http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25142-bionic-arm-gives-cyborg-drummer-superhuman-skills.html?cmpid=RSS%7CNSNS%7C2012-GLOBAL%7Conline-news#.Uxnduvl_uSp
Cyborgian Bionic Arm
Friday 7 March 2014
Thursday 30 January 2014
I thought this belonged on the music blog: Bartholomaus Traubeck's 'Years' is a record player that plays slices of wood. It scans tree cross-sections and produces different sounds based on the wood grain (its thickness, darkness, frequency of rings etc.) creating a different song per tree. I think somebody mentioned doing their project on the relationship between the natural and digital, this might be of relevance. Otherwise, it's just quite a weird and beautiful thing! Also helpful on the idea of materiality - music as intangible digital files vs. music in its physical form.
-Rhiannon
Wednesday 29 January 2014
Interested in a bit of dynamic audio-visual exacerbation?
Here The Japanese Popstars' "Let Go" is played over an animated music video that was created in an intensive 20 day period by a team of illustrators led by Keaton Henson. Though I saw it along time ago it still resonates with me as one of the best infusions of the sonic and visual digital media I've experienced, rivalling perhaps some of Pink Floyd's animations to The Wall. Anyone else have any favourites?
Here The Japanese Popstars' "Let Go" is played over an animated music video that was created in an intensive 20 day period by a team of illustrators led by Keaton Henson. Though I saw it along time ago it still resonates with me as one of the best infusions of the sonic and visual digital media I've experienced, rivalling perhaps some of Pink Floyd's animations to The Wall. Anyone else have any favourites?
Wednesday 15 January 2014
Hallo everyone! Given this is a digital and cyberculture page, I figured that nothing could suit it more than Vocaloid music. I personally do enjoy Vocaloid music on the whole, but admittedly it isn't easy to get used to [or wasn't for me].
Even if you don't enjoy the music, it is still interesting to consider from the Digital Cyberculture perspective. For those unfamiliar with Vocaloid, it's a technology which essentially boils down to capturing every conceivable syllable of a language and recording them in a 'voicebank', then using that recorded voicebank to create music; if you have a band and no singer, then Vocaloid will sing for you. As to the character mascots, there are many of varying popularity with Hatsune Miku, the twin-tailed girl produced for the second generation Vocaloid2 and marketed as 'virtual idol', being the most popular.
The scale of her popularity along with the other most well known Vocaloid characters [or just Vocaloids] is apparent just from the size and enthusiasm of the crowds who turn out to their concerts. For reference, this concert took place in Taiwan in 2012. That isn't even a Japanese crowd and they're going berserk.
Why has this technology not received an English-language version? Well, I would posit that amongst other things about marketability and suchlike, it's probably just harder to capture an English voicebank than a Japanese one given Japanese is a completely syllabic language and English is not
This little piece below provides some interesting food for thought on the subject of Hatsune Miku as a posthuman female icon, though I'm going to say that I actually disagree with most of it.
http://www.mtviggy.com/articles/im-every-woman-hatsune-miku-beyonce-and-digital-girl-power/
Even if you don't enjoy the music, it is still interesting to consider from the Digital Cyberculture perspective. For those unfamiliar with Vocaloid, it's a technology which essentially boils down to capturing every conceivable syllable of a language and recording them in a 'voicebank', then using that recorded voicebank to create music; if you have a band and no singer, then Vocaloid will sing for you. As to the character mascots, there are many of varying popularity with Hatsune Miku, the twin-tailed girl produced for the second generation Vocaloid2 and marketed as 'virtual idol', being the most popular.
The scale of her popularity along with the other most well known Vocaloid characters [or just Vocaloids] is apparent just from the size and enthusiasm of the crowds who turn out to their concerts. For reference, this concert took place in Taiwan in 2012. That isn't even a Japanese crowd and they're going berserk.
Why has this technology not received an English-language version? Well, I would posit that amongst other things about marketability and suchlike, it's probably just harder to capture an English voicebank than a Japanese one given Japanese is a completely syllabic language and English is not
This little piece below provides some interesting food for thought on the subject of Hatsune Miku as a posthuman female icon, though I'm going to say that I actually disagree with most of it.
http://www.mtviggy.com/articles/im-every-woman-hatsune-miku-beyonce-and-digital-girl-power/
Sunday 12 January 2014
Saturday 12 January 2013
Friday 23 November 2012
Ben l'Oncle Soul - Barbie Girl
One of my absolute favourites. Whoever thought 'Barbie Girl' could sounds so good?
-Chloë
Wednesday 21 November 2012
Eminem - Infinite
Opening track from Eminem's first album. This was way back when he had no alter ego and was really heavily inspired by Nas, and it shows. Eminem was the king of internal rhyme back in the day and even if he hadn't completely reinvented his style and image he still would have been one hell of a rapper
Monday 19 November 2012
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