I would like to briefly introduce myself as I will be creating a series of blog posts for Music Hackspace. I am a composer, percussionist, and writer with a particular interest in how globalisation and technology influence music. As I am convinced of the power of music to change us, I am naturally curious to know what are the forces that change music.
Over the last decade, I have had an increasing number of conversations with people who sense we are living in a time of great change and upheaval technologically, socio-politically, and artistically. I want to delve into this by examining new technologies, interviewing experts, and asking questions about music’s past, present, and its possible futures.
An evolving Music Hackspace
Throughout this decade the Music Hackspace has been an anchoring presence in my life, offering learning, inspiration, and outlets for the technological side of my music. I remember its early days in Hoxton, London when a handful of people ranging from hip live coders and DJs to synth builders and Theremin enthusiasts would meet in the basement of Troyganic Cafe. It was hard to imagine this morphing into a glamorous residency at the elegant Somerset House Gallery in Central London, but it did, and in style. Now in its current incarnation, it is wonderful to see it open up to a truly global audience, having moved music – though certainly not all – of its activity online during the pandemic.
My journey into coding
While some people come to Music Hackspace from a coding background moving towards music, my trajectory was the opposite. I studied music in a somewhat traditional manner before learning more about the technological possibilities of how to create it. I only truly learned Pure Data by working on The Cave of Sounds installation that the Music Hackspace helped fund and facilitate. It was a great opportunity in my life to learn not just from experts, but also from my peers, as the project involved solving hundreds – if not thousands – of small problems, to realise a bigger vision.
A core group of eight people led by Tim Murray-Browne, we created an installation that exceed our own expectations, as it ended up touring the world, and is even currently being exhibited in Milan, Italy right now. It was a lesson in the power of teamwork, and what can happen when you combine skills to build something from a place where imagination takes precedence over experience. Some people in the group had virtually no musical experience, and others – like myself – had virtually no coding experience.