number of acid and breakbeat loops. I've found that it's quite a lot of fun to play with!

Start by loading the patch called 0_START.pd and then turn up the volume and the cutoff. After that hit the big red button a few times until you hear something you like.

I was making it into an RjDj scene, but I am not really sure if I'll ever get around to finishing it.

Enjoy!

It would be nice if a few more people hear it, so if you like it I would really appreciate it if you blog/tweet or whatever about it.

This album was composed with a type of old school software called a tracker early this decade, which was and still is often used to make video game music.

Thanks for listening.

The second one is an Ill FM gig which will be broadcast on the radio. I'll be doing my normal Pd-with-the-laptop-lid-closed-and-a-midi-controller set.

Wednesday night

++ PUBCODE2 ++

Part two in the first series of livecoded music events in London.

http://toplap.org/uk/

Live coding is a new direction in electronic music and video, and is starting to get somewhere interesting. Live coders expose and rewire the innards of software while it generates improvised music and/or visuals. All code manipulation is projected for your pleasure.

When: 7pm - 11pm, Wednesday 5th August 2009

http://toplap.org/uk/event/pubcode2/

Featuring: chr15m (making machines that make machines make music) MCLD (beatboxing + livecoding, is it possible?) Yee-King + Click Nilson (algorithmic choreography) openSlub (crowdsourced livecoding)

Place: The Roebuck 50 Great Dover Street London SE1 4YG

Map

Door tax: Free

Tube: Borough (5 mins walk) London Bridge (9 mins walk)

More info: http://toplap.org/uk/

Thursday night

Anyway, it's really nice stuff. I am blown away by how much great music there is out there now released for free under Creative Commons licenses.

OpenLab 5 : Cafe OTO, 25th April 2009

Openlab are providing a day of workshops & presentations about opensource software, and performances in the evening at Cafe OTO, Dalston. There is a venerable lineup of OpenLab members providing some in depth knowledge during the day and some great performances at night. The preliminary line up goes like this:

DAY: Workshops & Presentations : 12 - 5pm (free entry).

NIGHT: Performances : 7:30pm - 12:30am (5 pounds entry) - doors 7pm

Presentations

• Arduino + PD (Ryan Jordan) : Using Arduino and PureData

• SC + Processing (Daniel Jones) : Using Supercollider with Processing

• Pd/Gem + ergates (Chris McCormick) : PureData audiovisual software

• Groworld (Dave Griffiths) : Permaculture meets online games via guerilla gardening http://www.pawfal.org/dave/index.cgi?Projects/Groworld

• Processing/Java/Eclipse/JOGL/GLSL(Rob Munro) : Techniquies for using Processsing with the Eclipse IDE. http://robmunro.net/video

• Din (S Jagannathan) http://code.google.com/p/din, Boxar http://www.poojyum.com/boxar : A free software musical instrument for performing indian classical music live (but not just)

Workshops

• Fluxus (Dave Griffiths) : (free, 1-2hrs, max 10) The venerable OpenGL/scheme environment. http://www.pawfal.org/dave/index.cgi?Projects/Fluxus

• APODIO (Julien Ottavi) : (1hrs, max 20) Gnu/Linux multimedia distribution LiveDVD

• Introducing Processing for Visual Artists (Evan Raskob) : (10 pounds, 2hrs, max 20)

Performances

• dskg - Uses circuit bended machines altogether with open sources http://www.myspace.com/dskg

• Jeremah - pixelated landscapes of techno beats, music box melodies and processed street noise http://www.jeremah.co.uk/

• Rob Munro - audiovisual work exploring the world between http://robmunro.net/video

• TheNoiser - The Noiser use noise as musicality, combined to an approach of programmatic composition http://www.noiser.org

• PixelPusher - video and sound pieces; interactive art including new musical instruments http://pixelist.info/

• Ryan Jordan - Body-sensor-noise-strobe-hypnosis http://ryanjordan.org/

• Daniel Jones - generative audio-visual works http://www.erase.net

• S Jagannathan - a free software musical instrument for performing indian classical music live (but not just) http://code.google.com/p/din

• Robert Atwood - experiments with the sound created by feedback http://variseq.nongnu.org/

• Chris McCormick - uses Free Software to make bleepy crunchy music http://mccormick.cx

You are all very welcome - see you there.

MORE INFO : openlab

Hopefully I'll get a chance to update Looper Advance soon and then I can release it properly as 100% Free Software.

MaxMod appears to be pretty comprehensive in that its API provides for mod-playing, sample-playing, and direct access to streaming buffers. This basically means you can write apps which mix and match all three types of audio playback.

maxmod

Also good and recently blogged on Offworld is Leaves by Mattison. It's a wicked irie dub of chiptune source material by the artist.

Who needs the record labels? Not me.