Grimes creating an AI Lullaby for her humanoid baby X is so very Grimes, it hurts...
Partnering with music app Endel - the first ever algorithm to sign to a major record label - the Canadian singer/producer created the track using stems of music combined with Endel’s psychoacoustic requirements that are ‘scientifically engineered to improve both sleep and wellness.’
On the surface, that all sounds rather cold and sterile. Yet ‘AI Lullaby’ would’ve been right at home as an interlude on Miss_Anthropocene; her ethereal coo floating through the dark, unearthly atmosphere as soundbites of childlike laughter and bubbling water echo in the distance. Needless to say, it’s got the that celestial vibe the child of an avant-garde superstar and a hyper-capitalist megalomaniac would enjoy while napping in his little space pod... (◡‿◡✿)
Wanting to create ‘a better baby sleeping situation’ for X Æ A-XII, Grimes explains (via Stereogum):
‘When you have a baby, you’re always using white noise machines’ [...] It’s much easier to get them to sleep if you train them on some kind of audio situation. And so I was just like, could this be more artistic?
‘In general, stuff for babies is really just creatively bad [...] I don’t want your first introduction to the world to just be all this aimless crap.’
Grimes also revealed that she’s been spending quality time with lil’ X by watching Apocalypse Now. He’s also showing an interest in ‘radical art’ at just five months old: ‘Like, he just actually is, and I don’t think it’s problematic to engage with them on that level...’
‘AI Lullaby’ will be available via the Endel app until December 23, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to AI For Anyone and the Naked Heart Foundation. Read the review for Grimes’ Miss_Anthropocene here.
