squarepusher Squarepusher X Z-MACHINES - Music For Robots

  On 2/14/2014 at 5:31 AM, Entorwellian said:

It is pretty gimmicky. It's essentially a Chuckie Cheese animatronic robot band.

Wasn't won over by the track in the video but I still wnat to give it a listen.

This

Don't get the bother about it all really, he's experimenting with technology to see how it comes out and if there are ways to make music that's different to how it would be played if by a person. I really like the track, it's good that he's obviously using the technique to play pieces of music which stand up in their own right (my favourite SP stuff is Rotted/Budakhan/Maximum Priest era, so the track particularly appeals to me).

As for doing a video with actual performing robots, it's obviously just a nice/fun way to highlight what he's doing.

i don't know where some people are coming from here (a spirit of trolling?). you never wondered what playing a guitar with electronic-precise timing and action would sound like? you don't think real string instruments and drums offer lush, analogue, and natural sounds? this innovative custom gear doesn't sound great? you don't think squarepusher is the perfect person to carry out this experiment? this isn't some nice new squarepusher music, with another inventive palette of sounds?

  On 2/14/2014 at 1:39 PM, very honest said:

i don't know where some people are coming from here (a spirit of trolling?). you never wondered what playing a guitar with electronic-precise timing and action would sound like? you don't think real string instruments and drums offer lush, analogue, and natural sounds? this innovative custom gear doesn't sound great? you don't think squarepusher is the perfect person to carry out this experiment? this isn't some nice new squarepusher music, with another inventive palette of sounds?

These are the things I ponder on this quiet winter's eve, smoking my pipe, sipping a snifter of brandy on my bearskin rug in front of a roaring hearth. My beloved children tug at my sleeves while my wife prepares a hearty feast but my thoughts are consumed with the one who pushes squares. What, ultimately is his intent? Will he rise to the occasion to create a symphonic robot extravaganza that my children's children will rejoice in after a hard day's work and a few puffs of a spliff? Will my forebears gaze down from the heavens and smile upon our good fortune then? The more I amass wealth, respect, and mistresses, my hunger for robo-jazz funk only grows in intensity, fiendishly consuming my dreams and adding vigor to my lustful romps in the hills. Will I be consumed by this terrible affliction or stay the course that was chosen for me? Proceed to page 86.

It actually could evolve into something more complex.

Look at this, nice guitar shredds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRnyw0tsi58

Skip to 5:15 Seem to be the same squarepusher track but premiered 4 months ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAnqTJiKsds

It was actually premiered five months ago:

http://forum.watmm.com/topic/80389-sad-robot-goes-funny-single/

i don't get it, if youre gonna use robots why would you use traditional instruments?

18 stringed guitar

24 sting bass

999 piece steel drums

etc etc

  On 2/14/2014 at 3:21 PM, miim said:

i don't get it, if youre gonna use robots why would you use traditional instruments?

 

18 stringed guitar

24 sting bass

999 piece steel drums

etc etc

the cost of the robotics maybe. someone invested serious money there, plus time making it work and sound good.

Zima is a drink owned by Coors of all people. they helped fund "sponsor" it and various artists have created tracks the "band" to play.

Looks like old tom has kinda sold out haha

I think this is a pretty innovative idea - as mentioned, if the robots could play music no human could (aka the player piano bits on DrukQs), then we will be hearing new sounds - derivative, yes, but still "new" in the sense they cannot be reproduced by human hands, and that's something.

I wonder if this is just a one-off concept or Tom plans on having these as part of his ensemble from now on.

Music by balls

[youtubehd]E4hjx3_A-cw[/youtubehd]

even this is more interesting hahha

[youtubehd]_sUeGC-8dyk[/youtubehd]

Skip to 10.30

[youtubehd]TPg4Vcr56F0[/youtubehd]

I'm more into music played by birds

http://youtu.be/8ZQ4VmicDeM

Does the cover look like a partial spoof on Autechre? Notice the squares on display.

  On 2/14/2014 at 6:21 PM, Amen Lare said:

I'm more into music played by birds

 

http://youtu.be/8ZQ4VmicDeM

 

Does the cover look like a partial spoof on Autechre? Notice the squares on display.

  On 2/14/2014 at 6:25 PM, mcbpete said:

 

  On 2/14/2014 at 6:21 PM, Amen Lare said:

I'm more into music played by birds

 

http://youtu.be/8ZQ4VmicDeM

 

Does the cover look like a partial spoof on Autechre? Notice the squares on display.

Are they playing a cover of an Oval track ?

 

Aphex Twin 2014. Prepared Guitar played by birds.

i really like the fusion part of the track, find the rest pretty cheesy and lame. he should team up with wayne krantz or something.

  On 2/14/2014 at 6:21 PM, Amen Lare said:

 

 

Does the cover look like a partial spoof on Autechre? Notice the squares on display.

Looks more like the Big Loada Font

  On 2/14/2014 at 7:04 PM, Brian Tregaskin said:

i really like the fusion part of the track, find the rest pretty cheesy and lame. he should team up with Kanye West or something.

Or more like Andre 3000. It would be a good thing.

  On 2/14/2014 at 4:41 PM, Joyrex said:

I think this is a pretty innovative idea - as mentioned, if the robots could play music no human could (aka the player piano bits on DrukQs), then we will be hearing new sounds - derivative, yes, but still "new" in the sense they cannot be reproduced by human hands, and that's something.

 

I wonder if this is just a one-off concept or Tom plans on having these as part of his ensemble from now on.

I don't really understand your argument in a completely digitalised music world where you can create whatever musical patterns you like on screen. I mean, all robots can do on classic instruments is play faster and more complex (because it's only a mechanic enhancement). And that's something you can achieve with every production software.

Besides, Squarepusher himself can still play this track live!

^^ Don't forget the No #1 advantage in using acoustic/electric instruments (as opposed to using the computer): timbre. You get richer sound (more infinite partials), and two sounds are never the same (unlike using sampled instruments). The inharmonic component of the sound in a live instrument adds up enormously to realism, which still cannot be emulated appropriately by, say, Physical Modelling synthesis techniques.

id like to see what autechre could do with these, some kind of auto generated sequence that keeps evolving would be pretty cool. I like the idea of composing a really complex song for these like Tom has done, but imagine if you could turn it into some kind of real jammy band that improvised and riffed off each other.

Tom should really think about collaborating with these guys;

http://logosfoundation.org/mnm/index.html

I can't help but want to have those robots.

It'd be like a midi controlled guitar/bass/drums that you can have play things humans cannot. Sampling can only get you so far and detracts from the natural sound of the guitar, which I like being a guitar player.

I don't have high hopes for the album as it'll be pretty wanky most likely, but the instruments/machines used are awesome.

  On 2/14/2014 at 4:35 AM, logakght said:

HOLY FUCK BEST COVER 2014

  On 2/14/2014 at 1:39 PM, very honest said:

i don't know where some people are coming from here (a spirit of trolling?). you never wondered what playing a guitar with electronic-precise timing and action would sound like? you don't think real string instruments and drums offer lush, analogue, and natural sounds? this innovative custom gear doesn't sound great? you don't think squarepusher is the perfect person to carry out this experiment? this isn't some nice new squarepusher music, with another inventive palette of sounds?

Actually the guitar in the piece sounded clunky. Kind of like when you just write with midi guitar sounds. In the fast bits it was harder to discern this though. A human player would add vibrato and subtle bending, shifts in timing pressure on the strings, volume. It's funny, because parts of it sounded like Tom would have programmed the midi using his bass (a chance for him to play guitar via a machine surrogate heh), given the feel of the piece, instead of just writing it out on the computer.

  On 2/14/2014 at 3:21 PM, miim said:

i don't get it, if youre gonna use robots why would you use traditional instruments?

 

18 stringed guitar

24 sting bass

999 piece steel drums

etc etc

This is a good point.