A-Tonal is a comment on the recording industry. 

The work takes the form of a series of indeterminately composed pieces generated via computer algorithm. At the heat of the compositions is a piece of software that fulfils several roles: 

- Firstly it searches the Internet for sound files (.wav or. aiff) and downloads them into a series of buffers. 

- Once more than 8 sound files are contained within the buffers the software begins to combine and arrange the sounds together using random processes. 

- The software looks up the stock market values for the 4 major recording companies on the planet (Sony - Universal - WEA - EMI) and uses the figures to generate further parameters for the works. 

- The product is then distributed for free back onto the Internet. 

It is my intention that as more money is generated by the recording industry, more free music is composed from online sources and distributed back into the world. 

NB - This work is now almost a decade old and predates the download revolution, which has dramatically altered the industry I was critiquing at the time. I wanted pop to eat itself…and I think it finally has. I believe there are now new concerns with today's digital dissemination of music via 'free' sources and no longer feel my sentiments of the time to be as productive as I did back then. These new ideas form my conception of current and future works.