iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Wow, incredibly surreal, amazing experience for my orchestral piece "Exoplanets" to be augmented with lighting during performance by Sinfonieorchester Basel, not to mention expert narrations delivered by the festival resident scientist @henrylegg.bsky.social. Looking forward to sharing video soon!!

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

In Switzerland for European perfs. of "Exoplanets" with basel symphony Orchestra and Interfinity festival. Director warned me the rehearsal hall is cold "like an exoplanet". didn't realise it was an immersive experience - forgot my bag of crushed quartz and big fan! @stellarplanet.bsky.social

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Happy 6th birthday to Ada our silly and wonderful four legged friend

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

The second movement is a cadenza for the "Stacco" instrument, invented by @nicolaprivato.bsky.social and Giacomo Lepri at the @ii-lab.bsky.social in Iceland where I spent a week with Nicola and Victor Shepardson creating new latent space audio models based on the orchestra's archive. (6/7)

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

The electronics and new instruments are spun out of this rich archive - it’s an audible rejection of the notion that new technology simply can’t function without scraping every piece of music online, whether the creator wants you to or not. Instead we respond to that specific group (4/7)

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

The orchestra granted me access to their archive of recordings which Zubin explores, melts down and reconstructs in many ways. (3/7)

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

This piece was a long time in the making, and features Zubin performing on piano, synthesizers and newly-developed adaptive instruments. "TECHNO-UTOPIA explores human music-making in the age of algorithms and how making and listening to music constructs what it is to be human." (2/7)

"TECHNO-UTOPIA explores human music-making in the age of algorithms and how making and listening to music constructs what it means to be human. It stands against modern techno-utopianism, which reduces culture and music to merely data, and at the same time offers alternative - positive - futures for how new technology might unlock new forms of artistic expression (at least, for me). It is also a highly personal piece, particularly the third movement which is comprised of a patchwork of hundreds of musical quotes, samples and memories from my own life – a dataset a computer could never understand, no matter how powerful it is.

In the first movement, "In My Image," the soloist wields sonic "commands" that progressively transform the orchestra's music into uniform algorithmic patterns. Here, I was thinking about the tendency of algorithms to erase anything they don't understand, homogenising human experience into something "learnable".

The second movement features "stacco," a newly-developed adaptive instrument which responds to the orchestra on stage. The stacco captures the last moments of the first movement, and the soloist uses it to fragment, destroy and reconstitute orchestral sounds. This section is both human and non-human; this highly non-human instrument is controlled, physically and expressively, by the soloist manipulating it with their hands.

"Everything I Have Ever Heard Is Just Data," the final movement, challenges the notion that AI can truly understand music. The music is collaged from approximately 200 personal memories - pieces of music, field recordings, fragments of conversation. I wanted to write something celebrating the fact that our connection with sound and music extends far beyond data. The orchestra performs alongside samples from its own past recordings, blending my own memories with those of the musicians, ensemble and audience."

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

This Saturday my 35-min concerto "TECHNO-UTOPIA" for Zubin Kanga and the BBC Philharmonic will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 New Music Show! Catch it live or for 28 days after. (1/7)

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

just sent out my January newsletter! news, performances, talks etc coming up if you're interested in following what I'm up to, you can sign up with this link robertlaidlow.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

AMAZING first performance of "Exoplanets" by @lporchestra.bsky.social this weekend. Huge thanks to all the players, conductor Ed Gardner, my scientific collaborators and interlocutors and the many friends and family who came to see it. Next performance in Basel (with added lasers/light show!)

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Having a wonderful time with Stephen Rinker at BBC Philharmonic HQ mixing my TECHNO-UTOPIA which we recorded in July. Some rarely-seen) instrument tracks in this piece including "stacco", "ROLI" and "big bit of wood". Steve is a genius - it sounds brilliant

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

In the studio in Glasgow recording my Post-Singularity Songs with @slampreasoprano.bsky.social and Alistair MacDonald 😁 coming to an album near you in 2026

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Nice to be asked to contribute to British Council's timely new publication "Why Technology Needs Artists". In the company of some amazing people ☺️ www.britishcouncil.org/research-ins...

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Loved working with Zubin Kanga, Jack Sheen and the BBC Philharmonic last week on TECHNO-UTOPIA - concerto for piano, synths and embedded AI instruments. Look forward to sharing the recording soon. The orchestra were such a nice bunch 😍

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

I asked for a large sheet of metal for this piece but this really takes the biscuit

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Had such a fun time running through the solo part for TECHNO-UTOPIA with Zubin Kanga today. Can you tell I listened to prog rock as a teenager

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Having a great time in Basel talking about my work with Exoplanets and Music at the Space stage of Fantasy Basel comiccon!

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Extremely fun and inspiring to be shown round the diamond light source synchrotron (particle accelerator) this morning 💎🔬

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

wow - somehow seem to be giving two talks on Exoplanets and Music in May with phenomenal astrophysicists and musicians! Lucky me!! Catch me at Oxford May Music or at the Swiss Comic-Con Fantasy Basel (which last year had attendance of 90,000?!) more info www.robertlaidlow.co.uk/events

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Excited to announce “TECHNO-UTOPIA”, my new concerto for Zubin Kanga commissioned by the BBC Philharmonic and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. TECHNO-UTOPIA explores memory, magic, ruthless algorithms, and what makes music more than just data.

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Amazing photos from recent Berlin prem. of my text score "Four Elements" created as part of "Sound Vessels" where we control neural synthesis models by pouring liquids. My co-conspirator @federicovisi.bsky.social performing on vessels, Cosima Gerhardt cello and Alberto de Campo electronics

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

More #exoposting* - last night Nat and I ascended Mt Teide for some stargazing - managed to see all of Jupiter's moons, Orion stellar nursery and andromeda (!!) through the telescope. Pictured - milky way * (Exoplanets posting) ** OK no exoplanets through our telescope, need the James Webb for that

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Loved exploring this alien landscape on a hike today. Felt like something from our Exoplanets Maths and Music at Chelt science festival with @stellarplanet.bsky.social @marcusdusautoy.bsky.social last year. Much more exciting exoplanets-inspired music for symphony orchestra coming in 2025 and 2026!

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Robert Laidlow @robertlaidlow.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

your website analytics when you are on University Challenge

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