Henrik Schwarz & Metropole Orkest Release Visually Striking Music Video For 'AlgoRhythm'

'AlgoRhythm' is the latest single taken from the recently released album 'Scripted Orkestra' that Henrik Schwarz recorded with the Metropole Orkest. Inspired by the algorithmic method used to create this piece of music, director and animator Christian Krupa developed a visual response that brought the process full circle.

"This orchestra piece was created with a small computer program working in the background that turns a one-dimensional input into a complex musical result. This small computer program is like a string on an instrument where you can get different results depending on how you 'play' it. The whole piece is based on the reaction of this program/string to the input of the player or musician," says Schwarz.

"In the video the idea is very similar. The music is the input to a set of reactions that a small computer program turns into visuals. This all sounds very technical and abstract but the result is the opposite. It's beautifully complex in colour and sounds and motion and emotion..."

Schwarz and Christian Krupa formed a strong collaboration to create the visual masterpiece, which creates an effect akin to synaesthesia where different senses such as sight and hearing interact.

Director Christian Krupa: "Building on experimental work I made in 2017 using snatches of jazz music, I developed around 40 generative routines in 3D animation suite, Blender using it's 'Animation nodes' plugin. Each of these responded to the changes in pitch volume and rhythm of either the whole track or to the stems of the different section of the orchestra. The final look was developed in a complex edit / compositing process; layering colours ad shapes using symmetry andstenciling to control and form the raw footage that came directly from the procedural interpretation of the music.Working closely with Henrik, I feel this piece is a true expression of human creativity expanded by the infinite possibilities that computation offers us."

Henrik Schwarz, one of electronic music's most well-respected producers, has collaborated with the internationally renowned Metropole Orkest and its conductor Jules Buckley to release a new, full-length LP titled 'Scripted Orkestra' on 7K!. Metropole Orkest is one of the world's leading orchestras when it comes to performing anything but classical music and they have played and helped shape the world of contemporary orchestra music since their foundation in 1945.

Originally performed live as the opening concert of ADE 2016 and broadcast by Boiler Room, this new studio recording delves further into Schwarz's increasingly formidable orchestral talent, showcasing the incomparable thrill of seamlessly blending acoustic performance with computer generated music.

'Scripted Orkestra' stands out because computer technology and processes have been translated and converted into a composition for live instruments. Technology came before the performance. "Some say orchestra music is dying, that orchestras are dying. I believe they are about to be reborn," says Schwarz. "Computers and technology are taking over our lives; people have been hiding behind their screens, but there's a yearning for more human interaction. With orchestras, the human element is undeniable. I think there are some very interesting developments happening in modern composition. It's at the start of something new."

WARNING: This video may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.

Watch the video here:

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