DJ Constructs Humanthesizer, Cyborg Musical Performance

As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, so does its relationship with humans and the way we interact with it. Scottish electronic artist Calvin Harris created a “humanthesizer” using 15 models and conductive paint to perform “Ready for the Weekend,” a single off his upcoming album with the same name.

The project is a collaboration between Calvin, Sony Music Entertainment, and Bare conductive body ink. “Ink-human circuitry” was painted onto the models while two Arduinos were used to provide an analog-to-digital connection with a computer. From there, patching environment Max/MSP translates data to MIDI where the models can then perform by closing circuits with their hands or feet.