Musebots & Arne Eigenfeldt - A Walk To Meryton [Redshift Records]

AI-based and generative music are a bit of a hot topic these days. Not for Arne Eigenfeldt though, who started working on early - and probably rather primitive - generative music systems in the 80s and has employed his own complex multi-agent operation systems dubbed Musebots as a means of autonomous and generative creation, composition and collaboration for more than a decade now. Now, at the dawn of accessible AI technology and the surrounding discussion of what the advent of AI might mean for creatives and musicians, Eigenfeldt once again works with his Musebots in their latest album "A Walk To Meryton", a ten pieces and 70 minutes spanning body of work released via the Canadian label Redshift Records on March 1st, 2k24 in which a small ensemble uses Musebot generated pieces as a backbone for their work, adding a genuine human performance layer on top of computer x machine conceived pieces. The result of this somewhat collaborative effort are quite intriguing with the opening piece "Room For A Moment" evoking memories of both various aspects of Fatima Al Qadiri's conceptual, yet oftentimes neon bright and scintillating work in electronic x bass music as well as dreamy, in parts krautsy Ambient x ChillOut structures whereas the subsequent "For As You Are", as well as other pieces sprinkled with a SpokenWord narrative, gravitates towards deep and longing Jazz spread out over lush Electronica x Future Tribal structures, "A Tolerably Detached Tone" could, albeit in a way calmer and not dancefloor-focused manner, well resonate with fans of Deena Abdelwaheed's non-linear approach to polyrhythmic bass music and spine-tingling ChillOut whereas "Readiness Of Four" pairs distinct nocturnal Future Jazz melancholia with the urgency and tension of a narrating voice in a dark, futuristic feature film set in a dystopian society and "Of Threadbare Morality To Listen" even touches base with a fusion of late night big city Jazz and echoes of chiming, comforting (Eso)Ambient x Easy Listening just to name a few. Quite a warm, soothing and relaxing album for sth. involving so-called machine intelligence. Go check.