The Chaos Engine

Work • 2010 • Hardware song with live radio

The Chaos Engine is a work with a unique form – a hardware-based open outcome pop song which integrates live broadcast radio. It is the third piece mixing fixed materials and live radio to be submitted by Adam Jansch for his PhD exploring the open outcome record.

Presented in a plastic enclosure about the size of a medium-sized paperback novel, The Chaos Engine merges a fixed pop song element with a serial-linked FM radio receiver, united by a sequencer which has control over source volume levels and radio tuning parameters. Controls for play/stop and output volume are provided for the listener.

Whilst it presents a glimpse of the possibilities of musical media, The Chaos Engine should be viewed as a proof of concept, showing that live radio hardware could be integrated with recorded sound sources in an aesthetically acceptable and technologically viable way.

The tune from this version of The Chaos Engine was reworked by Jansch in 2014 to be released as a fixed media single of the same name under his studio project Dorian Zoyd.

  • Radio
  • Arduino
  • open outcome record
  • hardware

Updates [ 5 ]

  • AJ | Works | The Chaos Engine | Fixity comes to The Chaos Engine

    Fixity comes to The Chaos Engine

    19 Feb 2014 • The Chaos Engine

    Fixity has come the hardware pop work The Chaos Engine as creator Adam Jansch prepares to release the track as a fixed-format single.

    Packaged together with remixes by Spandex and machinesleet, the single is Jansch's first release under the name Dorian Zoyd. It will be released on February 26th on Bandcamp.

  • AJ | Works | The Chaos Engine | Adam Jansch PhD thesis available digitally

    Adam Jansch PhD thesis available digitally

    18 Feb 2013 • Research

    Adam Jansch's PhD thesis has been made available digitally through the University of Huddersfield ePrints service.

    As a practice-based project the main document is a commentary containing the thesis' theoretical underpinning, into which is weaved the significance of the works submitted. Jansch has more on his thesis at his PhD site.

  • AJ | Works | The Chaos Engine | Hardware pop song The Chaos Engine at SoundFjord

    Hardware pop song The Chaos Engine at SoundFjord

    25 Jul 2010 • The Chaos Engine

    SoundFjord, the new sound gallery based in north-east London, will be playing host to Adam Jansch's The Chaos Engine for their grand opening event on Saturday July 31st. The Chaos Engine, a hardware pop song with live radio integration, will be presented alongside numerous other works and live performances. The event starts at 4pm.

  • AJ | Works | The Chaos Engine | Second outing for Jansch radio paper

    Second outing for Jansch radio paper

    14 Mar 2010 • Research

    Adam Jansch's research paper on his 'radio suite' – entitled "Integration of Live Broadcast Radio into Automated Live Electronic Works" – will receive its second presentational outing, this time at the Sight, Sound, Space and Play (SSSP) conference being held at De Montfort University in Leicester.

    The updated paper will cover the same pieces as before – Synth Radio, The Chaos Engine and Travelling – but with a greater emphasis on the latter two which will have been completed by the time of the presentation, which runs on Wednesday June 2nd 2010.

  • AJ | Works | The Chaos Engine | First Jansch paper accepted

    First Jansch paper accepted

    28 Feb 2010 • Research

    "Integration of Live Broadcast Radio into Automated Live Electronic Works" became the first research paper by Adam Jansch to be accepted for presentation. The presentation – which covers Jansch's 'radio suite' works Synth Radio, The Chaos Engine and Travelling – will take place as part of the Sonic Artists in Wales Electroacoustic Symposium at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, on Thursday 25th March.