The rise of artificial intelligence not only promises an upheaval of work processes, but also a far-reaching transformation of listening habits. If everyone can create generic songs with a prompt, the interest for non-generic forms will increase. This harbors immense potential for experimental music. To bring it to fruition, we need courageous musicians. Artists appropriating emerging technologies, beyond major corporations or perfection. Moisés Horta Valenzuela, aka 𝔥𝔢𝔵𝔬𝔯𝔠𝔦𝔰𝔪𝔬𝔰, is part of this scouting group. For his newest album, the Berliner-by-choice has programmed an A.I. and trained it via small data sets. Twelve artists supplied it voluntarily, best known amongst them: Ambient darling KRMU. Alright, alright, but how does it sound? »Mutualismx« is an eclectic mix of Ambient, Drone, musique concrète, Techno, and IDM. It’s, more or less, being held together by a uniform timbre. Generated music still feels un-natural, for now at least. Drums don’t quite sound like a real kit, while vocals barely make it out of the »uncanny valley«. 𝔥𝔢𝔵𝔬𝔯𝔠𝔦𝔰𝔪𝔬𝔰 turns these imperfections into a stylistic device. Sadly, bar a few highlights, the songwriting is unable to hold a candle to the respective musicians’. At times meandering, at times disjointed, »Mutualismx« feels longer that it is. Already part of music’s history, its charm mainly lies in its academic interest.
Mutualismx
