YΔCHT
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YACHT (an acronym for "Young Americans Challenging High Technology") is Claire L. Evans, Jona Bechtolt, and Rob Kieswetter. For their latest LP, 'Chain Tripping', the trio invented their own working method at the intersection of DIY and high-tech: they used neural networks to generate raw musical data from their prior work, which they arranged into new songs that they then learned, performed, and recorded live. Rather than rely on a single tool, they brought together several distinct AI processes: text generation (Char-RNN), latent space interpolation, raw audio generation (SampleRNN), and a "neural synthesizer" called the NSynth. They were inspired by the long history of generative composition, from William S. Burroughs' cut-up writing to David Bowie's custom 'Verbasizer' software from the '90s.
Using the framework of this album, YACHT was able to unite a disparate group of artists from around the world to showcase the state of the art in AI-assisted typography, lyrics, composition, audio, video, instrumentation, and photography. Collaborators include artist Ross Goodwin, "neurographer" Mario Klingemann, programmer and poet Allison Parrish, senior research scientists at Google's Magenta Project, and the New Zealand-based visual artist Tom White, who used an AI "perception engine" to create a suite of screen-printed computer abstractions for 'Chain Tripping'.
"All of this experimentation would be meaningless if it didn't result in something larger than the sum of its parts," explains YACHT. "This album challenged us in unexpected ways, opened new dialogues, and ultimately touches something deep about who we are. This is what technology can do it if it's wielded with love, in a spirit of self-discovery. This is what artificial intelligence can be if we think of it not as an endgame but as a starting point."
YACHT's new album 'Chain Tripping' is available now via DFA Records.
"Irresistible... summer soundtrack sorted." - DJ Mag
"big, clever, fun and a worthy addition to the DFA catalogue." - Mixmag
"left-leaning pop, no wave and post-punk grooviness." - MOJO
YΔCHT
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22 Nov, 2019
YΔCHT: New Video 'Scatterhead'
YΔCHT share their new video for 'Scatterhead', from the album 'Chain Tripping' on DFA Records.
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25 Oct, 2019
YACHT: New Album 'Chain Tripping' & European Tour
YACHT's new album 'Chain Tripping' is available now via DFA Records, they will tour Europe in February 2020.
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05 Nov, 2015
YΔCHT: Claire Evans Hosts New TV Show
YACHT's Claire Evans hosts a show on VICE TV's new channel Viceland.
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27 Oct, 2015
YΔCHT: European Tour Dates
YACHT have announced their European tour dates for November 2015, to promote their new album 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler'.
See their artist page for details.
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22 Aug, 2015
YACHT: New Album 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler'
YACHT have previewed the release of their next album 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler', with a billboard on Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles, which they stood below answering questions on why they "thought the future would be cooler".
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13 Aug, 2015
Yacht: Forthcoming Album 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler'
Yacht share the artwork for their forthcoming album 'I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler', via fax machine.
www.theverge.com/2015/8/11/9130155/yacht-band-album-i-thought-the-future-would-be-cooler-fax-machine
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16 Jan, 2014
YACHT: New Single 'Plastic Soul'
YACHT released their new single 'Plastic Soul' yesterday on DFA, as both a download and a limited edition cassette single.
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26 Apr, 2012
YACHT: New Video 'Le Goudron'
'Le Goudron' is a surrealist revolutionary song originally recorded in 1969 by Brigitte Fontaine with The Art Ensemble of Chicago; YACHT has reinvented its naive-apocalyptic candor for a neon-soaked dance floor, our preferred autonomous zone. It is also available as a free download from Soundcloud.
soundcloud.com/yacht/le-goudron-edit