Philippe Pasquier is a professor at Simon Fraser University and director of the Metacreation Lab for Creative AI. In this episode, he shares insights from two decades at the intersection of artificial intelligence, creative tools, and generative music.

We talk about what creativity means in the context of computer science and how AI systems like MIDI-GPT are designed to collaborate with musicians rather than replace them. Philippe explains how MIDI-GPT works, why prompting with music instead of text might be more useful for composers, and how the system allows for granular musical control.

The conversation also explores the limitations of current AI tools, ethical questions around training on data from deceased artists, and how digital infrastructure might be governed in the future. Philippe speaks openly about the challenges independent labs face compared to tech giants and argues for more public and artist-centered AI development.

In this episode, Ezra Sandzer-Bell shares his journey from classical and math rock musician to software developer, educator, and founder of AudioCipher — a tool that turns words into melodies and chord progressions. Ezra discusses how cryptographic techniques and secret codes have historically appeared in music, from Bach to 90s post-rock, and how these ideas inspired his books.

We explore the philosophical and technical ideas behind AudioCipher, how it reclaims agency in an AI-dominated landscape, and how it fits into the broader question of creativity, automation, and authorship in music today.

Ezra also talks about his role as a writer and marketer in the AI music space, the dangers of generative audio flooding public spaces, and why honesty and critical product reviews are essential right now.

Violetta Zironi talks about inscribing her song No Ordinary Kind directly onto the Bitcoin blockchain, why she did it, what it means to truly own music digitally, and how this intersects with her songwriting. She explains the technical process behind compressing a song to fit a Bitcoin block, and why she sees NFTs as a way to reclaim control over distribution, audience connection, and creative direction.

Violetta Zironi is an Italian singer-songwriter and actress, living in Nashville, who first gained recognition in 2013 as a finalist on X Factor Italy. After several years as a major label artist, touring internationally and releasing studio projects, she transitioned into the Web3 space, where she's become a leading voice in music NFTs. Since 2022, she’s sold over 10,000 NFTs and generated millions in revenue directly from her fans. She also made history by inscribing a one-of-a-kind song onto the Bitcoin blockchain as an Ordinal. 

In this episode we listen to and talk about music by Sebastian Pfeifer who is a pianist, producer and composer blending jazz, dubstep and experimental electronic music. He tells the story of how getting kicked out of classical piano lessons as a child led him to dubstep production, and eventually into jazz. 

We talk about how he uses AI tools like Neutone to transform his own voice into something strange and expressive, how he tricks Ableton's audio-to-MIDI engine to generate dense string arrangements from distorted piano recordings, and why glitchy, broken-sounding algorithms are more interesting to him than polished prompt-to-music tools like Suno.

He also shares the process behind the track Endling from his trio Endern — a one-take improvisation transcribed and re-orchestrated for saxophone and synth, ending in a chaotic crescendo of distorted drums, screaming sax and fake soprano sax generated by AI.

This episode digs into hybrid workflows, AI as a performance instrument, and the blurred lines between improvisation, composition and machine learning.

Christopher Wieduwild started as a musician in a garage band, toured the US, and worked with world-class producers. Later, he scaled a startup to $150K a month, collaborating with brands like Lufthansa, Goodyear, and L'Oréal. Now, he helps musicians navigate AI through his company, The Music AI Musicpreneur, offering tools, education, and a community for artists.

In this episode, Christopher talks about how AI is transforming music, from creative tools to promotion strategies. He shares insights on text-to-MIDI plugins, automated organization tools, and the impact of AI on networking and community building. He discusses how musicians can effectively use AI to grow their audience, engage fans, and streamline their workflow without losing focus on creativity.

The episode also explores the rise of microcultures in music, the challenges of independent artistry in the digital age, and the balance between algorithm-driven content and authenticity.

In this special episode, pianist Mariam Kharatyan and electronic artist Alessandra Bossa discuss their collaboration on the Re-Creation Project, where Armenian folk music meets improvisation and live electronics, in Dolby Atmos. You also get to listen to some beautiful tunes from their upcoming album.

Mariam shares how her classical training initially made her hesitant to improvise on folk melodies, but through research and performance, she found a way to merge tradition with spontaneity. Alessandra explains how she uses live electronics to transform subtle sounds—like breaths and instrument noises—into an "untraceable" sonic landscape that enhances rather than disrupts the music’s essence.

They explore the microtonal nature of Armenian folk music, how language shapes melody, and why cross-disciplinary collaboration is good for creativity. The conversation also touches on their upcoming double album, featuring both acoustic and electronic interpretations of Armenian folk songs, recorded live and mixed in Dolby Atmos for an immersive experience.

The episode ends with reflections on folk music as a mirror of identity, its timeless emotional depth, and how technology helps bring its accumulated wisdom into the future.

In this episode, we talk with Maya Ackerman, an AI researcher and entrepreneur at the forefront of AI-assisted creativity. She shares how her journey from machine learning research to opera singing led to the creation of Wave AI, a company focused on co-creative AI tools for songwriting.

Maya Ackerman explores how AI can be a true creative collaborator, rather than just a content generator. She introduces the concept of “humble creative machines”, AI that enhances human creativity while keeping artists in control. We discuss AI’s theory of mind, biases in generative models, and the future of AI-assisted songwriting.

Dr. Maya Ackerman is a world-renowned expert in artificial intelligence and creativity, focusing on co-creativity and its transformative potential across industries. Ackerman is a researcher, entrepreneur, and professor of AI at Santa Clara University. She is the CEO of WaveAI, the company behind LyricStudio, a widely used AI songwriting tool. Her work has been featured in Forbes, NBC, and NPR.

Nils Petter Molvær snakker om hvordan han kombinerer jazz med elektroniske og ambiente elementer, og hvordan improvisasjon og teknologi har formet hans unike sound. Han reflekterer over musikkens evne til å kommunisere på tvers av språk og hvordan han skaper et uttrykk som speiler hans personlige identitet som musiker.

Nils Petter Molvær er en norsk jazztrompetist, komponist og produsent. Han betraktes som en pionér i å kombinere jazz og elektronisk musikk. Han har mottatt en rekke priser, blant annet fire Spellemannpriser som soloartist og tre som medlem av bandet Masqualero.

In this episode, we meet Shayan Dadman, a computer scientist and PhD candidate at the University of Tromsø. Shayan's work focuses on developing AI systems that align with individual musical tastes, aiming to foster collaboration between humans and technology. He shares his journey from studying software engineering to creating systems for jazz composition and beyond. We delve into the challenges of building small, personalized models, the role of reinforcement learning in music generation, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI-created content.

Shayan Dadman is a computer scientist from Iran who’s now a phd candidate at the University in Tromsø. His goal is to develop an AI system that resonates with individual musical tastes, forming a collaborative and interactive connection with users.

I denne episoden møter vi sanger, låtskriver og doktorgradsstipendiat Ingvild Koksvik. Hun deler innsikt fra sitt kunstnerisk-vitenskapelige prosjekt om plateproduksjon fra et musikerperspektiv. Vi diskuterer konsepter som romlighet i musikk, kompositorisk intensjon, og hvordan teknologi som Dolby Atmos åpner opp for nye kreative muligheter. Episoden gir et innblikk i hvordan ideer utvikles til ferdige produksjoner, og hvordan nye lydformater utfordrer og utvider kunstneriske prosesser.

Ingvild Koksvik er sanger og låtskriver som har gitt ut flere album, skrevet bestillingsverk og spilt konserter i inn- og utland. Nå er hun også doktorgradsstipendiat på UiA.