LCD Soundsystem's frontman James Murphy announced an ambitious project last month to turn all the tennis data gathered from the U.S. Open into algorithm-generated music. In total, that would be about 400 hours of music total.
You can listen to this music via the U.S. Open's website, but luckily Murphy has put together two tracks that are a little more audibly palatable than just a massive collection of raw, algorithmic sounds. These two remixes are from Murphy's favorite matches followed by specific track commentary. [Rolling Stone via Pitchfork]
When a young player beats a top-seeded player, like in this match from August 25th, it's bound to make some noise. And in this case, that noise is glorious: a series of simple, almost sweet opening notes that slowly transform into unexpectedly intense, mature sounds. Beats bubble up from out of nowhere, swiftly take over and set the track in an uncompromising new direction. Hear how James portrays the swagger of the younger player and the relentless drama of the match in the deep, pulsing beats.
When this match began, it could have been either player's game. And like the match that inspired it, this track opens with beats that are balanced–intense but equal, just like the players–with no instrument clearly taking the lead. The music pulses steadily until the last half of the track, when the instruments start to break form as one player falls behind, and the other takes the lead. The track ends with a soft, high-pitched whistle that ushers the defeated player off the court.