Generative Music and Robot Overlords with Captain Credible

Daniel Eugene Lacey-McDermott - better known as Captain Credible, is an uncompromising Norwegian electronic artist that has been pushing the limits of electronic music releases and building his own hacked instruments since 2008.

He is a member of the independent Oslo based label Metronomicon and has been touring europe with his his violently eccentric live performances and his hectic beats. We got a chance to ask the Captain a few questions between his performances in Germany and Norway.

#If Captain Credible was an animal which animal would you be and why?

It tickles my nipples to see you imply that I am not an animal. An extremely bold and deeply existential way to open an interview! So I suppose if I was an animal, I would be some kind of large hominid subspecies with massively oversized genitalia, a highly advanced brain and little to no sense of self preservation as a species. Because then I could be really cool and famous and fuck shit up for all the other animals!

#Which song/tune fits your working situation right now and why?

4′33″ by John Cage because the kids are sleeping and it’s not likely to wake them up. Also I really like the bassline.

#How is your creative process from idea to finished product?

I try to mix it up a little bit when it comes to the creative process. But more often than not it starts with designing an instrument or software or algorithm. I like the idea of starting one abstraction layer further down. By designing the tools I use to express myself I feel a closer affinity to the final work.

Sometimes I can go through iterations of refining or entirely redesigning an instrument before the musical piece is completed. When it comes to the "finished product" that’s a little bit more tricky. I never quite feel that something is finished. That might be why I've taken to releasing generative works that never finish generating themselves.

Sometimes I can start of by making something completely other than a musical instrument that goes on to inspire me to make a track. An example of this is the track Cloth that grew out of a midi controlled, sound reactive GLSL shader.

Other times I just sit down naked in a cold dark room in front of a candle, close my eyes and embark on a 3 week spirit-seek of the inner mind-sphere. At the end after i have located the 9th gate crystal and opened the portal I return to this spiritual plane with a plastic bag filled with a fine powder. I then heat the powder to 50 000° and hey presto out comes a short melody or drum loop that usually sucks.

#In your release "Fantasy Mansion" you built a device that does not only play back your EP, it is also an instrument for the listener to experiment and play with. Tell us more about the process and experiences with this!

The concept for this EP comes from an amalgamation of ideas that are just stuck in my head and that never cease to fascinate me. The blurry non-measurable line between sentient (intelligent) beings and complex algorithms (A.I.). The interaction between an artist and his tools. And blurring the lines between the creator and the person experiencing the creation.

Unlike my previous generative EP release "Dead Cats" from late 2015, "Fantasy Mansion" invites the user to take part in modifying, rewriting and fucking up the music generated by the circuit board. At the same time the circuit board will also rewrite, modulate and fuck up whatever the user creates and composes. The bottom line is an attempt to create a piece with no one author, a symbiosis between an algorithm and a supposedly sentient being. Where both are playing eachother. I have experimented earlier on these subjects with the installation "Helmetdance" :

#You are a member of the norwegian label/collective Metronomicon. What is Metronomicons role in the norwegian music scene?

I think Metronomicon Audio is a driving force in pushing the music scene forward. They have an interesting and varied roster of active musicians that are in the music game because of a genuine desire to create something new and interesting. Most importantly Metronomicon values the individual artists freedom to make what he or she likes rather than focusing on record sales and mainstream satisfaction.

#In the past decades we've seen a massive change in the way we consume music. What are your thoughts on that and how do you think that the digital format impacts the relationship we have with music now?

Well it definitely makes music more accessible! It's a difficult nut for large scale music industry to tackle, which is a problem for the big record labels and the huge artists. But more importantly (in my opinion) makes it possible for small labels and individuals to distribute more interesting, alternative music way outside the mainstream. And allows to make a living out of music without making compromises.

#What is the future of music and music releases?

For music as a whole I think the modern era of digital production and distribution is overwhelmingly positive. I don’t think all music will or should be generative or released on circuit boards, but i am pretty sure that in 50 years, all we will be listening to is the faint hum of our robot overlords as they harvest our neural network to serve the central A.I. And the central A.I. will probably be really into Captain Credible.

Learn more about Captein Credible on his website: www.captaincredible.com