music to compose music to is a website composed of video, music, and spoken text files, manifested through ideas on the internet and digital technologies impact on contemporary living. Constructed of various rooms conceptualised as ‘liminal spaces’, the project emulates real-world environments featuring recontextualised stock 3D rendered video originally intended for various marketing applications, and heavily processed audio samples manipulated through algorithmic processes.

The origins of the project are connected to various formulations of the ‘music to relax to’ meme on YouTube, liminality and the 'non-place' (Marc Augé), 'The Backrooms' (a fictional, internet-based concept), ‘screensaver aesthetics’, and early vaporwave. There are also references to general internet usage, generic visual content, and how one may choose to engage with the website while completing other tasks.

Algorithmic audio processes are carried out in real-time and implemented by various JavaScript tools controlling the behaviour and return of samples through chance operation procedures (chance.js), randomisation, audio shuffle, and time alteration (stochastic.js). Web audio processing tools manipulate the behaviour of both audio and video files. Real-time processing suggests that music is always playing as the web API randomly selects and returns samples. Nothing is ever an exact repetition.

music to compose music to is a website reliant on engagement and participation via a computer connected to the internet. The project is for the computer in the sense that one performers the work with their keyboard or screen. It doesn’t demand attention within the attention economy, rather it embraces becoming part of one’s general internet usage.


View the project here: https://musictocomposemusicto.com/


music to compose music to was collaboratively produced with Georgios Mizithras and Dimitri Aatos Ellinas. The project was funded by UKRI's Arts and Humanities Research Council.