Cyborgs in the music? Computer, digital culture and music practicesMiguel De Aguilera
Western popular culture includes many stories (with different formats and media, including musical works) concerning the man-machine relationships. Most of them with strong mythic resonances (from Greek and other mythologies nourishing Western culture) and more oriented towards the dystopian than utopian.
The influence of these visions of mythical background has provoked an interesting debate in recent decades on the man-machine relationship, mainly affecting the “agency” (who controls the actions of the machine?)
That debate moves (with much of its resonances) to the field of music, where the recent development of IAMUS intensifies the controversy. In that field, this debate is connected with other elements that have nurtured the "myth of music" (established within industrial society): especially, the author (genius) and the “authenticity".
Understanding the man-machine relationships in the field of music, and ponder their future considering inventions like Iamus, requires the consideration of a number of ideas and items.
Among others, the "authorship" as an idea established within industrial society (and its system of cultural industries). Also, that all musical composer has always used in his/her creative activity any technology (mechanical, electrical, digital). This digital technology, by the way, is one of the factors that influence the profound changes affecting the various phases of musical activity, that show many examples like these: remix, music selection lists, Shazam, failure of fixed contexts for music listening, breaking the IP model ... But the use of such technology is not yet affecting several major foundations that established the cultural industries to guaranty the success to their products -and to boost consumption. For example, that the relationship between listener and music product relies on the existence of recognizable musical patterns and in the right combination between repetition and innovation.
This intervention observes the Iamus and its creations from the cultural analysis, which provides some of the key ideas with which to better understand the present and future of music.
Cyborgs in the music? Computer, digital culture and music practicesMiguel De Aguilera
Western popular culture includes many stories (with different formats and media, including musical works) concerning the man-machine relationships. Most of them with strong mythic resonances (from Greek and other mythologies nourishing Western culture) and more oriented towards the dystopian than utopian.
The influence of these visions of mythical background has provoked an interesting debate in recent decades on the man-machine relationship, mainly affecting the “agency” (who controls the actions of the machine?)
That debate moves (with much of its resonances) to the field of music, where the recent development of IAMUS intensifies the controversy. In that field, this debate is connected with other elements that have nurtured the "myth of music" (established within industrial society): especially, the author (genius) and the “authenticity".
Understanding the man-machine relationships in the field of music, and ponder their future considering inventions like Iamus, requires the consideration of a number of ideas and items.
Among others, the "authorship" as an idea established within industrial society (and its system of cultural industries). Also, that all musical composer has always used in his/her creative activity any technology (mechanical, electrical, digital). This digital technology, by the way, is one of the factors that influence the profound changes affecting the various phases of musical activity, that show many examples like these: remix, music selection lists, Shazam, failure of fixed contexts for music listening, breaking the IP model ... But the use of such technology is not yet affecting several major foundations that established the cultural industries to guaranty the success to their products -and to boost consumption. For example, that the relationship between listener and music product relies on the existence of recognizable musical patterns and in the right combination between repetition and innovation.
This intervention observes the Iamus and its creations from the cultural analysis, which provides some of the key ideas with which to better understand the present and future of music.