In the Summer of 2013, a team of young Japanese roboticists was assembled with the challenge of creating a music-performing system that was beyond the capablities of even the most advanced musicians.
The three robots that comprise Z-Machines were the result. The roboticist’s musical producer, Kenjiro Matsuo, and his team, invited a number of Japanese composers to develop music specifically for the project. An invitation was also extended to Squarepusher, who was intrigued by the idea to say the least.
The opportunity to explore the compositional possibilities of a guitarist with 78 fingers and a drummer with 22 arms was a temptation impossible to ignore. The resulting “Sad Robots Go Funny” was a poignant and highly praised piece, composed and produced by Squarepusher and performed by Z-Machines. The video produced by award winning director, Daito Manabe, can be seen below.
The rapport that developed between Squarepusher and the Japanese team led to a lingering feeling that the project still had unexplored potential. Squarepusher approached Matsuo-san with a view to further investigating the possibilities of the collaboration. This led to additional pieces being created, involving an intense four weeks of composing, then two more months of transferring and adapting data, various technical hurdles and the eventual recording of "Music For Robots".
Tracklisting
01. Remote Amber
02. Sad Robot Goes Funny
03. World Three
04. Dissolver
05. You Endless
