Author: Rebecca Xiong

After reading this article, I watched a performance by Derek Bailey. It is a combination of live guitar performance and dancing. The sound that Derek Bailey made is completely different from the typical impression we have on guitar. It doesn’t include delicate chords and is more like some random experiments on the instrument. Though it’s not a great pleasure to listen to it, I still appreciate how he combined guitar, percussion, and dance in a single performance and made everything out of nothing. These improvisational performances also happen in Jazz sessions, in which the players often jam together, communicating with each other only by instruments. Though they are using traditional instruments, I think they have something in common with live coders, which is the enthusiasm for creating new patterns in performance and not being afraid to make mistakes.

My impression of DJ performances used to be a performer standing behind a big DJ controller, mixing tapes and creating effects during the performance. However, things seem to be different nowadays. The DJs are actually playing pre-setted audios and visuals, so the role they play in the performance is actually more like a conductor who lets the audience dance to the beats. It is interesting that computer programs are leading people to two extremes: creating completely repeatable music by using preset patterns and creating completely random music by utilizing random functions. Though the performances with pre-recorded audio can still be exciting, I think the spirit of jamming should be celebrated, and that is what live coders are doing, just like what Bailey did in his performance. The computer is the tool and approach, but the spirit is what really matters.

Hydra code:

let p5 = new P5()
s0.init({src: p5.canvas})
src(s0).
repeat(()=>ccActual[3],()=>ccActual[3]).
//here
scrollX(1,1).
luma(0.9).
mult(osc(3,2,2),0.9).
// rotate(1,1).
kaleid(()=>ccActual[3]).
rotate(1,1).
out()
p5.hide();
p5.strokeWeight(4);
p5.fill(20);
p5.textSize(200);
p5.background(0);
let parameter=p5.random(1);
p5.draw = ()=>{
  p5.stroke(p5.map(cc[2],0,1,0,255),p5.map((1-cc[2]),0,1,0,255)*parameter,p5.noise(time)*255*parameter);
  //p5.background(0);//comment this line
  let v = p5.noise(time);
    p5.push();
    p5.translate(p5.width / 2, p5.height / 2);
    p5.noFill();
    p5.fill(255);//uncomment this line
    var radius = v*p5.width*cc[0]*5;
    var angle = p5.TAU / (ccActual[0]);
    p5.beginShape();
    for (var i = 0; i <= (ccActual[0]); i++) {
      var x = p5.cos(angle * i) * radius;
      var y = p5.sin(angle * i) * radius;
      p5.vertex(x, y);
        p5.rotate(p5.sin(time));
    }
    p5.endShape();
    p5.pop();
    //p5.blendMode(p5.MULTIPLY)
}
render(o0)


src(o0).scale(1.01).blend(o1,.1).out(o0)


hush()

let p5 = new P5()
s1.init({src: p5.canvas})
//here
src(s1).
repeat(()=>ccActual[0],()=>ccActual[0]).
luma(0.08).
mult(osc(4,2,2)).
out(o1)
p5.hide();
p5.noStroke();
// p5.strokeWeight(4);
p5.fill(255);
p5.textSize(200);
p5.draw = ()=>{
  p5.background(0);
  let v = p5.noise(time);
    p5.push();
    p5.translate(p5.width / 2, p5.height / 2);
    p5.text(ccActual[0],0,0);
    p5.pop();
}
render(o1)

let p5 = new P5()
s1.init({src: p5.canvas})
//here
src(s1).
luma(0.08).
mult(osc(4,2,2)).
pixelate(()=>ccActual[4],()=>ccActual[4]*2).
blend(solid(0,0,0),()=>ccActual[5]).
out(o1)
p5.hide();
p5.noStroke();
// p5.strokeWeight(4);
p5.fill(255);
p5.textSize(200);
p5.draw = ()=>{
  p5.background(0);
  let v = p5.noise(time);
    p5.push();
    p5.translate(p5.width / 2, p5.height / 2);
    p5.text(ccActual[0],0,0);
    p5.pop();
}
render(o1)

hush()

Tidal code:

p 104 $ ccv "1" # ccn "5" # s "midi"

do
d2 $ s "cp cp cp cp "  #gain 3 #krush 9
d3 $ s  "sn*4" # gain 4
d4 $ qtrigger $ filterWhen (>=0) $ slow 1 $ s "supersaw*8" # note(scale "major" ("[6, 4] [8,6] [6,4] [5,3][6, 4] [6,4] [8,6] ~")) #gain 10
p 101 $ ccv "2" # ccn "1" # s "midi"
p 102 $ ccv (segment 64 (slow 4 (range 0 127 saw))) # ccn "2" # s "midi"
p 103 $ fast 2 $ ccv "8 4 <5 3> <6 7>" # ccn "0" # s "midi"
p 104 $ ccv "4 2 3 5" # ccn "3" # s "midi"
p 105 $ ccv (segment 64 (slow 2 (range 20 127 saw))) # ccn "4" # s "midi"
p 106 $ ccv "0" # ccn "5" # s "midi"


hush

do
d3 $ s  "sn*4" # gain (range 2 6 $ slow 4 $ saw) # room (range 0 1 $ slow 4 $ saw) # krush "<0 9>" # speed (range 1 6 $ slow 4 $ saw)
d4  $ qtrigger $ filterWhen (>=0) $slow 1
  $ every 2 (const $ s "supersaw*8"
                  # note(scale "major" ("[0,2,4] [5,7,9] [4,6,8] [3,5,7]")))
  $ s "supersaw*8"
  # note(scale "major" ("[6, 4] [8,6] [6,4] [5,3][6, 4] [6,4] [8,6] ~"))
  # gain 10
--d5$ qtrigger $ filterWhen (>=0) $ slow 1 $ s "supersaw*8" # note(scale "major" ("[6, 4] [8,6] [6,4] [5,3][6, 4] [6,4] [8,6] ~")-21) #gain 10
p 101 $ ccv "2" # ccn "2" # s "midi"
p 104 $ fast 2 $ ccv "4 2 3 5" # ccn "3" # s "midi"

do
d6 $ s "bd*8" #gain 2 #krush 20 #room 0.2 # speed (range 1 6 $ slow 4 $ saw)
d3 $ s  "sn*4" # gain (range 2 6 $ slow 4 $ saw) # room (range 0 0.2 $ slow 4 $ saw) # krush "<0 9>" # speed (range 6 12 $ slow 4 $ saw)



hush