Computer Jazz Future

Dear readers,

Welcome to Computer Jazz, a journal I’ve decided to start keeping of my thoughts and observations on the music industry, the technology that drives it, and the meta-narrative of that intersection.

For those unfamiliar with the space I occupy in the midst of all this — or why I’m at all remotely qualified to write on the subject — I’m a producer of strange and hard-to-define electronic music, and a DJ. I live and work in the city of Toronto, but my career mostly lives online. I’ve been writing, recording, producing, and performing music seriously for about 10 years now. It’s all quite scattered across the web (and real life brick & mortar record stores), but you can find everything I still let people hear at my Bandcamp.

I also work as a graphic designer and illustrator whose work primarily lives in digital realms. I currently freelance, but my last long-term contract was at Autodesk, a software developer who makes some of the greatest tools empowering creators today. It was there I discovered my passion for the ins-and-outs of software, and all it can do. I create stuff every single day of my life, and it’s all because of technology.

But, back to Computer Jazz: my hope for this project is that it become a chronicle of some of the ideas I have, springing from technological developments that interest me. I want to talk about MIDI controllers, DJ hardware, DAWs, and artists’ processes. I want to articulate my thoughts on physical media, streaming (and the opinions of its supporters/dissenters), record labels, and publishing. I want to make wishlists of things I’d love to see, and track whether they come true or not. I may even invite others to share their thoughts on related matters, should there be anyone be interested. In short: I want to talk about what it means, and what it’s like to make and perform music in the 21st Century.

I hope this is a worthwhile endeavour. I often feel as if I’m constantly thinking about and inspired by the aforementioned subjects, and more, but it’s entirely possible that this isn’t the case as frequently as I think. In any case, I hope whatever thoughts and musings I do come up with, I can deliver them in such a way that conveys the aspects I find so interesting and remarkable at the core of their subject matter. And, in turn, I hope to continue to be fed and taught by the innovations of the brilliant minds who love music, just like we do.

Happy listening, and happy reading,

Paul Chin