Check this out, it’s pretty cool. A full-on robotic band, complete with solenoids, relays, wires, and other gizmos, End of Life consists of a cello, an electric guitar, drums, and for some strange reason, a flat-bed scanner. That’s right, a scanner. But it works wonderfully and sounds good, too. It almost even has that nostalgic 16-bit video game music feel.
Which makes me wonder, could musicians ever be replaced by robots? As we transition into a digital age, with technology becoming more advanced and powerful, we’ve been seeing an increase in different art forms powered by the technology that drives us. Can you imagine what music concerts might be like 10 years from now? A supercomputer in the center of the stage rocking out to thousands of fans? Of course you could argue that it’s still a human behind the scenes, but it still seems to defy the universal idea that music truly is a human phenomenon.
I was recently made aware of vocaloids by Stephen, and was pretty shocked on the onset. I suppose we’re not too far from it now, but it certainly raises an interesting (and debatable) topic of discussion. Here’s a clip of Miku Hatsune, a digitally-synthesized, Japanese music artist rocking out to thousands of fans.
So what do you think? Would you go to a concert to see this kind of ‘music’?
I, for one, welcome our new musical robot overlords.
:-p