*100 copies limited edition* The title of the LP refers to L’Makina (The machine), a song about the phonograph composed in the 1930s by one of the most renowned rwais musicians L’Haj Belaid (1873-1945). The lyrics of his song make clear references to the symbols of modernity: car, buildings, and tea (which was introduced to Morocco in the 19th century), as well as other forms of motorized travel.
His description of the phonograph as a faithful speech recording machine is not without irony; he realizes that it might well take his own job away from him. "L’Makina" provides an early example of intellectual engagement with humanmachine relationships in Morocco, which curiously resonates with current anxieties triggered by ubiquitous computation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
The composition features sounds created with a machine learning algorithm for timbral analysis (RAVE), using rwais instrument recordings as input data. The work prompts questions about artificial intelligence as a non-human entity in co-creative processes. It also underscores the limitations of a technology that has yet to fully comprehend essential aspects of human expression, such as the social function of music and ethical transmission of information.
