Tobias Fischer

Do animals create and enjoy music on a similar level to humans? Or are their magnificent displays of sound merely functional? Tobias Fischer, co-editor of the book Animal Music, lays out the arguments for and against, drawing upon a trove of research and creative works by artists and scientists alike.

Do animals create and enjoy music on a similar level to humans? Or are their magnificent displays of sound merely functional? Tobias Fischer, co-editor of the book Animal Music, lays out the arguments for and against, drawing upon a trove of research and creative works by artists and scientists alike.

Do animals create and enjoy music on a similar level to humans? Or are their magnificent displays of sound merely functional? Tobias Fischer, co-editor of the book Animal Music, lays out the arguments for and against, drawing upon a trove of research and creative works by artists and scientists alike.

Fast-advancing AI technologies are throwing our notions of authorship and creativity again into flux. In creating their seventh album, Blossoms, the electronic music duo Emptyset created a machine-learning system to interpret their back catalog and recordings of improvisations. The musicians sought to identify results beyond mimicry and which constituted unique sonic expressions in and of themselves. What emerged was a bizarre, alien logic. Tobias Fischer interviewed the duo about the process.

In 2016, Detroit techno legend Jeff Mills performed his reworked soundtrack to Walter Ruttmann’s classic 1927 film "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" live in Berlin, reacting in real time to the images, mixing the score in DJ fashion, and adding live beats. On the occasion of that performance, Tobias Fischer spoke with Mills about a wide range of topics: his early days DJing in the 1970s and the shift from drums to turntables; his radio breakthrough as The Wizard; embracing imperfection and capturing the moment in the studio; creating freely beyond audience expectations; and why, for him, the idea of a work, rather than its tools or results, takes precedence.

Tobias Fischer writes about Pauline Oliveros' ground-breaking life in music.