Of randomness. And improvisations. In the music.

On randomness. And improvisations. In the music.

Text by Zenvampires Collective
Pics by DALL•E

We wrote about this before. Here. The idea of the random depends on the idea of the order of what we perceive as reality. But since our perception of music is largely based on harmony (but also on what we are used to hearing, i.e. our aesthetic upbringing), it is perhaps easier to find an “order” in music.

Adding to this by chance… yes… can lead to better results than, for example, in mathematics (even if we can speak of orders and harmonies there, too). 

Aleatoric music can therefore sound disturbing. But only if our order does not coincide with the order of chance. In other words, when our idea of, let’s say, reality does not match the musician’s. When we hear… unusual sounds, we may find the piece of music disturbing. Like when we turn on a radio and then quickly turn it off. 

We recently attended an improvised music festival. Interestingly, the same question arises here. Of course I can sit in the audience and listen to the improvised music with interest. Even if it disturbs me in some way, I listen because I don’t want to be considered uneducated. There are also group effects. Maybe I’m the only one who thinks the music is bad. And I start to question myself. 

The question that arises for me is what inspired the artist to improvise. Is his inspiration (the music to Ascenseur pour l’échafaud is quite acceptable, even if it is largely improvised) compatible with my order, my reality? Or are there small inconsistencies? 

Because that’s the point. Not only in the music we hear, but nevertheless. About different realities. Maybe we don’t have to go as far as Viveiros de Castro, who said that we will never understand the other. But maybe it’s true. And we will never understand each other.

Turn on the radio

Turn on the radio

Turn on the radio and quickly turn it off again.
On the one hand, it sounds like an experiment. Perhaps a way of playing the Fluxus movement. Like aleatoric music that selects sounds at random. Maybe that’s what it is.
On the other hand, this experiment can elude our expectations, i.e. our idea of the previous world. Turning the radio on and off after we have heard the first tone is something unusual.
It was Paul Watzlawick who said (I’ll abbreviate it here) that we have a certain idea of reality and subordinate reality to this idea.
So a Zen exercise? That’s what it looks like. But perhaps also fun. Which is boring. We turned the radio on and off. Very quickly.

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Turn Off The Radio

By the way. Tomorrow (23.09.2024) from 17:00 you can watch a program on aleatoric music here (external link). The program will also feature tracks by a member of the Zenvampire Collective. Have fun

Android Dialogues

Android Dialogues

Philip K. Dick wondered if androids dream of sheep. We don’t know. But we know what they talk about. And when they talk, we just listen. And we’re afraid. Like taking a step into the clouds.
Androids wrote the track. They helped master it. And maybe they’re listening to it. Or it’s not made for humans, it’s just part of the android metaphysics. Or maybe the Zenvampires Collective are just androids. But too many questions. Here’s the track.

 

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Android Dialogues

Mechanical Metaphysics

Mechanical Metaphysics

Machines operate according to the laws of physics. Electronic music is also created according to the principles of physics. It is an electronic processes that we set in motion through programming. On the other hand, mathematics, which describes physics in its language, also belongs to metaphysics (at least according to Aristotle, but we don’t want to start a big philosophical discussion here). But if we think of mechanics as a man-made thing, then it belongs to metaphysics, just like music. And here is our answer to the philosophical dilemma.

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Mechanical Metaphysics

Boot It

Boot It

by Sopocki

We have already presented Sopocki’s music here. In his development, the artist works on the elaboration of a certain tension. Tension between the fast beat and slower elements. But it is too superficial to speak of tension. Because art is always about more than just that, it’s not about the technique of how tracks are created. It’s about the fact that we also feel something when we listen. And that these feelings are evoked in us.

Here you can find his new EP (external link):
https://soundcloud.com/300bpmboysclub/sets/boot-it-ep

Nonhuman Metyphysics

Nonhuman Metaphysics

1.

The experiment means that limits are explored. The limits of human action or the limits of what is possible. Perhaps also the limits of art. But limits do not necessarily mean setting out into something new. This is a modernist idea of the 19th century (perhaps some countries that are good at making diesel engines are afraid of technology, they still think they are in the 19th century). 

We are not concerned with limits at all. It’s about what experimentation might mean. It’s about exploring the new. And the joy of development. 

2.

It is not a new development that computers help people to produce music. Especially in electronic music, which is created entirely with the help of computers. Perhaps it is also nothing new that artificial intelligence helps in the production of music. The question that remains unanswered is always how deeply AI intervenes in the production process. If music is programmed, as in our case, the AI can create tracks. In our case, it was not. But the AI has already done a lot of work on some of the tracks. In this case, it has also become part of the Zenvampires Collective. 

3. 

Metaphysics has taken on different meanings over time. We will not discuss the term at this point. But if AI intervenes so deeply in the manufacturing process, it can also determine our metaphysics. It influences how we perceive music. It is still a metaphysics of metaphysics (AI learns from humans, it is the overall knowledge of humanity and therefore cannot be better than humans). The question is what happens when we enter the world of nonhuman metaphysics? Here is the first step. 

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Nonhuman Metaphysics

Hamburg Addis Mombasa

Hamburg Addis Ababa Mombasa

Three cities. Three places. And three different ontologies. But perhaps not far apart. Whereby the journey once led from Addis Ababa to New York City. But these were completely different experiences and completely different impressions. Yuki K. was inspired by ours. Have fun.

Pic ©by Zenvampires
Music ©by Yuki K.

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Hamburg Addis Ababa Mombasa

Akuphone

Akuphone. A music label.

Text ©by Zenvampires
Pics by DALL•E

Why should we write about a music label? Why not about an artist, a musician, or a group?
Labels, and I don’t want to start the discussion about “curatorial art” here, we also have that from time to time, labels can control our attention. They influence the music we perceive, and what we listen to, and the cognitive sciences will prove us right here. Labels, especially the independent ones, have a much more important position than the radio (or the lists that are suggested to us by a computer and that we are supposed to listen to in the morning). Labels can also raise awareness of music in general. By presenting music that others do not.
In this way, labels not only play an important role. They have the opportunity to introduce us to music that we haven’t heard before. And Akuphone uses this opportunity.

1. the world

Because it’s big. We are not fans of the term “world music”, even if this term is often used for marketing reasons. What does “world music” mean in Indonesia? U2? From that point of view, why not? On the other hand, the world brings a world perspective to Europe, where we are convinced that we have a culture. And occasionally a civilization.

2. the music

And in the case of Akuphones, this is very diverse. We could say it’s as diverse as the world out there, but we don’t want to say that. Because that would be too flat. What’s much more interesting is that everyone can choose something interesting for themselves from the diverse range of artists. And then listen to it. Or not.

3. the label

In contrast to Blackest Ever Black, the label exists. You can visit it here (external link).

Metaphysical Symphony

Metaphysical Symphony

Humans incessantly produce art, music, and politics. It is the only being that needs metaphysics in order to exist. If it doesn’t, it has the feeling that it will die.
We present the “Metaphysical Symphony” by Yuki K.

Enjoy

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Metaphysical Symphony
Someone Like You
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