How do man and machine merge in the composition of electronic music? For years, Holly Herndon pursues the question of the meaning of working with an instrument where all her data are stored. Her computer is the junction between personal communication and the creative process. But this centerpiece of her productions might be monitored. So dollars, data and control meet here as well. What das that mean regarding composing processes and the political significance of electronic music?

Holly Herndon is a pioneer in electronic music and sound art. Born in 1980 in Tennessee, she succeeded in gaining global importance in terms of political music. In her primarily computerized work, she uses different coding languages to create individual tuning processes and instruments. Her latest LP “Platform” was released by the renowned indie label 4AD and it processed among other things fragments of her inbox to sound collages. Holly recently obtained her doctorate in composition by Stanford University in California.

Moderation: Lisa Blanning is an American writer and editor on contemporary music, digital art and culture. She is a former editor at The Wire Magazine in London and Electronic Beats in Berlin—the city she currently operates out of. She has published cover stories for various print publications and led panel discussions for events such as Unsound, CTM, and Ableton's Loop.