We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Rubber Band Banjo - Synthetic Biology II: The Evolution Machine

by Steambot Recordings

/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $5 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Featuring music by Rubber Band Banjo and artwork by students at Perpich Arts High School.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Rubber Band Banjo - Synthetic Biology II: The Evolution Machine via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 1 day
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

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

about

The first release from Steambot Recordings on 12/12/12 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 is out on the STEAM-inspired record label Steambot Recordings on 12/12/12. For more info, visit steambot.org.

credits

released December 12, 2012

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Steambot Recordings Seattle, Washington

contact / help

Contact Steambot Recordings

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Steambot Recordings, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Fabiana Palladino stops by to talk about her mesmeric debut LP.
listen now