Seis8s: a web-based localized computer-music language

Luis N. Del Angel, and David Ogborn

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Seis8s is a web-based computer language that allows real-time interaction with digital audio and localized musical knowledge. Seis8s revolves around keywords or commands that relate to Latin dance music –also known as urban Latin music or Latin popular music. This is a 20th-century derivation of music “based on Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, as developed and performed throughout the Hispanic Caribbean basis and its diaspora” and which is “designed for accompanying social dancing”. At the moment of writing, Seis8s revolves around Mexican cumbia and Salsa. Drawing from the digital-art practice of Live Coding , Seis8s is meant for the performer and the audience to experience not only the music but also the code that is displayed on the screen. The latter to help connect the users (i.e. performer and audience) with other cultural layers influencing computer-music languages, like natural language. Seis8s explores the following possibilities: 1) a computer-music language to be derived from Spanish; 2) to appeal to an imagined community in/from Latin America; and 3) to explore cultural, political, economic, and historical commonalities of that imagined community. Seis8s can be used online at the following interactive website: https://seis8s.org/. On this website, users are invited to experience Seis8s through examples and references both in Spanish and English.

Citation

Luis N. Del Angel, and David Ogborn. 2022. Seis8s: a web-based localized computer-music language. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.21428/92fbeb44.80a3fd71 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime20202_installations_4,
 abstract = {Seis8s is a web-based computer language that allows real-time interaction with digital audio and localized musical knowledge. Seis8s revolves around keywords or commands that relate to Latin dance music –also known as urban Latin music or Latin popular music. This is a 20th-century derivation of music “based on Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, as developed and performed throughout the Hispanic Caribbean basis and its diaspora” and which is “designed for accompanying social dancing”. At the moment of writing, Seis8s revolves around Mexican cumbia and Salsa. Drawing from the digital-art practice of Live Coding , Seis8s is meant for the performer and the audience to experience not only the music but also the code that is displayed on the screen. The latter to help connect the users (i.e. performer and audience) with other cultural layers influencing computer-music languages, like natural language. Seis8s explores the following possibilities: 1) a computer-music language to be derived from Spanish; 2) to appeal to an imagined community in/from Latin America; and 3) to explore cultural, political, economic, and historical commonalities of that imagined community. Seis8s can be used online at the following interactive website: https://seis8s.org/. On this website, users are invited to experience Seis8s through examples and references both in Spanish and English.},
 address = {Auckland, New Zealand},
 articleno = {4},
 author = {Luis N. Del Angel and David Ogborn},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.21428/92fbeb44.80a3fd71},
 editor = {Meg Schedel and Paul Dunham},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {jun},
 title = {Seis8s: a web-based localized computer-music language},
 track = {Installations},
 url = {https://doi.org/10.21428/92fbeb44.80a3fd71},
 year = {2022}
}