From code to music: Imran Ahmed explains the use of 'Algorave' in 'Anondodhara'
Musician Imran Ahmed has always had the knack of experimenting with music. With Anondodhara, the jazz guitarist took a deep dive into fusing coding with musical notes through a process called algorave
About two weeks ago, commemorating Rabindranath Tagore's death anniversary, Coke Studio Bangla released their latest track 'Anondodhara' featuring Bappa Majumder and Adity Mohsin. While the beautiful melody of the rendition was weaving its way into everyone's hearts, Imran Ahmed was conjuring something rather magical up his sleeve. The jazz guitarist's incorporation of 'Algorave' into the Coke Studio Bangla track left a lot of people pleasantly surprised.
"Arnob da (Shayan Chowdhury Arnob) was looking for something unique in terms of the sound of that song. Coincidentally, I was delving into coding at that time. When he asked for a touch of modernity, an almost sci-fi-like sound, the concept of Algorave naturally came to mind," shared Imran Ahmed.
The intro arpeggio in 'Anondhodhara' was created using live coding through Foxdot and Supercollider, a practice known as 'algorave.' FoxDot is an easy-to-use Python library that creates an interactive programming environment and talks to the powerful sound synthesis engine, called SuperCollider, to make music, explained Imran.
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Algorave is a form of live coding to generate music in front of an audience. Artists write source code and algorithms on the spot and they improvise them in front of the audience to create electronic music.
Imran elaborated, "Coding has been intertwined with music since technological advancements in the field came to the fore. Such sound synthesis techniques are commonly used in the gaming industry. Over time, programmers inclined towards music started embracing this for live performances."
Typically, algorave is applied to create EDM music on the spot, but executing that in a Tagore song was quite the challenge. "Anondodhara is a challenging song itself, as it is structurally very different and doesn't even have one of the most important notes, like the fifth note," said Imran.
"So we sat down, took the note, and translated that into the Python syntax. I had to develop a melody that expands for multiple octaves. That can go from low to high with its rhythmic sequence," added Imran.
Imran has always had a knack for merging the different worlds of music. Even in music school, he loved merging Jazz with classical Indian music. Although the execution was an enjoyable experience, the response after Anondodhara's release was mixed. While some embraced the unconventional approach, others remained skeptical.
"Musical preferences vary, so the concept didn't resonate with everyone. Nevertheless, some even became quite enthusiastic and started asking about our methods," revealed Imran.
"I could have just done this easily with a guitar but I believe by doing it with codes, the effect was definitely different and it also added a visual element to it," Imran further added.
Imran Ahmed is also a notable figure in the country's jazz scene. His band, Imran Ahmed Trio, holds a prominent position within the local jazz community, having also participated in various international music events.
"Aside from my musical career I also have an IT business, which gave me the opportunity to dig deeper into coding. Obviously, I wasn't good at it at first but with time I figured it out," said Imran.
However, only understanding the basics of coding won't suffice when it comes to practicing and applying algorave. "One needs to have an understanding of the basics of music theory. I have been fortunate enough to learn Rabindra sangeet from an early age because of my mother. And later being part of a music school in India helped with that," Imran explained.
In 'Anondodhara,' he also experimented with cymatics for the visual part of the track. Simply put, cymatics is a visual representation of sound.
As per Imran, Krishnendu Chattopadhyay, the video production director of Coke Studio Bangla, initially suggested the inclusion of cymatics as part of the set design. However, they were struggling to select a suitable vendor for this experiment. Consequently, the responsibility fell on Imran's shoulders. With support from sound engineer Shafayat Faisal Nahid, he successfully executed the concept.
"So to make cymatics happen you need material that vibrates to the sound. The vibration will be equally distributed to the sealed atmosphere. We had a Rubens tube that was the source of the sound; we got it specifically made for this episode," said Imran.
"We conducted this experiment with water. We took inspiration from Michael Faraday and his experiment with how sound waves react to water. He wanted to observe the vibration in water that was created through sound. In some places, there would be vibration and in some, it would be still. And when that happens in motion, it creates patterns or you can say it creates notes," the guitarist added.
"These patterns at most times have the most intricate details that make them look like ancient scriptures," concluded Imran.
