Music for Robots (EP)

Last updated

Music for Robots
Spushermforrobots.jpg
EP by
Released7 April 2014
Genre Experimental, jazz, electronic, IDM
Length23:23
Label Warp Records
Squarepusher chronology
Ufabulum
(2012)
Music for Robots
(2014)
Damogen Furies
(2015)

Music for Robots is a collaborative project composed by Squarepusher and performed by the three robots that comprise the Z-Machines, released on 7 April (8 April in North America) 2014. [1]

Contents

Having been approached by the team of Japanese roboticists behind the three Z-Machine robots to compose music for the project in 2013, Squarepusher composed the piece "Sad Robot Goes Funny" which was used in a film of the robots performing directed by Daito Manabe - available to watch on YouTube.

Following the success of the initial piece of music, Squarepusher went on to compose and record the additional four pieces that make up the Music for Robots EP.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Remote Amber"2:24
2."Sad Robot Goes Funny"5:14
3."World Three"4:39
4."Dissolver"7:16
5."You Endless"3:50

Charts

Chart (2014)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [2] 171

Related Research Articles

Chris Cunningham is a British video artist and music video director, best known for his music videos for electronic musicians such as Autechre, Squarepusher, and most notably Aphex Twin on videos for "Windowlicker" and "Come to Daddy", and Björk's "All is Full of Love". All were used in Chris' chapter in Director's Label. He has also created art installations and directed short movies. He was approached to direct a movie version of William Gibson's cyberpunk novel Neuromancer; the project has been in development hell for more than two decades. In the 2000s, Cunningham began doing music production work, and has also designed album artwork for a variety of musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robot</span> Machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically

A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be constructed to evoke human form, but most robots are task-performing machines, designed with an emphasis on stark functionality, rather than expressive aesthetics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Reich</span> American composer (born 1936)

Stephen Michael Reich is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich describes this concept in his essay, "Music as a Gradual Process", by stating, "I am interested in perceptible processes. I want to be able to hear the process happening throughout the sounding music." To do so, his music employs the technique of phase shifting, in which a phrase is slightly altered over time, in a flow that is clearly perceptible to the listener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squarepusher</span> British musician

Tom Jenkinson, known professionally as Squarepusher, is an English electronic musician, record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. His music spans several genres including drum and bass, IDM, acid techno, jazz fusion, and electroacoustic music. His recordings are often typified by a combination of complex drum programming, live instrumental playing, and digital signal processing. Since 1995, he has recorded for Warp Records as well as smaller labels, including Rephlex Records. He is the older brother of Ceephax Acid Crew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daft Punk</span> French electronic music duo

Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining elements of house music with funk, disco, techno, rock and synth-pop. They garnered acclaim and commercial success and are regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music.

<i>Hard Normal Daddy</i> 1997 studio album by Squarepusher

Hard Normal Daddy is the second studio album by English electronic musician Tom Jenkinson under the alias Squarepusher, released on 28 April 1997. The album was Jenkinson's first studio album as Squarepusher for Warp. A single for the track "Vic Acid" was released in 1997 prior to the album's release.

<i>Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters</i> (soundtrack) 1985 soundtrack album by Kronos Quartet, Michael Riesman

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is the soundtrack to the 1985 film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. It features music written by Philip Glass and performed by, among others, Kronos Quartet. Sections from the soundtrack have been featured in other films and TV shows, including the piece 'Mishima / Opening', which was used to score the end credits of Peter Weir's 1998 film The Truman Show in addition to an appearance on an episode of Mr. Robot.

Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the country's most important vehicle for contemporary music" by the San Francisco Chronicle, the organization focuses on the presentation of new concert music, and has presented hundreds of musical events worldwide.

Demon Strings are a British stringed instrument group. They are best known for being the in-house string section for musician Damon Albarn, having recorded and performed live for several of his projects including The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Gorillaz, Blur and Monkey: Journey to the West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoichiro Kawaguchi</span> Japanese artist

Yoichiro Kawaguchi is a Japanese computer graphics artist and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Kawaguchi rose to international prominence in 1982 when he presented "Growth Model" in the international conference SIGGRAPH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Powell (film composer)</span> English film composer (born 1963)

John Powell is an English composer best known for his film scores. He has been based in Los Angeles since 1997 and has composed the scores to over 70 feature films. He is best known for composing and/or co-composing scores for animated films, such as Antz (1998), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Chicken Run (2000), Shrek (2001), Robots (2005), the second through fourth Ice Age films (2006–2012), the Happy Feet films (2006–2011), Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008), the first two Kung Fu Panda films (2008–2011), Bolt (2008), the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy (2010–2019), Mars Needs Moms (2011), the Rio films (2011–2014), Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012), and Ferdinand (2017).

<i>Solo Electric Bass 1</i> 2009 live album by Squarepusher

Solo Electric Bass 1 is a live album by Squarepusher. The album consists of twelve tracks recorded from Squarepusher's September 2007 live performance at Cité de la Musique in Paris, France, as part of the Jazz à la Villette 2007 festival. In contrast to Squarepusher's multi-instrumental performances, the tracks on Solo Electric Bass 1 were performed using only a 6-string electric extended-range bass guitar and amplifier. The release is limited to 850 copies worldwide.

Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters is a 2-CD set consisting of live performances by the London Sinfonietta, released by Warp Records in 2006. It contains a mix of contemporary classical and minimalist music by John Cage, György Ligeti, Conlon Nancarrow, Steve Reich, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Edgard Varèse, as well as instrumental versions of songs by Warp Records members Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. They were recorded live between 2003 and 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shōjo Robot</span> 2000 single by Rie Tomosaka

"Shōjo Robot" is a song by Rie Tomosaka, written by rock musician Ringo Shiina. It was released as her final single before her hiatus, on June 21, 2000. The song was used as an ending theme song for the Nippon Television variety show Fun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit Downes</span> British musician

Kit Downes is a BBC Jazz Award winning, Mercury Music Award nominated, solo recording artist for ECM Records.

Emanuel Gat is an Israeli choreographer of contemporary dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Party (song)</span> 2014 single by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

"Family Party" is the ninth physical single by Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. It was released on April 16, 2014, in both regular and limited editions. The A-side is used as the official ending song for the film Eiga Crayon Shin-chan: Gachinko! Gyakushu no Robo To-chan. The music video was released on April 8, 2014.

<i>Ex Machina</i> (film) 2014 film by Alex Garland

Ex Machina is a 2014 science fiction film written and directed by Alex Garland in his directorial debut. The film follows a programmer who is invited by his CEO to administer the Turing test to an artificially intelligent humanoid robot.

<i>Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion</i> Anime television series

Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion is a Japanese toy franchise created by Takara Tomy, in association with the Japan Railways Group. It is a spin-off of the long-running Plarail model train franchise, with the toys first launched back at March 16, 2015. An anime adaptation by OLM aired in all JNN stations in Japan from January 2018 to June 2019. A new anime titled Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion Z aired from April 2021 to March 2022 on TV Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Thomas</span> British electronic composer and sound artist

Jo Thomas is a composer, sound artist, producer and performer of electronic music based in London. She works primarily with electronic sound, with a focus on fine detail and abstraction combining technological, biological and emotive thematic elements. Her work utilises a wide range of sound sources including field recordings, voice, glitch, and synthesised sounds from various sources, including her own self-built instruments.

References

  1. Webster, Andrew. "This robot band has a guitarist with 78 fingers". The Verge. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  2. "Ultratop.be – Squarepusher x Z-Machines – Music for Robots" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 January 2016.