„What do machines sing of?“ is a fully automated machine, which endlessly sings number-one ballads from the 1990s. As the computer program performs these emotionally loaded songs, it attempts to apply the appropriate human sentiments. This behavior of the device seems to reflect a desire, on the part of the machine, to become sophisticated enough to have its very own personality.

What do machines sing of? (90s Version)
2015
Size: 170 x 55 x 45 cm
Material: metal stand, mic stand, mic, cable, 2 screens, computer, custom-made computer program

What do machines sing of?

I made a new series of generative drawings. Generated by a computer algorithm, cut into linoleum and printed on paper.  The generative drawings are generated via the programming language Processing. 

Ray() – Limited Edition
Edition of 20
2014
Size: 30 x 21 cm
Material: paper, printing color
Signed and numbered by myself



ray()

toposonie :: spree – between tourism and lobbying

Soundwalk along the river Spree by Georg Klein
Sound fields in front of Federal Press Office by Adrian Ganea and myself

toposonie :: spree is a soundwalk,
you can experience independently,
with a smartphone app and headphones,
at any time,
as long as you like,
in summer and winter.

The soundwalk leads you along the river Spree,
between Bode Museum and Federal Press Office,
across Friedrichstrasse through the government district,
connected by six bridge sounds,
with sound fields and invisible voices,
an aural look behind the facade of a world between tourism and lobbying,
to appear as a second reality.

toposonie :: spree

Pixelhead limited edition (333 pieces) 
2012 
Size: Unisize (34 x 26 cm) 
Material: elastic fabric, digital fabric printing color

About

The full face mask Pixelhead acts as media camouflage, completely shielding the head to ensure that your face is not recognizable on photographs taken in public places without securing permission. A simple piece of fabric creates a little piece of anonymity for the Internet age. The material used is elastic fabric for beach fashion and sports gear with a fashionable Pixel-style print of German Secretary of the Interior Hans-Peter Friedrich. The mask has holes for your eyes and mouth, so you can see and breathe comfortably while wearing the mask, secure in the knowledge that your image won’t be showing up anywhere you don’t want it to.

Please find all the information you need to order Pixelhead on my website!

Pixelhead Limited Edition

As part of the Berlin Porn Film Festival closing night I performed live at Berghain with Shu Lea Cheang and a bunch of other sound artists.
During this very special night Shu Lea Cheang’s experimental film UKI, a sequel to her much acclaimed cyberpunk cult movie I.K.U. from 2001, was shown at Berghain Kantine. The performance video in its edited version was further processed during the live performance. While Shu Lea Cheang was processing the video, sound artists from Berlin and I created the sound live on stage as a non-stop hyper-jam session collective performance during the whole screening (running time 70 minutes).

UKI viral live performance  

I cooperated with australian artist Petrina Hicks on this video installation called “Hippy and the Snake”.



Hippy and the Snake

I worked together with Max Richter, rAndom International & Wayne McGregor on this performative light and sound installation called Future Self.

"Future Self"  is a performance & installation which studies human movement, mirroring interaction in dance, light and sound, while exploring the self, present and future.

Future Self

Selfmade instruments, toys, microphones and other stuff. Some useful or even better to say useless tools for every now and then ;) … built by myself.

DIY - Selfmade Instruments / Synthesizers

I have written and produced this LP in 2005. Finally my friend Keko and I made this project available. The LP entiteld Out of the box is full of 7 tracks.

Buy the album if you like this kind of music, or even if you don’t. Have a listen or download it here:
www.dazz-keko.bandcamp.com

About:

Dazz & Keko presents an optimistic view into what Hip Hop look like in the future and of course, its not Hip Hop in the conventional sense though, more the boundaries on Hip Hop crossing over into Electronica, Jazz, Funk, Psychedelic Rock, New Wave and a touch of “you will never know, what happens next”. It knocks, it’s creative and it’s tailor-made for people already out for a different sort of fix.

Credits:

production, composition: Dazz 
vocals, lyrics: Kiko King 
guitar: Ron Spielman 
bass: Jonas Gruber & Jörg Holdinghausen 
additional keys: Heiko Kulenkampff 
percussion: seven 
mixing & mastering: Henning Hattendorf & Martin Backes 
cover artwork: Judith Keller

Dazz & Keko LP

I was responsible for the whole sound and music on this project which is a three-channel video installation.

Six Easy Pieces, Germany, 2010, 3 channels of HD video transferred from 16 mm and photo stills

Six Easy Pieces is the last part of the Secrets Trilogy; a three-part cycle exploring the imperceptible conditions that frame life and is preceded by Secret Life, 2008 (won the 2008 EMAF Festival Award at the European Media Art Festival Osnabrueck, Germany) and Secret Machine, 2009 (3rd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art 2009, Russia)

The work is based on the book
“Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of physics explained by its most brilliant teacher”.
by Richard P. Feynman 

More infos here:
http://www.reynold-reynolds.com/pages/reynolds-artworks.htm

http://www.martinbackes.com/sound-direction-video-installation/#more-1285

Six Easy Pieces by Reynold Reynolds

“The Number Stations” compilation project has been released through the established PublicSpaces Lab netlabel. I composed a track for this compilation called “Obfuzzcation”. Its my very own interpretation of the so called numbers station phenomenon. You can download the entire album in MP3 and Flac format. The Numbers Stations is freely available under Creative Commons license.

Download:
http://lab.pubspaces.com/2010/01/ps015-va-number-stations/

Have a listen here:
http://soundcloud.com/martinbackes/martin-backes-obfuzzcation-1


Obfuzzcation

On the 18th of November 2009 I was invited to the 10th anniversary of the Hasso-Plattner-Institute Potsdam to create a unique A/V MashUp Performance together with Moo from Ultramoodem.

DJ/VJ MashUp Performance

Reinterpretation of Alvin Luciers “Music On A Long Thin Wire”

by Martin Backes, Heidrun Schramm, Christoph Illing


Quote from Disquiet:

The installation "Vertical Wire Music" is a new reinterpretation of Alvin Lucier's "Music on a Long Thin Wire" (1977). Last month marked the first anniversary of its October 18, 2008, debut at the Berlin University of the Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin). This version involves a 30-meter steel string suspended in a tall vertical staircase.
The work is a collaboration between artists Martin Backes, Christoph Illing, and Heidrun Schramm, all graduates of the school's program in sound studies.

Lucier's original score is in the form of instructional music -- it isn't a traditional score (i.e., notes on a page) but a rough sketch combined with detailed written instructions. Despite its simple title, the enactment of Lucier's work is anything but. The piece also calls for magnets and an audio oscillator, and for the performer to adjust volume levels over the course of a given performance.

This version by Backes, Illing, and Schramm is not a performance, per se -- it does not strictly abide to Lucier's original. They have ingeniously adapted his work to exist as a constant presence -- their reinterpretation, thus, shifts "Music on a Long Thin Wire" to a sculptural mode from a concert mode.

Source:
http://disquiet.com/2009/11/15/schramm-illing-backes/

Address:
University of Arts Berlin, Lietzenburger Straße 45, spiral staircase, 10789 Berlin

Please note: It`s a permanent installation! Which means you can visit this exhibition at anytime.

Vertical Wire Music

About the artwork:

Dimensions: variable
Material: metal, coins, puppets, lemons, candle, fire, circuit board, LED, cable clips, desk, loudspeakers, stand, body interaction

“Earth will kill you…” is a homage to one of Joseph Beuys multiples called “Capri Battery” from 1985. “Capri Battery” is a yellow lightbulb in a portable socket that is plugged into a lemon. In my reinterpretation you will find two systems which are connected but separated from each other. One system stands for the fact that man takes the earth’s raw materials and transforms them into the requirements of his life. He must seize nature and use it to his advantage or he will die. The other system produces electricity by different sorts of metal and the acid of lemons through a ecological process and is considered as a more modern metaphor for the ecological balance of modern civilization. The whole setting suggests that a marriage of art, science, and nature can nourish and heal an ailing culture (or individual) with an almost magical energy.

Video:
http://vimeo.com/14432223

Earth will kill you…

Pixelhead:

limited multiple (coming soon), Dimensions: 60 x 30 cm , Material: satin stretch, fabric printing color, photo

About:

The full face mask Pixelhead acts as media camouflage, completely shielding the head to ensure that your face is not recognizable on photographs taken in public places without securing permission. A simple piece of fabric creates a little piece of anonymity for the Internet age. The material used is stretch satin with a fashionable Pixel-style print of German Secretary of the Interior Thomas de Maizière. The mask has two holes for your eyes, so you can see and breathe comfortably while wearing the mask, secure in the knowledge that your image won’t be showing up anywhere you don’t want it to.