Music Software
Current Synth Project (WMCP)
Play with the ALPHA version (Chrome browser only, Linux, Windows, MacOS)
https://bludgeonsoft.org/wmcp/wmcp.html
YouTube videos of development releases:
https://www.youtube.com/@Bludgeonsoft
Similar videos on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/underling
Meanderner
Found and other sound ambient genrative manipulation. Some of these make nice endless background music, others are more challenging. It’s also fun to just watch.
https://bludgeonsoft.org/meanderner
Other Software
Flippory, an image manipulation tool
https://bludgeonsoft.itch.io/flippory
And a nice writeup about it by Nathalie Lawhead, creator of the wonderful Electric Zine Maker
http://www.nathalielawhead.com/candybox/generative-art-tools-on-the-intersection-of-toys-tools-and-games
Music
Wizardmaster
This is my current project, which has been going since 1999. Sometimes joined by my ORI bandmate Oliver Kollar (ORI, 40 Stories, Hammerdown Turpentine).
Newer
https://soundcloud.com/wizardmaster
https://wizardmaster.bandcamp.com – Includes the moderately more pop Vilmonic soundtrack.
Older
https://wizardmaster.com – Check out the “Audio” section
https://archive.org/details/feeblemind – Includes music projects Ombiont and Goodbye Doggy.
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/@Wizardmaster
Operation Re-Information (ORI)
ORI was an anti-corporate concept band and art project. ORI was picked up by the esteemed experimental label Vinyl Communications (labelmates included Rob Crow and Kid606). We released three major albums, two eps, and countless cassettes and floppy disks (with a custom music player and two tracks). In 1997 we were contacted by an Apple PR “Evangelist” and told that Duran Duran had used my Macintosh software live on the Tonight Show, and because of that we were invited to play at the Apple campus, which we turned into a west coast tour.
Writeup in Wired
https://www.wired.com/1998/02/audio-geek-chic
Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk picks ORI’s Ctrl album in Pitchfork’s “Musicians Favorite Albums”
https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/musicians-favorite-albums-25th-anniversary
Lost Operation Re-Information tracks
https://archive.org/details/reinformation
Someone ripped the three main ORI releases
https://www.youtube.com/@primatebrain8718/videos
Vilmonic, an Artificial Life Game
Vilmonic is a hard-core-yet-super-cute artificial life and evolution sandbox game, available on Steam and Android and previously, iOS (I stopped paying the developer fee). Here’s a Steam key if you want to play: TRDJW-2L2RL-P33DH
Development process on Twitter (now inactive)
https://twitter.com/Bludgeonsoft
Some great reviews of Vilmonic:
Rock Paper Shotgun
“How one Vilmonic player cracked the genome of artificial life”
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/12/10/how-one-vilmonic-player-cracked-the-genome-of-artificial-life
Rock Paper Shotgun (Again)
“Some people play Vilmonic and become scientists, and their accomplishments are magnificent. They do actual research, and build on each other’s discoveries.”
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/03/24/have-you-played-vilmonic
Review by Mark Frauenfelder (Founder of Boing Boing)
“It’s like a cross between Creatures and Minecraft, but more intellectually and aesthetically sophisticated than either of those games.”
https://themagnet.substack.com/p/the-magnet-24-vilmonic-a-beautiful
Steam for Windows, macOS, Linux
http://store.steampowered.com/app/458330
Android Google Play Store
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bludgeonsoft.vilmonic
iOS App Store (no longer available)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vilmonic/id1490354980
Itch.io for Windows, macOS, Linux
https://bludgeonsoft.itch.io/vilmonic