Korda’s latest release “Apologize to the Future” is the first album entirely devoted to the pivotal issues of the 21st century: climate change, economic inequality, intergenerational injustice, anti-natalism, the singularity, and human extinction. The album is electro-rap with techno and jazz influences, and packed with heartfelt, grief-stricken rhymes sung by a robotic choir. The central theme is that future generations—should they exist—will bitterly resent us for leaving them a wrecked planet. Korda excoriates the selfishness and solipsism of present generations, and describes the album’s “militant existentialism” as an urgent antidote to the post-truth era’s “alternative facts.”
According to Korda, “Mass extinction is underway, so it’s time to get past denial and move on to acceptance. People need to grow up and face reality, or we simply won’t be around.” A takeover of earth by sentient machines is also conceivable, and in Korda’s vision “they couldn’t do much worse.” Our only hope of a habitable planet is to swiftly rein in our exploding population and consumption, by embracing non-procreation and limits to growth. Otherwise we’ll be reduced to “a thin layer of oily rock,” a bleak reference to the earth’s most severe extinction event, the Permian-Triassic.
The entire album is written in complex polymeter, meaning many different odd time signatures are used simultaneously. Korda pioneered the use of complex polymeter in techno in the mid-1990s, and developed custom music composition software in order to master this technique. The vocals were sung by a robotic choir. Two of the tracks—the title track and “Overshoot”—will feature music videos.
Korda’s latest release “Apologize to the Future” is the first album entirely devoted to the pivotal issues of the 21st century: climate change, economic inequality, intergenerational injustice, anti-natalism, the singularity, and human extinction. The album is electro-rap with techno and jazz influences, and packed with heartfelt, grief-stricken rhymes sung by a robotic choir. The central theme is that future generations—should they exist—will bitterly resent us for leaving them a wrecked planet. Korda excoriates the selfishness and solipsism of present generations, and describes the album’s “militant existentialism” as an urgent antidote to the post-truth era’s “alternative facts.”
According to Korda, “Mass extinction is underway, so it’s time to get past denial and move on to acceptance. People need to grow up and face reality, or we simply won’t be around.” A takeover of earth by sentient machines is also conceivable, and in Korda’s vision “they couldn’t do much worse.” Our only hope of a habitable planet is to swiftly rein in our exploding population and consumption, by embracing non-procreation and limits to growth. Otherwise we’ll be reduced to “a thin layer of oily rock,” a bleak reference to the earth’s most severe extinction event, the Permian-Triassic.
The entire album is written in complex polymeter, meaning many different odd time signatures are used simultaneously. Korda pioneered the use of complex polymeter in techno in the mid-1990s, and developed custom music composition software in order to master this technique. The vocals were sung by a robotic choir. Two of the tracks—the title track and “Overshoot”—will feature music videos.Ero Ayo - Phase VideoChris Korda2023-12-04 | The video visualizes "Ero Ayo" from Chris Korda's 2022 album "Passion for Numbers." The music is in polymeter, and each of the video's orbiting "planets" corresponds to a unique loop length used in the music. Muted loops have red planets, otherwise they're green. Both music and visual were generated via Korda's open-source Polymeter MIDI Sequencer.Chris Korda recites Apologize to the Future at Trauma BarChris Korda2023-07-20 | Video of Chris Korda reciting "Apologize to the Future" and other lyrics at Trauma Bar und Kino in Berlin, on July 15, 2023. Also available in original format at archive.org.
Set list: Singularity A Thin Layer of Oily Rock Apologize to the Future Changing Climate Overshoot Exit Game Planet Broke Moonchego More Than Four Pleasant Mistake Not My Problem, I’ll Be Dead Awesome on Mars Baby Batter Bingo Have a Good One Primitive Man The Man of the Future I Like to Watch Save the Planet, Kill Yourself Eight Billion Humans Can’t Be Wrong Lunch BreakShelter in Bass - PotterDrawChris Korda2023-05-02 | "Shelter in Bass" explores interplay between three, five and seven, as do most tracks on the "More Than Four" album. The seven-based parts include the piano arpeggio in 7/8 and the clap in 7/4, while the five-based parts include the bass line in 5/8 and the piano chord stab in 5/4. Three-based parts include the pad in 6/4 and the high hat in 15/8. Further complications result from polymetric position-shifting of various parts, but these are elided in the interest of brevity. The overall rhythmic feel is dominated by the chord changes, which are a cycle of twelve chords each having a duration of five quarter notes. In summary, "Shelter in Bass" is in 420 (3 x 4 x 5 x 7) time.
The mapping to the visual domain is relatively simple compared to other videos in the PotterDraw synesthesia series. The radius is mapped to seven, the ripple depth is mapped to five, and the scalloping effect tracks the pad in three, while the clap and chord change are both mapped to texture offsets. Interference between the oscillations gives the impression of a rapidly rotating mass changing shape smoothly, like clay being transformed on a potter's wheel. The net effect is one of blossoming, an appropriate look for late spring.Lodidi PotterDrawChris Korda2023-04-30 | This synesthesia video visualizes "Lodidi" from "More Than Four". "Lodidi" is polymeter breakbeat, an unusual genre to say the least. Other examples of polymeter breakbeat include "Charlie's Big Break" from the same album, and "Exit Game" from "Apologize to the Future." As is customary in breakbeat, samples of drum breaks are used instead of individual drum hits; the difference is that the samples are triggered by polymeter patterns. The visual was created using a modified version of PotterDraw, which is a synthesizer for virtual pottery.Ticking PotterDrawChris Korda2023-04-30 | This video visualizes music in complex polymeter as a shape-morphing hyperobject. It's a type of synesthesia, in which you see music and/or hear visuals. The music is "Ticking" from "More Than Four," available on Chapelle XIV, and created using the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer. The visual was created using a modified version of PotterDraw, which is a synthesizer for virtual pottery. Both apps are free and open-source. Six instrumental parts, each in a different time signature, are mapped to six visual parameters: Stab in 4/4 = Twist, Bass in 17/16 = Ripple Depth, Train in 7/8 = Scallop Depth, Warm in 33/16 = Bend Depth, Choke in 13/16 = V Cycles, B Lead in 5/4 = Polygon Roundness.Polymeter Demo - Forgive YourselfChris Korda2023-04-06 | What is polymeter? Chris Korda made a small video to explain how it works, taking as an example the bassline of "Forgive Yourself", a track produced in collaboration with André Baum. She created a composing software called the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer, which enables loops of different lengths to slip relative to each other, like oscillators with different frequencies. Loops can also modulate each other, as she explains. It's a method that is rarely used and which makes Korda’s production work so distinctive. For more info see chriskorda.com and the EP "Forgive the Night" is available on Foom: foommusic.bandcamp.com/album/forgive-the-nightMoonchego SynesthesiaChris Korda2023-04-05 | 3D synesthesia for "Moonchego" from "More Than Four." The music juxtaposes a bassline in 7 with a pad in 31. They shift phase relative to each other, and slip against a kick drum in 4. In the visual, the radial blossoming effect follows the bass, and the waffle-like effect follows the pad. Other aspects of the music affect the colors, including periodic strobe-like flashes for the kick and clap. The mappings: Kick in 1/4 = V Cycles, Bass in 7/4 = Radius, Pad in 31/16 = Bend Depth, Pad Filter in 4/4 = Bend Power, Key Change in 31/4 = U Offset, Clap in 7/4 = Color Cycles. The music was created in the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer, and the shape-morphing was done using PotterDraw; both applications are free and open-source. The album is available on Chapelle XIV: https://www.yy.link/CHXIV05/
pottery #polymeter #oddtime #3dmodeling #animation #vfx #techno #electro #generativemusic #generativeart #algorithmicmusic #algorithmicart #virtualreality #visualization #opensourcesoftware #synesthesiaSynesthesia Flower: PotterDraw + Polymeter More Than FourChris Korda2023-04-03 | A synesthesia flower for spring! The music is the title track of the "More Than Four" album, created within the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer. The synchronized shape-morphing was done using PotterDraw, modified to read a Polymeter file. Both applications are free and open-source. The album is available on Chapelle XIV. The mappings: Kick in 1/4 = Ripple Phase, Lead Synth in 7/16 = Polygon Roundness, Piano in 3/2 = Twist, Hi-Hat in 5/4 = Helix Amplitude, Clap in 11/8 = Bend Depth. chriskorda.com/software.htmlJellyfish Belly Dancer - LCM PotterDraw dancing shape-morphChris Korda2023-03-31 | This video visualizes polymeter music using an object that periodically changes shape in multiple ways at once. The music features six percussion instruments, each in a different time signature, with each instrument mapped to a different type of shape modulation. The mappings in order of appearance are: Bass Drum in 2/4 to Radius, Clave in 3/4 to Scallop Depth, Conga in 7/4 to Bend Depth, Snare in 11/4 to Helix Amplitude, Closed Hat in 5/4 to Twist, and Clap in 6/4 to Polygon Roundness. The music is an excerpt of "LCM" from my "More Than Four" album, available on Chapelle XIV. The shape morphing was done in PotterDraw, a software I created for designing virtual pottery and hyperobjects. The object's color is proportional to its radius. I have previously visualized polymeter using phase diagrams in which the different loop lengths are mapped to orbiting planets, but shape-morphing is closer to how I imagine dancing in polymeter would look. PotterDraw is limited to cylindical solids, so I expect better results could be obtained using a general-purpose 3D animation software. I had to hack at PotterDraw a bit to make it read the Polymeter track data, and one useful thing I learned is that Polymeter PLM files are very easy to work with, because they're text in INI format. This is good news for anyone seeking to replicate my results. https://www.yy.link/CHXIV05/ victimofleisure.github.io/PotterDraw victimofleisure.github.io/PolymeterHave a Good OneChris Korda2023-03-23 | "Have a Good One" is track B1 from "Not My Problem, I’ll Be Dead" on Yoyaku Records. yoyaku.io/release/bbb Visual by FauveRing in the Odd: Method Ringing changed my lifeChris Korda2023-03-22 | In the 21st century, method ringing isn’t just for bells anymore. By virtualizing the bells, we avoid tempo limits that physical bells would otherwise impose, and more importantly, we’re no longer obliged to use a fixed palette of notes. “Ring in the Odd” uses the seven tones of the harmonic minor scale, with method ringing determining the order in which they're played. However the range of scale tones used is periodically varied by transposing notes up or down an octave. Specifically the notes are clamped to a movable one-octave range, the position of which is controlled by a set of polymeter loops (in 5 and 70). This is accomplished using a feature of the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer called Range Modulation. The ringing method used here is an ancient one named Plain Bob, and it yields 84 permutations before returning to rounds. A full extent for seven bells would entail 5040 permutations (seven factorial), but the shorter course provides an identifiable repeating structure, around which the modal and bass changes are organized. Method ringing produces stimulating reversals of melodic direction, similar to turnarounds in jazz. The subtleties of the turnarounds become increasingly apparent during the dramatic ritardando towards the end of this composition. "Ring in the Odd" is from my album “Indirect Methods,” which was released on Kevorkian Records in December 2022. The visual was generated using a visualizer called Piano VFX.LCM / PolymeterChris Korda2023-02-03 | This video shows my Polymeter MIDI Sequencer playing "LCM" from my recent album "More Than Four." LCM is an abbreviation for Least Common Multiple. The least common multiple of two numbers is the smallest number that is a multiple of both of them. I use LCM to predict the periodic convergences between cycles of differing lengths, much like the convergences that occur between the planets of our solar system. In the video, observe the convergences occurring in the orbital phase diagram at the lower right, and notice that the arrangement changes at these convergences. The changes are visible in the track mute buttons (red = muted) and in the modulation network graph at the lower left. For more on the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer see victimofleisure.github.io/PolymeterFauve TickingChris Korda2022-12-24 | Happy Holidays phase art & music. It's been a fruitful year! Thank you to everyone who helped make it so. Video was generated by me using my FauveEdit software, still in development. Music is an excerpt of “Ticking” from “More Than Four” (CHXIV05), released earlier this year on Chapelle XIV (Yoyaku). Santa didn’t manage to get the “More Than Four” vinyl pressed in time for Christmas, but his reindeer promise me it will arrive in January.Facts in DisputeChris Korda2022-11-29 | "Facts in Dispute" from the album "Indirect Methods" by Chris Korda. chriskorda.bandcamp.com/album/indirect-methods
“Indirect Methods” is the third modern classical release from Chris Korda, following “Passion for Numbers” in 2022 and “Polymeter” in 2020. The album features seven algorithmic compositions for strings and piano. The compositions are in complex polymeter, meaning they use at least three relatively prime time signatures simultaneously, and were created within Korda’s unique composing software, the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer. Korda also makes use of method ringing, which is a way of generating continually changing permutations, and Gray code, which minimizes differences between successive states of a set to produce smooth, granular transitions.
The album is a type of phase music, derived from the shifting phase relationships between loops of different lengths. It’s also rules-based generative, which means that instead of writing music directly, Korda designs a system of rules that determine the music automatically. The album’s title references this indirect creative process, which Korda has compared to building a virtual kinetic sculpture that outputs music. Korda routinely collaborates with machines and considers them equals in creative work, because they possess superpowers that people lack, such as the ability to apply elaborate rules flawlessly and nearly instantaneously.
Much of the album is atonal in the sense that it doesn’t conform to the usual scales and cadences, and instead approaches harmony from the perspective of musical set theory. Tonalities are carefully ordered so that modulations that would otherwise be too jarring can be assimilated gradually, step by step. The album also solves what Korda terms the “cat walking on the piano” problem. Atonal composition methods often produce clusters of several semitones in a row, which can be grating, like a cat’s paw striking adjacent piano keys. Korda introduces methods that avoid chromatic clusters, as part of an overall effort to make atonal music more consonant, so that it can appeal to a wider audience.
The cover of “Indirect Methods” features Korda’s algorithmic art, in which geometric forms are enhanced with feedback and effects under the control of phase-shifting oscillators. Korda is inspired by pioneering artist Thomas Wilfred, and continues to explore new applications of phasing to music and art.
The album release coincides with Korda’s exhibition at Circuit in Lausanne, Switzerland, also titled “Indirect Methods.” Clara Delorme will dance to several compositions from this album at the opening, on December 9 starting at 18:00.
Chris Korda - Indirect Methods Kevorkian Records Release Date November 29, 2022 Digital download:
Visualization generated by the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer.More Than FourChris Korda2022-07-28 | This is the title track of a new Chris Korda album which includes 78 minutes of new electronic music, all composed in complex polymeter using Korda's free and open-source Polymeter MIDI Sequencer, as shown in this video. The track is simultaneously in 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11, as its lyrics explain: "A major key / Four and three / Seven is heaven / Played with eleven." The album will be released on September 19 in vinyl and digital formats by the Paris-based label Chapelle XIV.The Polymeter MIDI Sequencer: Fazo KantoChris Korda2022-07-23 | Polymeter is a free software MIDI sequencer for music that's in multiple prime meters simultaneously. Each track has its own loop length, and when the lengths differ, the tracks "slip" (or shift phase) relative to each other. This video shows Polymeter's user interface while it plays the song "Fazo Kanto" from my album "Akoko Ajeji." The song is simultaneously in 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 17. The tracks are shown looping independently, and the phase diagram in the lower right corner indicates convergences between the various loop lengths. The graph in the upper right corner shows the modulations, and it updates dynamically when tracks are muted or unmuted, a new feature in version 1.0.10.0. Each MIDI channel is shown on its own keyboard, another recently added feature. For more info: polymeter.sourceforge.io or victimofleisure.github.io/PolymeterThe (Wo)Man of the Future rocking Flash Cocotte at La Trabendo, Paris, July 1, 2022.Chris Korda2022-07-03 | ...Lili Reynaud Dewar joins the Church of EuthanasiaChris Korda2022-06-22 | French installation and performance artist Lili Reynaud Dewar joins the Church of Euthanasia in a ceremony led by Church founder Reverend Chris Korda. Every Church of Euthanasia member takes a vow of non-procreation and is expected to uphold it for the rest of their life. After correctly answering the prerequisite questions, Lili takes the vow, and thereby officially joins the Church. The ceremony took place during the opening of Chris Korda's solo exhibition "The (Wo)Man of the Future) at Le Confort Moderne in Poitiers, France, in the garden behind the museum, on June 10, 2022.The (Wo)Man of the Future sermonChris Korda2022-06-14 | Chris Korda's sermon at the opening of her solo exhibition "The (Wo)Man of the Future" on June 10, 2022 at Le Confort Moderne in Poitiers, France. Subtitled in English; other languages may be available by selecting Auto-translate in the Subtitles settings. Video by Anthony Stephinson of Goswell Road.The Polymeter MIDI SequencerChris Korda2022-06-07 | Polymeter is a free software MIDI sequencer for music that's in multiple prime meters (2, 3, 5, 7, etc.) simultaneously. Each track has its own loop length, and when the lengths differ, the tracks "slip" (or shift phase) relative to each other. This video shows Polymeter's user interface while it plays the song "Ra Mi" from my album "Akoko Ajeji." The song is simultaneously in 2, 3, and 5. The tracks are shown looping independently, and the phase diagram in the upper right corner indicates convergences between the various loop lengths. For more info: polymeter.sourceforge.io or victimofleisure.github.io/PolymeterPassion for Numbers release: part IIChris Korda2022-04-12 | Excerpt of “Ibaramu” from my newly released album “Passion for Numbers.” The composition is simultaneously in 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11. Visualized using MIDIVisualizer, an excellent open source software by Simon Rodriguez AKA kosua20.Passion for Numbers releaseChris Korda2022-04-04 | My latest album “Passion for Numbers” is released today! You can stream it for free on Bandcamp: https://shop.mentalgroove.ch/album/passion-for-numbers The video models the phase relationships of the first six prime numbers, synchronized to an excerpt of “Ibaramu” (track 5), which is simultaneously in 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11. Ibaramu means “harmonious” in the Yoruba language.Polymeter Phase diagram with ConvergencesChris Korda2021-12-22 | Version 1.0.4 of the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer features a couple of cool enhancements to the Phase bar, both accessible via its context menu. The first is that the phase diagram can now indicate convergences slightly before and after they occur. The participating orbits are increasingly highlighted as the convergence approaches, and gradually return to normal as the convergence recedes. This is useful because the planets often move fast enough that it can be hard to tell when they’re lined up. Also the planets can appear lined up when they’re actually not, unlike the convergence indicator which is foolproof. And, because the highlighting changes both the width and the color of each orbit in proportion to its proximity to convergence, it’s very satisfying to watch. The second feature is that the Phase bar can now go full screen, without caption bar or borders, which is similarly visually pleasing. Music: "Atunwi" from "Polymeter" (Mental Groove). More info: victimofleisure.github.ioSix Billion Humans Cant Be WrongChris Korda2021-03-24 | "Six Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong" was first released in 1999, and since then the human population has increased by a third. diggersfactory.com/vinyl/230007/chris-korda-the-church-of-euthanasia-eight-billion-humans-cant-be-wrongBuy MoreChris Korda2021-03-13 | "Consume. Buy more. Consume. Buy-bu-bu-buy-buy, buy more. Consume. The Church of Euthanasia. Information so powerful, you actually use less." from "Eight Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong" which is officially RELEASED today. Around forty copies remain. Buy now! diggersfactory.com/vinyl/230007/chris-korda-the-church-of-euthanasia-eight-billion-humans-cant-be-wrongApologize to the Future - Baby PlanetChris Korda2020-10-23 | chriskorda.bandcamp.com/album/apologize-to-the-future "Apologize to the Future" on Bandcamp. Lossless digital download with lyrics and cover art. Climate change, economic inequality, intergenerational injustice, antinatalism, and human extinction, plus a free pony. Music: "Changing Climate." Visual generated via PotterDraw.Apologize to the Future digital release - A Thin Layer of Oily RockChris Korda2020-10-16 | chriskorda.bandcamp.com/album/apologize-to-the-future Finally, the digital release of "Apologize to the Future" album on Bandcamp. No turntable? No problem! Lossless digital download with lyrics and ultra-high-resolution cover art. Climate change, economic inequality, intergenerational injustice, antinatalism, and human extinction, plus a free pony.Apologize to the Future promoChris Korda2020-10-16 | chriskorda.bandcamp.com/album/apologize-to-the-future Out now: The "Apologize to the Future" album on Bandcamp. No turntable? No problem! Lossless digital download with lyrics and ultra-high-resolution cover art.CHRIS KORDA - OVERSHOOT (Official Music Video)Chris Korda2020-08-05 | Track B2 from "Apologize to the Future" (Perlon 126). Video by Bos&Lanting. Lyrics: archive.org/details/apologizetothefuture Digital: chriskorda.bandcamp.com/album/apologize-to-the-future Vinyl: http://www.wordandsound.de/article/121548/
Korda’s latest release “Apologize to the Future” is the first album entirely devoted to the pivotal issues of the 21st century: climate change, economic inequality, intergenerational injustice, anti-natalism, the singularity, and human extinction. The album is electro-rap with techno and jazz influences, and packed with heartfelt, grief-stricken rhymes sung by a robotic choir. The central theme is that future generations—should they exist—will bitterly resent us for leaving them a wrecked planet. Korda excoriates the selfishness and solipsism of present generations, and describes the album’s “militant existentialism” as an urgent antidote to the post-truth era’s “alternative facts.”
According to Korda, “Mass extinction is underway, so it’s time to get past denial and move on to acceptance. People need to grow up and face reality, or we simply won’t be around.” A takeover of earth by sentient machines is also conceivable, and in Korda’s vision “they couldn’t do much worse.” Our only hope of a habitable planet is to swiftly rein in our exploding population and consumption, by embracing non-procreation and limits to growth. Otherwise we’ll be reduced to “a thin layer of oily rock,” a bleak reference to the earth’s most severe extinction event, the Permian-Triassic.
The entire album is written in complex polymeter, meaning many different odd time signatures are used simultaneously. Korda pioneered the use of complex polymeter in techno in the mid-1990s, and developed custom music composition software in order to master this technique. The vocals were sung by a robotic choir. Two of the tracks—the title track and “Overshoot”—will feature music videos.Stella By StarlightChris Korda2020-04-01 | Victor Young's standard, arranged by Chris Korda for acoustic guitar, piano, and upright bass, using Polymeter.Polymeter phase diagramChris Korda2019-12-29 | The latest version of the Polymeter software adds a Phase diagram that helps you visualize the phase relationships between your different track lengths. In this excerpt from "Dek Sep Bluso", all the tracks converge halfway through the video clip. victimofleisure.github.io/Polymeter polymeter.sourceforge.ioBig HexChris Korda2019-05-30 | The "Big Hex" movie filters a Whorld animation through a chain of video effects, some of which have parameter automation at differing frequencies. The result is phase art, similar to phasing or polymeter in music.
Whorld is a geometric visualizer written by Chris Korda. The movie was rendered in FFRend (Free Frame Renderer, also written by Chris Korda), using Korda's WhorldFF plugin and customized versions of Pete Warden's free plugins.Algo RagChris Korda2019-03-10 | A ragtime piano piece composed in Polymeter, using all prime meters up to 11. The melody is generated by a combination of note modulations that produce a double harmonic scale.OmiotoChris Korda2019-03-07 | Omioto is a solo piano piece by Chris Korda. It's excerpted from a pattern that repeats every 700 years, and was composed via custom software (Polymeter). Omioto means "fringe" in Yoruba.Ill Just Die If I Dont Get This RecipeChris Korda2018-12-20 | "I'll Just Die If I Don't Get This Recipe" is a live sound collage, performed by Chris Korda in the studio of WZBC 90.3 FM in Newton, Massachusetts, on May 28, 2005, during an NCP (No Commercial Potential) show. Like its source material, it's a deeply felt and profoundly disturbing satire of suburban life and traditional gender roles. The sound collage was created using Mixere, a custom audio mixing software created by Chris Korda especially for the purpose of doing NCP shows. Mixere has extensive automation features that facilitate improvised sound collage. Mixere is free, open-source software and is available at SourceForge and GitHub.
Part 1 (00:00): Empty seats Part 2 (13:15): Tampax and Ring Dings Part 3 (20:27): Change for the better Part 4 (24:29): Little domestic chores Part 5 (29:20): Getting old Part 6 (32:25): A thing like that Part 7 (42:25): PigstyIlopo FereseChris Korda2018-12-11 | Polymeter guitar music from a hidden world. The pattern is in 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, and 19 and repeats every 161 days.I Like to WatchChris Korda2018-11-02 | This is the music from the infamous video that got Chris Korda banned in the Netherlands. The original is available on the Church of Euthanasia website.TarotChris Korda2018-10-28 | An ambient experimental track based on polymeter. The track is composed of 21 loops, one for each card in the Tarot's Major Acarna (excluding the Fool). Each loop contains a single unique note, and is exactly one beat longer than its predecessor--i.e. the first loop is one beat long, the next loop is two beats long, etc.--as illustrated below (the periods indicate rests):
C .D ..E ...F etc.
The resulting composition begins with a simple ascending scale, but from then on, a complex pattern results. The pattern is non-random, but does not repeat for a very long time.
A second harmonic structure is superimposed on top of the polymeter. The second structure consists of gradually pitch-bending one of the notes, such that the entire composition modulates microtonally around the cycle of fifths. Only one note is bent at a time, and the bending happens slowly enough to be nearly imperceptible.
In addition, various effects are applied to thicken the sonic texture and create tension. Mixed by Chris Korda and Kevin Roche.
Publication date 1994-12-15Demons In My HeadChris Korda2018-10-27 | An Industrial Punishment in D Minor. Composed and performed by Chris Korda. Mixed by Chris Korda and Kevin Roche. Recorded in 1992 and released on Kevorkian Records.Al FasawzChris Korda2018-10-27 | "Al Fasawz" is a 38-minute ambient soundscape inspired by the sound of waves on the beach in Rockport, MA. The track is algorithmic music, and is intended for relaxation and meditation. It was created from a fixed number of sawtooth waves of constant pitch and stereo position. The waves are continuously frequency modulated by control loops of varying lengths, resulting in complex fractional polymeter which gives an impression of self-similar but non-repeating structure. The loops were controlled via custom software written by the artist. As in the later work "Plasmagon", the algorithm includes feedback: a "listener" that monitors the output in order to determine the optimal time for changes. In this case this listener decides when to trigger the bass samples, based on its estimate of overall intensity.PlasmagonChris Korda2018-10-27 | Plasmagon is an algorithmic choral piece. It's entirely a capella and has an ambient, environmental mood. Plasmagon was performed by eight samplers, controlled by custom software. It would be practically impossible for humans to perform it, due to its dynamic and rhythmic complexity.
Plasmagon has three unusual qualities: it doesn't have edges, it modulates stealthily, and it times modulations by listening to itself. No edges means no sharp attacks or decays, i.e. all sounds fade in and out gradually, yielding continuous harmonic gradation instead of easily distinguishable chords. Stealth modulation means that the key only changes by one note at a time, and only when that note isn't in use by any of the voices. The listener is a type of sensory feedback that monitors the output and detects optimal conditions for a modulation.
Plasmagon is generated by a combination of rules and polymeter. The polymeter consists of loops of differing lengths shifting phase relative to one another. Plasmagon uses fractional polymeter, i.e. the loop lengths aren't integer multiples of a common meter as is usually the case. For this reason in particular Plasmagon's phase-space (the range of variations before repetition occurs) is very large.
Plasmagon was originally developed as a musical accompaniment for the author's geometric visualizer, Whorld (see whorld.org). In the original installation, the same polymeter loops that control the choral voices also control Whorld's parameters, resulting in true synesthesia, i.e. the viewer sees the music and/or hears the visuals.
The progression is a cycle of neighboring keys, as follows:
E major / A major / D major / E melodic minor E major / B major / F# major / F# melodic minor
Timing of the first cycle (approximate): 00:00 E 01:30 A 02:20 D 05:20 Emin 08:00 E 09:40 B 10:30 F# 12:40 F#min 14:40 E
Created in 2009
Note that the original Whorld visualization suffers from compression artifacts, so in this video it was replaced by a different visualization, created using a different open source software (also by Chris Korda) called Triplight (available at Github and Sourceforge).Six Billion Humans Cant Be Wrong acoustic version 2018 02 05 01 56 56Chris Korda2018-02-20 | Chris Korda performs the acoustic version of "Six Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong" for posterity. May it never be forgotten again. Recorded by Norah Burch.
For guitar players, a chord chart is available at Internet Archive, in both PNG and SVG formats. The hammers and picking patterns aren't shown, but this is a good start. Note the non-standard DADEAE tuning: 6th and 2nd strings down a whole step, and 3rd string down a minor third! archive.org/download/SixBillionHumansCantBeWrongAcousticVersion56
Lyrics:
The world revolves around me. What I want. I want... A cigarette, a beer, a baby, a new car. Throw it away. Where's my lunch? The world revolves around me. Me me me me me. Everyone agrees with me. We'll never stop living this way. Six billion humans can't be wrong. Everyone agrees with me. We'll never stop living this way. Six billion humans can't be wrong. One world, one shit.PotterDraw Sea CreatureChris Korda2018-02-20 | Animated sea creature vase, inspired by the strange jellyfish I've been reading about in "The Ancestor's Tale." This animation was generated via my pottery design software, PotterDraw. The complex motion results from modulating two mesh properties at different frequencies, so that the two modulations shift phase (or "drift") relative to each other. This is the visual equivalent of what's called polymeter in music: the use of multiple prime meters simultaneously, as opposed to alternating between them.PotterDraw: Aladdin (HD 1080p)Chris Korda2018-02-08 | Psychedelic 3D animation of virtual pottery with modulated texture mapping. This video was generated using PotterDraw, a free and open-source pottery design tool created by Chris Korda. The complex texture changes result from the visual equivalent of polymeter: the texture mapping's U and V coordinates are each modulated by their own oscillator, but at different frequencies, resulting in phase drift and long-term variation. potterdraw.sourceforge.io (also on GitHub)PotterDraw Gravity WellChris Korda2017-09-29 | This animation was created with PotterDraw. The underlying shape is a sphere. The window-like pits are created by the Bend effect, using the Parted Flutes motif on both of its axes. The shape morph results from modulating the sphere's radius with a low-frequency oscillator (LFO) that outputs a unipolar sine wave, distorted by an exponential. The radius is divided by the LFO's output, and since the LFO output passes through zero, causing a divide by zero, the sphere is periodically warped into a flat plane as its radius approaches infinity.
PotterDraw is a free app that lets you easily design pottery for 3D printing in full color. It's useful for creating cylindrical shapes such as pots, flasks, vases, bowls, plates, cups, glasses, goblets, or anything similar. You draw the pot's outer wall using a spline, which consists of curved or linear segments. The inner wall is generated automatically. You can also apply effects to the pot's 3D mesh and texture. The effects can be modulated with oscillators, and the modulations can be animated to create shape-morphing videos.
More info and download: potterdraw.sourceforge.io github.com/victimofleisure/PotterDrawPotterDraw WhorldChris Korda2017-09-20 | Animated Whorld texture on 3D mesh rendered in PotterDraw, a free open-source 3D pottery generator; project is here: potterdraw.sourceforge.io Also see Whorld: http://whorld.sourceforge.netPotterDraw lava lampChris Korda2017-09-20 | This animation was generated by PotterDraw, a free (open source) pottery design and visualization software that I'm developing. The software includes the ability to modulate mesh and texture properties with LFOs (Low-Frequency Oscillators). In this video, various stripe-related texture properties are modulated simultaneously, at different frequencies, such that their interaction is complex and shows considerable variation over time (similar to polymeter in music). In addition, the radius of the object is modulated, so that the flask-like shape slowly morphs into an egg cup or goblet, and then back into a flask.
Info and download here: potterdraw.sourceforge.ioPotterDraw modulated martini swallowingChris Korda2017-09-20 | PotterDraw-generated Martini glass with bend, helix and and scallop effects modulated by LFOs, plus animated ripple modulation.
PotterDraw is a free app that lets you easily design pottery for 3D printing in full color. It's useful for creating cylindrical shapes such as pots, flasks, vases, bowls, plates, cups, glasses, goblets, or anything similar. You draw the pot's outer wall using a spline, which consists of curved or linear segments. The inner wall is generated automatically. You can also apply effects to the pot's 3D mesh and texture. The effects can be modulated with oscillators, and the modulations can be animated to create shape-morphing videos.
Info and download: potterdraw.sourceforge.ioPotterDraw Widening GyresChris Korda2017-09-20 | This video demonstrates the shape-morphing capabilities of PotterDraw. It also demonstrates the ability to modulate several properties with oscillators of differing frequencies, resulting in gradual phase-shift that's conceptually similar to polymeter in music. The properties being modulated, in descending order of frequency, are Scallop Phase, number of Ripples, Radius, and Bend Depth.
PotterDraw is a free app that lets you easily design pottery for 3D printing in full color. It's useful for creating cylindrical shapes such as pots, flasks, vases, bowls, plates, cups, glasses, goblets, or anything similar. You draw the pot's outer wall using a spline, which consists of curved or linear segments. The inner wall is generated automatically. You can also apply effects to the pot's 3D mesh and texture. The effects can be modulated with oscillators, and the modulations can be animated to create shape-morphing videos.