TOPLAP CDs

TOPLAP001 - A prehistory of live coding

• Info here: http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/users/nc81/toplap1.html
• Available here: http://lurk.org/products-page/

Review in the wire (May 2008):

A prehistory of Live Coding TOPLAP CD

Four years ago, in a smoky bar in Hamburg, Toplap was formed -- an organisation dedicated to promoting live algorithm programming. So far, so niche. Defying expectation however, it has since exploded into a fully functioning electronic music scene, with hundreds of practitioners improvising with live coding languages such as SuperCollider and ChucK. That is, writing, rewriting and modifying music software on the fly during performance (often with the rapidly changing code projected on a screen).

The cream of this scene's live recorded output has now been collated on Toplap's inaugural release. Despite superficially geeky origins -- many performers are coders first, musicians second -- the music here is stacked with depth, guts and soul. Opener "Water Surface" by Ron Kuivila is a featherlight study, shimmering with static broken by bursts of bee-like feedback. In contrast, The Hub's "Hub x 6" is an analogue-style fun fest of farty trumpet bursts and spaceship noise. RedFrik's ticklish "Aug 19" is Luke Vibert-style acid, but with enough rhythmic aberrations to take it beyond twee. "20060401folded" by scene forerunners Slub is a compelling, edgy slice of rollercoaster Techno. In truth, it's hard to believe much of the music here is essentially freewheeling software reined in by finger tapping humans. Live coding has so far flourished, but under a bushel. Perhaps it's time the rest of us got a look in.

Susanna Glaser