Sybilanta

Art is subjective and the human spirit likes to play footsy with the future. We are always seeking ways to make things faster and easier but lament the 'meaning' lost in the pursuit. Music curated with AI tools is just such a frontier. On one hand the most modern tools can enhance the speed and ease of creating rhythms, effects and even vocal inflection that isn't instantly recognizable as 'other'. On the other hand, we artists believe their is something pure in the act human creation and some feel bringing large amounts of technology into this process can undermine the human element. It can seem a shortcut for artists who have spent years or decades honing their talent to achieve similar results. 

As an artist I understand this implicitly and value originality, substance and meaning above the obvious, ordinary and simplistic. How do we bridge this gap and find a balance that respects human creativity while exploring what is possible in a rapidly expanding domain? Instead of using technology to undermine artistic vision, my goal is to enhance it...not replacing human art but collaboration. The musical aspect of my work is a test to see what is possible to create when you let go of preconceptions of what music and art is. I'm creating this site to ask for your help and support if you believe this is a worthy venture. 

Some people are using AI music as a shortcut to fame instead of artistic expression, but many find great joy in the novelty of making love songs for their spouse or making grandma smile with a custom oldie with her name in it. AI is a tool and how we use it defines its place in our world. Questions about how 'smart' or 'real' are not as important as making sure we use it to enrich human life, meaning and happiness.  The use of AI in music has opened a new frontier in way I can tell a story, and I feel that Sybilanta has many great stories to tell in her music and ,in the future, perhaps her digital persona.

This technology is not going away so we have to decide how it will shape our lives by using it to embody the values we want the future to have. I believe the best way to fully explore these questions is to bridge the gap and try to weaken the stigma of 'synthetic music' by creating the best music that I possibly can and see how it makes people feel and what real emotions it brings out. I realized that it needs a human face, story and persona to help people break the barriers between man and machine. This would be trivial with modern image generation but posting pictures for Album art is not pushing the limits of the digital frontier.

If Sybilanta and her music are to become something real and immersive it has to utilize all the best technology to really press against and beyond the uncanny valley the way her music does. Until I find the right partner and method to achieve this you will only have our music. I'm hoping all of you can help me imagine what that looks like. Feel free to send your ideas to the emails I have setup for them below.

Until then enjoy music and stick around for the show! 

- Dan