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Rubber Band Banjo - Synthetic Biology II: The Evolution Machine (FB015)

by Fringe Biology Recordings

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1.
Genetic Pollution 05:09
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2.
The Evolution Machine 05:48
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3.
DNA Transmission To Outer Space 04:54
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4.
How Would You Design Nature? 04:42
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5.
Gene Weaving 05:08
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6.
Shock Them To Life Again 04:28
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7.
The Ethics of Synthetic Biology 04:15
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8.
Lab Automation Robots 04:50
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9.
Transhumanism 05:20
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about

The first release from Steambot Recordings on 12/12/12 (also released here on Fringe Biology) is a collaboration between the sci-fi soundtrack composer Rubber Band Banjo and art/science high school students from Tory Peterson's class at Perpich Center for Arts Education in Minnesota. Synthetic Biology II: The Evolution Machine is the second album in a synthetic biology trilogy that aims to educate and entertain the public about the emerging field of synthetic biology through soundtrack music and spoken word recordings, using the STEAM (Science-Technology-Education-Arts-Mathematics) movement as inspiration. The musical approach used to create this album was abstractly analogous to the assembly of genetic circuits, where musical elements were assembled like biological parts, as described in the album artwork. Inspired by the concept of the evolution machine, a real-life machine that evolves organisms in the lab, all the tracks on this album were subjected to various random and non-random audio mutations as the music progresses. The result of this approach is a recombination of different musical styles that include sci-fi jazz, progressive rock, dub, spastic pop, and experimental electronic music, all filtered through scientific concepts.

The front cover artwork created by Elsie-Marie Ibes depicts the evolution machine as a powerful machine for evolving futuristic green technology. At the same time, the title track illustrates the ability for this technology to go horribly wrong. In this sci-fi dialogue between a mad scientist and his lab assistant, the mad scientist wants to evolve humans in the evolution machine to become resistant to a virus, while the geeky assistant warns the professor that, “The evolution machine only allows for mutation accumulation and not natural selection, the very basis of evolution!” Of course he doesn’t listen to the student who has implemented a "simulated natural selection function" on the machine and things go awry. The other tracks feature spoken word recordings from synthetic biology scientists and artists Adam Zaretsky, John Cumbers, Daisy Ginsberg, Evan Clark, Oron Catts, Andrew Hessel, and Mac Cowell. Craig Hoffman provides some killer sci-fi sax recordings on Genetic Pollution, How Would You Design Nature?, and The Ethics of Synthetic Biology. The topics discussed include synthetic biology, evolution, genetic pollution, space colonization, transmission of DNA into outer space, designing nature, gene weaving, bioart, ethics, lab automation robots, and transhumanism.

Synthetic Biology II: The Evolution Machine was originally released on the STEAM-inspired record label Steambot Recordings on 12/12/12 and now here on Fringe Biology. For more info, visit fringebiologyrecordings.com and steambot.org.

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released December 12, 2012

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Fringe Biology Recordings Seattle, Washington

Fringe Biology Recordings is a Seattle-based record label of outsider recording artists specializing in experimental rock, avant electronic music, sci-fi soundtracks, krautrock, and science-inspired music. Our primary instrument is the recording studio, we practice DIY aesthestics, and we may or may not know how to play our instruments the “correct” way. ... more

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