Yes it’s bit of an old clip but you can watch it most places in the world now that it is part of the BBC Learning Zone archive here. The clip is about the making of “Obsolete?” the large scale computer music work that was commissioned by the National Museum of Computing and funded by the PRS Foundation.
The second installment on this video can be seen here but sadly only in the UK.
It is also nice that teachers (like the one who told me about the clip) are using it as a resource to show contemporary electronic music in schools.
I was very fortunate to give a presentation of the work I did on Obsolete? at the National Museum of Computing, at the Open University in Milton Keynes Ecologies of Modern Heritage Forum. It was an extremely interesting day to see the vast array of different projects being done at Bletchley Park as a whole. Themes such as History/Memory, Systems, Transmitting, Decay and Dr. Z Zhadrals excellent CIPHER project from archaeological digs to interaction with modern and old technology. It was really good to see so many people who were passionate about doing projects that both highlight the amazing things at Bletchley Park and how much the site needs further help. Overall it was a very good day, lots of interesting people and I am certain lots of interesting projects to come.
Tune in to hear me interviewed by Digital Planet in a special looking at Obsolete?, The National Museum of Computing and the rise of the personal computer. You can download the new version of the theme tune for free here and you can listen again here. There is also a downloadable podcast here.
The Open University and Digital Planet, BBC World Service’s Weekly Technology programme, have joined forces to produce six special co-produced editions of the programme. Hosted by Gareth Mitchell, Digital Planet brings the clearest, sharpest guide to developments in our connected world to a worldwide audience via radio, digital and online.
For more information, listen online and listen again visit the Digital Planet BBC site here. Image reproduced with permission see footer.
Pixelh8’s most recent work “Obsolete?” is a audio and visual study of the people, machines, history of The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park and looks closely at the themes of mathematics, logic, code-breaking and enciphering. The project was funded by the PRS Foundations new music award and commissioned by The National Museum of Computing.
The music itself is composed using some of the oldest and rarest computers in the world such as the WWII code-breaking machine Colossus Mark 2 Rebuild, and the 1960’s Elliott 803 largely used for mathematics and some of the more commonplace machines such as the BBC Micro. With over thirty machines studied and utilised within the music, it is a combination of both sounds from the internal sound chips and the external electro-mechanical sounds. In addition to this, the piece also utilises such items as the early non-electrical mechanical adding machines.
The project was comprised of twelves pieces of music and accompanying visuals and culminated in two performances at the prestigious Bletchley Park Mansion on March 20th and 21st, 2009.
Ok lots of stuff to choose from, first up BBC Radio 3 The Late Junction with Verity Sharp from the BBC website here, a very eclectic radio show. BBC Word Service The Strand interview with Dan Damon and article on chiptune music here, and finally last but not least BBC Radio Wales an interview with Adam Walton regarding music and technology here from Sunday 26th for a week. Enjoy!
I am never quite sure whats going to happen next, but this is a nice suprise. Music from the “Obsolete?” concert piece will be performed on BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction with Verity Sharp, very excited the program always features an eclectic range of music and I have tuned in for quite some time now.
There is a Facebook event page here and more information as well as online listening and listening again from the BBC website here.
Pixelh8’s most recent work “Obsolete?” is a audio and visual study of the people, machines, history of The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park and looks closely at the themes of mathematics, logic, code-breaking and enciphering. The project was funded by the PRS Foundations new music award and commissioned by The National Museum of Computing.
The music itself is composed using some of the oldest and rarest computers in the world such as the WWII code-breaking machine Colossus Mark 2 Rebuild, and the 1960’s Elliott 803 largely used for mathematics and some of the more commonplace machines such as the BBC Micro. With over thirty machines studied and utilised within the music, it is a combination of both sounds from the internal sound chips and the external electro-mechanical sounds. In addition to this, the piece also utilises such items as the early non-electrical mechanical adding machines.
The project was comprised of twelves pieces of music and accompanying visuals and culminated in two performances at the prestigious Bletchley Park Mansion on March 20th and 21st, 2009.
As so many of you have requested them and you will have to wait a little while to hear the music again, I have uploaded some clips of “Obsolete?” in the mean time.
Very pleased about being featured in the Spring 2009 issue A WHOLE PAGE!, yes I won’t say much about it but I am very very pleased electronic music is being taken a lot more seriously, thank you Musicians Union you have been incredibly supportive from the very beginning.
I am gonna write this right now, I am absolutely shattered but at the same time wide awake and excited. It was a success, people really enjoyed and I enjoyed it too. The museum was full after a sold out performance at the Mansion. The Elliott 803 was working and playing music!!! The ICL was spinning and the IRIS was on too, and there were volunteers everywhere talking and demoing the machines, so the visitors had the full audio/visual experience of it all.
It was great as I got to see alot of friends I hadn’t seen in a while and Imogen Heap made an appearance and we got to have quite a good chat about music, machines and things to come too.
There will undoubtedly be load of pictures from the event apearing on Flickr soon and I will link to them as well.
Thanks to all of the volunteers and staff of both The National Museum of Computing and Bletchley Park, it was a wonderful evening.
What can I say apart from it went, exactly as intended. Pretty much a full house and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The room was pitch black apart from the visuals and I could make out faces every now and then, that were transfixed to the screen.
I had been up since 6.30am as I was so excited, so by about 10pm I was absolutely exhausted. I did Q&A afterwards and a tour of the museum.
I was interviewed by Dan Damon of BBC World Service, Future Music, Goldsmiths Radio, ZDNet.co.uk and several more did loads of photoshoots. At the end I was happy it went well and I was happy to get back to the hotel, eat cookies and sleep. But I left the laptop on and got loads of nice emails and twitters, which I woke up to peek at every now and then.
More of the same tonight but with a full house, pictures will be about on the net soon, as we have a Flickr group arriving, and loads more press.
Just hanging out at The National Museum of Computing now and Just got to meet Peter Onion creator of the Elliott 803 emulator, a fantastic man who is very knowledgable about the 803. Also bumped into Dr Sue Black at lunch who has been helping raising awareness of TNMOC and Bletchley Park.
Internationally renowned chip tune musician Pixelh8 makes his music from reprogramming vintage computer systems such as the ZX spectrum, Commodore 64 and Game Boy.
Parallel to his involvement in music performance Pixelh8 lectures and runs music and computer related workshops across the United Kingdom and is patron of the Access To Music Centre, Norwich and is currently studying for his Masters Degree at UCS Centre for Design Innovation.
Yes it’s bit of an old clip but you can watch it most places in the world now that it is part of the BBC Learning Zone archive here. The clip is about the making of “Obsolete?” the large scale computer music work that was commissioned by the National Museum of Computing and funded by the PRS Foundation.
