Former frontman of LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy, has teamed up with IBM to create an algorithm transforming raw data from tennis matches into music. The experimental project will generate over 400 hours of U.S. Open tennis music which Murphy describes saying, “I’m not writing music, I’m generating probabilities for music.” Murphy has gleaned two remixes so far from the automatically created 400 hours of tennis music titled, “Match 4” and “Match 104.”
“When a young player beats a top-seeded player, like in this match from August 25th, it’s bound to make some noise. And in this case, that noise is glorious: a series of simple, almost sweet opening notes that slowly transform into unexpectedly intense, mature sounds. Beats bubble up from out of nowhere, swiftly take over and set the track in an uncompromising new direction. Hear how James portrays the swagger of the younger player and the relentless drama of the match in the deep, pulsing beats.”
On “Match 104”:
“When this match began, it could have been either player’s game. And like the match that inspired it, this track opens with beats that are balanced–intense but equal, just like the players–with no instrument clearly taking the lead. The music pulses steadily until the last half of the track, when the instruments start to break form as one player falls behind, and the other takes the lead. The track ends with a soft, high-pitched whistle that ushers the defeated player off the court.”
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