Michael Perkins

Akihiko Matsumoto is a young Japanese composer and sound artist who works extensively with algorithmic composition techniques.  On his website, Akihiko describes his compositional methodology as follows:

Akihiko usually uses Openmusic and max/msp for algorithmic composition and uses RTcmix for generating sound.

Usually Akihiko's compositional style is called "meta composition." Because Akihiko sets the rules of generating musical material and structure before actual composition. It's the result of influence from meta compositional theory like Schenkerian Analysis.

But Akihiko's compositional technique and programming methods depends on aesthetics in each work. Example, "Violix"(2005) is collaboration of a computer generation and a human composition.

He has also integrated interesting visual elements into some of his pieces.

Akihiko also identifies himself as a guitarist, web designer, and web programmer. He is currently a graduate student at the Tokyo University of Arts.

The following is an example of his work:

A beautiful audio-reactive processing animation by Robert Hodgin:

The Fibonacci Sequence is a special sequence of natural numbers discovered by the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci in the thirteenth century. The sequence begins with 0, 1 and continues with each subsequent number being the sum of the previous two numbers.

    0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 ...

The Fibonacci numbers can be found throughout nature and art. In nature, for instance, the number of lines in the spirals on a sunflower is almost always a Fibonacci number. Similar patterns are found in pine cones and pineapples. Also, the sequence of the ratios of adjacent Fibonacci numbers approaches the constant known as the Golden Mean which figures prominently in architecture and art.

In the video below, composer and pianist Bence Peter performs a composition based on the Fibonacci Sequence. Peter mapped the Fibonacci numbers onto the diatonic scale to generate the notes used in the composition.

Toxiclibs is an open source library of Java and Processing functions for computational design. The library contains functions for audio, color, geometry, math and physics. The following video is a collection of experiments and projects using the library.

toxiclibs showreel from postspectacular on Vimeo.

If you send a sample of your DNA to the folks at DNA 11, they will create a one-of-a-kind "art" work based on your DNA. The images don't really rock my boat, but the idea is very cool.

They also create works based on fingerprints and kisses.

The following video was created by Jonathan Brandel using the Processing programming language. The overlayed animation appears to be reacting to motion in the video. Brandel describes it as "new type of interactive visualization combining computer vision and audio analysis." Click here for more awesome videos by Brandel.

Flightpattern is a cool audio-reactive animation programmed in ActionScript by Gwen Vanhee. The music is El Cargo by Amon Tobin.


Flightpattern from Gwen Vanhee on Vimeo.

Emily Howell is a computer program that composes sophisticated and original music. Emily was created by composer, music theorist and computer scientist David Cope. The following samples of Emily Howell's music appeared with an interesting Miller-McCune article called Triumph of the Cyborg Composer.

Emily Howell Sample 1
Emily Howell Sample 2

To hear more samples of Emily Howell's music, check out this NPR interview with David Cope.

Manny Tan's Wiggle is a fun little interactive animation programmed in Processing.  You can interact by moving your mouse or clicking in the animation space.  Click here to play.

 Metamorphosis from Glenn Marshall on Vimeo.