Live coding a church organ

In this collaboration with youtuber, inventor and musician LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, we used live coding (TidalCycles, Flok) to control a church organ with MIDI input.

This video was a proof of concept to test the limits of the organ, in particular with massive polyphony and fast repeated notes that couldn’t be played by a human being. Also, it showed how an organ can be live-coded by multiple people over a network, potentially across the globe.

The video has become viral. As of Jan 31 2024, 7 days after its release, it has got 256K views and 10K likes on Instagram, and 18K views on YouTube and TikTok.

Recorded at This Museum Is Not Obsolete, Ramsgate, UK.

Especial thanks:

• Johnny Goddard: video editor