Behind The Screens: Alfonsofonso
An interview with musician and live coder Alfonsofonso.
Alfonsofonso is a musician and live coder, interested in many types of art. In this interview, we’d like to talk about his practices and tools, as well as work in the community and the way he copes with the radical and drastic changes in their practice resulting from the corona crisis.
- What was your first encounter with live coding and what are your sources of inspiration (may also be outside of the live coding practice)?
Technically my first encounter was 35 years ago when I typed “BEEP (any number)” in my Spectrum 48K and got some sound.
But seriously, I’ve been developing for the web for 20 years now and my first real musical coding experience started with Flash. I did some experiments there, even some apps. After the fall of this amazing technology, I got into JavaScript where the search for new possibilities continued. After some years I got into TopLab Barcelona and grew with this community, although I’ve managed to avoid getting into SuperCollider and TidalCycles hahaha.
2. What are your preferred platform(s) to use and why?
I’m afraid I have to say that old instruments like flute, piano, bass, etc. are my favorite platform but if we’re talking about technology, I’d say JavaScript, because it’s open, it’s interactive, and it’s everywhere.
3. Are there any platforms, tools, or extensions that you develop yourself and if so can you elaborate why and for what purpose?
My approach is kind of weird because even though I sometimes use some external libraries like LissajousJS or createJS, I like to code with plain old JavaScript (vanilla), and each experiment/song/gig I do it’s a new page of my website (of course I reuse code). For example lalluvia.com/robotona or lalluvia.com/algodrone then I open the developer's console (I usually use Chrome, but sometimes Firefox or Vivaldi Browser) and start tweaking my code there to play live. For non-live purposes, I usually code with Sublime Text.
4. How has live coding influenced your practice of making and thinking about art?
I appreciate how traditional instruments, as well as traditional musicians, are able to make a loop with their own hands. I came up with this sentence the other day: “Why use a machine if a human can do it?” I think there’s still a lot to learn with this new way to make music. We’ve just started, it’s like these are cave paintings compared to what we are going to see.
5. In what form are randomness or other algorithms applied in your practice or performance? Do you try to pursue serendipity and how or why not?
Oh! Math.random() my old friend! Yes, I try not to make her work too much because absolute randomness is just not musical. So it’s important to avoid it but pay a visit sometimes because you never know…
I’m also very interested in generative music. There’s a lot to discover there and I haven’t found good generative music, apart from some ambient atmospheres, not even with the new AI motors.
6. Could you share a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or things you are currently working on?
Well, I have a couple… The immunization frequencies I’ve been developing during the pandemic may sound strange but surprisingly they had some momentum. The other one I’ll mention, it’s called Sychronia, it’s an audiovisual show that uses synchronization between music and visuals, as well as interaction with the audience and their phones. I’m using JavaScript just for sound and visuals nowadays... I’d like to join other people with this one so, this is an open call to musicians and dancers of the world! Stand up!!!
7. Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share with the readers?
Yes, I’d like to invite all live coders to stop playing alone and start playing with other musicians, at the same time! Coders or guitarists! Sharing is the best part of music! And also congratulate the Utrecht community for this initiative. Long life to life coding!
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This article is part of the Behind The Screens series of Creative Coding Utrecht — a series of events where digital artists and live coders create a piece in ten minutes.
Watch Season 1 // Watch season 2 // More interviews
The Behind The Screens series is sponsored by Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.
