»Welcome to G-g-g-g-game Four,« stutters a synthesized voice in the opening track, accompanied by pounding noises and fan chants. The introduction marks not only the sonic direction, but also the concept: man against machine – or rather, with the machine. The fourth album of Move 78, named after the legendary 78th move in the game of Go with which Lee Sedol defeated the artificial intelligence AlphaGo in 2016, does not seek superiority, but symbiosis.
The Berlin jazz formation tackles the question of human creativity in times of algorithmic rigor with musical daring. “Mistakes On Purpose” brings together supposedly wrong notes and rhythmic shifts to create an irritating but coherent composition. In »Enigmatology,« granular synthesis creates a dense atmosphere of confusion and precision from individual sound fragments. And in »It Predates Language,« viola and whale song mingle to create a polyphonic prehistoric fantasy.
Instead of linear song structures, there are open, winding sound textures – a spontaneous dramaturgy between jazz, beatmaking and abstract electronics. Coincidence becomes technique, technique becomes a means of expression. With Game Four, anyone who gets involved enters a playing field where no rule is sacred – as long as it can be broken.
