Sheffield's 65daysofstatic show no signs of slowing down. They have spent fifteen years establishing themselves globally as a relentless touring band. They have made seven studio albums. They have soundtracked contemporary dance, scored films and created site-specific A/V installations. In 2016 they released the critically acclaimed soundtrack to the video game ‘No Man’s Sky’: an ‘infinitely long’, dynamic, generative score that responded to the player’s actions. Then they toured a live version of it around the world.
Decomposition Theory or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Demand the Future is a major new work from 65daysofstatic that will premiere at Algomech Festival in Sheffield. There will be three shows 9th-10th November, 2017. Each one different. The first (1:15pm, 9th Nov) will be a hybrid installation/performance opening up this new work. The evening shows (8pm 9th Nov + 10th Nov) will take the work to the stage, with support from techno-obsessed aggrobeat band Blood Sport in collaboration with algoraver Heavy Lifting.
Decomposition Theory sees 65daysofstatic exploring new ways of harnessing algorithmic music techniques in the context of a live band performance. It focuses on custom-made procedural audio processes, generative music programs, and live-coded noise. By composing processes rather than finished songs, 65 can 'decompose' them again onstage. Processes can be combined, rewritten, manipulated or ignored. Each performance will be a unique curation of algorithms, coded by 65 to generate live music for them.
Imagine that 65daysofstatic deconstructed themselves as dozens of tiny AIs. Decomposition Theory is a live collaboration between the humans and their code-based counterparts. It is 65daysofstatic becoming cyborg, demanding a future where we control the algorithms, and not the other way round.