Four years on from sharing her sophomore Platform LP, Holly Herndon has shared the details behind a follow-up effort. Titled PROTO, the composer/producer's latest arrives May 10 through 4AD.
Thirteen tracks in length, PROTO was created by Herndon in collaboration with Spawn, a machine intelligence developed alongside longtime collaborator Mathew Dryhurst. Herndon assembled an ensemble of vocalists and developers to teach Spawn how to identify and reinterpret sounds over multiple singing sessions.
"There's a pervasive narrative of technology as dehumanizing," Herndon explained in a statement. "We stand in contrast to that. It's not like we want to run away; we're very much running towards it, but on our terms. Choosing to work with an ensemble of humans is part of our protocol. I don't want to live in a world in which humans are automated off stage. I want an A.I. to be raised to appreciate and interact with that beauty "
Alongside the announcement, Herndon has shared first single "Eternal," which has arrived alongside a video. The clip, which plays from the perspective of an intelligent machine, can be found below.
PROTO is available for pre-order here.
PROTO:
1. Birth
2. Alienation
3. Canaan (Live Training)
4. Eternal
5. Crawler
6. Extreme Love (with Lily Anna Hayes and Jenna Sutela)
7. Frontier
8. Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt
9. SWIM
10. Evening Shades (Live Training)
11. Bridge (with Martine Syms)
12. Godmother (with Jlin)
13. Last Gasp
Thirteen tracks in length, PROTO was created by Herndon in collaboration with Spawn, a machine intelligence developed alongside longtime collaborator Mathew Dryhurst. Herndon assembled an ensemble of vocalists and developers to teach Spawn how to identify and reinterpret sounds over multiple singing sessions.
"There's a pervasive narrative of technology as dehumanizing," Herndon explained in a statement. "We stand in contrast to that. It's not like we want to run away; we're very much running towards it, but on our terms. Choosing to work with an ensemble of humans is part of our protocol. I don't want to live in a world in which humans are automated off stage. I want an A.I. to be raised to appreciate and interact with that beauty "
Alongside the announcement, Herndon has shared first single "Eternal," which has arrived alongside a video. The clip, which plays from the perspective of an intelligent machine, can be found below.
PROTO is available for pre-order here.
PROTO:
1. Birth
2. Alienation
3. Canaan (Live Training)
4. Eternal
5. Crawler
6. Extreme Love (with Lily Anna Hayes and Jenna Sutela)
7. Frontier
8. Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt
9. SWIM
10. Evening Shades (Live Training)
11. Bridge (with Martine Syms)
12. Godmother (with Jlin)
13. Last Gasp