Ready or not, artificial intelligence is coming toward the human race at bullet-train speed. From self-driving cars to quantum computing to “Ok Google,” the technology will intersect with our lives in one way or another, with the potential to affect more than just our wellbeing. A.I.’s intersection with art has already begun: there are currently algorithms that can compose generative music based on a composer’s style, and experimental electronic practitioners like Holly Herndon have chosen to incorporate A.I. into their own work.
Herndon’s new album Proto — out May 10 on 4AD — utilizes “Spawn,” a machine intelligence tasked with creating music. One of the results, Spawn’s mimicry of Jlin’s music, was released back in December, but today a second track, the anthemic and vocal-driven “Eternal,” emerges. Though Proto implies a nascent state, from the sounds of “Eternal,” Herndon’s creation is growing up quickly.
The San Francisco-based sound artist’s work on this album dovetails with her PhD study in machine learning and music at Stanford University. Head down below to read her full statement on the project and check out the glitchy official video for “Eternal.” And whether you’re a bot or not, you can head here to pre-order the full album now.
Statement on how and what the Spawn project is. So much love to godparents @Jlin_P and @cosmicsands for helping train her to be so expressive pic.twitter.com/fJGvxOCg4r
— Holly Herndon (@hollyherndon) December 4, 2018
Proto tracklisting:
01. Birth
02. Alienation
03. Canaan (Live Training)
04. Eternal
05. Crawler
06. Extreme Love (with Lily Anna Hayes and Jenna Sutela)
07. Frontier
08. Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt
09. SWIM
10. Evening Shades (Live Training)
11. Bridge (with Martine Syms)
12. Godmother (with Jlin)
13. Last Gasp
More about: Holly Herndon
