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How algorave made code the headliner

What if the thing on the dancefloor was the code itself? Algorave turns live coding into a performance where music is written or modified onstage, and the screen is part of the show.[1][2]

  • algorave
  • a man and woman in front of a large screen
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An algorave is a live event where people dance to music generated in real time by algorithms, usually through live coding.[1] The performer is making music live, not mixing recorded tracks.[1]

  • Algorave. Photo by Antonio Roberts
  • dj dave live coding
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Why it feels different from DJing: the code is projected so the audience can watch the music being built, and live-coded visuals often join the set.[1][2] The process itself becomes part of the performance.[2]

  • alsoknownasrox
  • Algorave. Photo by Antonio Roberts
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Mistakes are welcome here. Algorave treats glitches and unpredictability as part of the aesthetic, so a bug can become the point, not the problem.[2]

  • media poster
  • a computer screen with hands in the background
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Mini timeline: 2004 TOPLAP helps formalize live coding; 2011 the word algorave is coined; 2012 the first event lands in London; by the 2010s the scene is spreading worldwide, and the 2020s add virtual and hybrid sets.[1][2]

  • a man in a hat
  • Algorave
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When code changes mid-beat, the music changes immediately too, so beats, melodies, effects, and layers shift as the code is edited live.[2] That is the real-time trick.[2]

  • Gaël Camba / Euronews
  • a laptop on a desk with a large screen and speakers
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