
“Okay,” you say to the Web geeks, “I’ve had enough. I don’t want another little app that looks at my iTunes collection and tells me that if I like Lady Gaga, I probably also like Madonna. I want to listen in new ways and, most importantly, make music. What have you got, Web 2.0… 3.0… whatever we’re on now, that I can actually use. I want some of the deliciousness of the future, now.”
“Oh, and another thing – can I patch this Android phone of mine in absurd ways?”
Wish granted.
The latest Music Hackday in Stockholm was filled with the usual simple, first-draft hacks – as it should be; the whole idea is to do something quickly and start something real. But among them were some really strong ideas about how connecting music makers to the Web could do intelligent, new things.
Here are some of the best. Themes emerging:
There is a “there” there. Use proximity, and make location start to help people share musical tastes (and, by the same token, music making).
Put music creation in the browser – without Flash. New JavaScript-based tools can do live synthesis. There’s even a Nanoloop-style sequencer, built entirely with JavaScript and HTML. While these won’t be replacing dedicated music software any time soon, they can have the inverse effect, which is bringing musical creativity to more online apps. (Trust me, it’s more fun than most of what’s on Facebook.)
Make musicians’ online lives easier. Thanks to open APIs, all your gig info, tour info, and music uploads can finally come together.
Get physical. Hacks involving everything from big robotic visualizers to physical radio controls connect open hardware platforms like Arduino and Android.
(And yes, there were a lot of new Android apps, early proof that open mobile development could make a splash.)
Here’s a look at some of the coolest individual projects:

Data is turned into sculpture, with the help of microcontrollers and the open Android phone.
AlbexOne
Data as connected, kinetic sculpture
It’s one thing to talk to a Web API and put the results on the screen. It’s quite another to turn that feedback into a massive, mechanical sculpture.
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