Space Music: DJ Irk Talks Music, Math and Alien Communication

Robert Lamb also co-hosts the "Stuff to Blow Your Mind" podcast and blog.

DJ Irk contemplates alien communication, mathematics the art of Djing and the best use of "Arrested Development" samples.

The 1977 Voyager missions saw humans blast golden records into the wide black yonder. Among other things, those records contained musical samples and a smattering of mathematical concepts to demonstrate humanity's awesomeness. But what would an extraterrestrial make of music and mathematics? How much of a connection exists between the beats that stir our minds and the number patterns that underpin reality?

I decided to pick the brain of Britain's Rupert Way AKA DJ Irk on the matter. In addition to being the 2010 Solid Steel Mix of the Year winner, Irk also boasts a mathematics Ph.D. in differential geometry and dynamical systems.

So let's get to know DJ Irk, first hitting the math and then getting into his personal approach to mixing. You can find all of his mixes for stream or download at the official DJ Irk web page along with information on his next gigs.

ROBERT LAMB: Some cosmologists think music might serve as a means of communicating with intelligent extraterrestrial life, while others vote for mathematics. As someone with  expertise in both fields, which would you choose?

DJ IRK: I think our messages have a better chance of being recognized as a sign of intelligent life if they contain mathematical concepts rather than musical concepts. I see the structures and operations which underpin mathematics as reflections of the way we, as "intelligent life", interpret and interact with nature. For example, consider the process of a human seeing two apples, then another two, then comprehending them to be four apples. This is hugely complex and is dependent on both the physical world around us and the specific way our brains have evolved -- in particular our language and abstraction abilities. It's this combination of external and internal factors which has allowed us, through a long, iterative process, to build up the whole mathematical edifice, from set theory and logic through to spaces, algebra and beyond. So, provided the universe out there is anything like it is over here, the chance of any aliens who satisfy our "intelligence" criteria having a version of mathematics similar to our own should be relatively high. At least compared to the chance of them seeing any sign of intelligence in our earthly obsession with rhythmically hitting stuff, blowing air through horns and plucking strings -- it just seems way too niche. In contrast, two hydrogen atoms floating beside two other hydrogen atoms can still be called four hydrogen atoms, even in far-off galaxies. Just because we can't explain precisely how or why music moves us doesn't mean we should expect it to have a similar effect on aliens.

Do you feel your mathematics background has an impact on your approach to creating a mix?

Spending a lot of time immersed in mathematics certainly has a subtle yet powerful effect on a mind, and I'd say this trickles through a little when creating a DJ mix. It allows for an unusual perspective on the task, in terms of optimization, constraints and critical path analysis. However, seeing things this way probably doesn't actually help any more than it does with, say, a trip round the supermarket. Mental agility, good memory, good numeracy, and a lot of determination are what really counts, and although these are math-related, they're not math-specific. There are lots of overriding instinctive and emotional factors too -- for example whether you've managed to score a few promo tracks from your favorite producers, or happen to have the time and inspiration to hunt down a bunch of themed samples and put together a scratch sequence.

Do you feel a kinship between music and mathematics?

It's strange, we have this widespread belief that the two are deeply connected, but in practice it's rare to find people with proficiency in both. I believe the connection is significant, but not in the semi-superstitious way that gets bandied about. It's more just that they share some striking characteristics -- they are complex, precise, intuitive, subtle and emotional activities -- so people who get along with one will probably be able to get along with the other. I think there are a few reasons why we don't see more of an overlap in reality. First, we have such hectic schedules and high expectations of ourselves today that it's hard to find the time and freedom of mind to pursue both to the standard we'd like. Second, it's easier than ever before to create appealing music without much knowledge of musical theory or the technology underlying its production. So there's less of a need to develop an inquisitive, thoughtful approach, as was always required in the past, and which I think forms the basis of the common ground between music and mathematics. After all, strumming a few chords and making endless media appearances doesn't have much in common with scoring a symphony for 20+ instruments. And finally, mathematics is generally taught so poorly that many people are turned off it completely at a young age. They never overcome this sense of alienation from the subject, and they channel their mental efforts into other pursuits. It's a shame because in my experience almost everyone can learn mathematics if the concepts are presented in a manner compatible with their existing mental landscape. That's the real challenge in communicating the subject, and it requires a skillful teacher, small class size and decent resources.

Solid Steel Listeners voted your previous mix, Irked Vol. 4: Show Business Time best guest mix of 2010. How did this steer your game plan in crafting Irked Vol.5?

I was really happy about this because it showed me straight up that there are plenty of people out there appreciating both my distinctive style of putting a mix together (ie. with lots of twists and turns) and my tongue-in-cheek attitude towards show-business, celebrity and the accompanying craziness and elitism. You know, it's not rocket-science. Music, shows and mixes are supposed to be about enjoying ourselves, but that often gets lost in trends and hype, or lack thereof, so it's great to see so many people sharing my easygoing take on things. Basically, Vol. 4 having the success it did was a green light for me to not tone down my stupid too much in Vol. 5.

What is the DJ Irk approach to creating a mix? How much time and energy went into Irked Vol. 5?

It's an ongoing process, I throw all my ideas for track-mixes, dialogue samples and scratch skits into various folders and let the whole mess accumulate till I get the opportunity to go through it and prioritize what to work on. I have skits and ideas from years ago knocking around, waiting to see the light of day. Some of it comes out in recorded mixes and some in live shows; I actually keep a lot of stuff back for live events, to make sure they retain some exclusivity. Then eventually when the time comes to record a new mix, I start off with a whole stack of ideas which have been piling up for months, so it's a case of filtering it down to an hour long piece. This is the most fun part, ideas bounce off each other and I never have enough time to fit in everything. I'm quite a perfectionist, so for a mix with a lot of scratching in it usually takes several months of on-and-off work to complete the cycle.

You typically kick off your mixes with scratch-heavy intros full of absurd sound bites and rampant silliness. How do you pick  and choose your samples?

I love watching good TV and film (and loathe the bad stuff) so I spend a fair bit of time doing it. From that I've developed a pretty good memory for scenarios, lines and characters -- definitely at the expense of all the math formulae I used to know. But since getting a taste for scratching dialogue samples I've also got in to the habit of taking notes to keep track of stuff I especially like. So when building up a sequence I often search back through my notes to help me pick out a good path for bouncing from one sample to the next. Selecting and editing sections of dialogue then scratching it all together is a real pleasure. It's a little homage to all the amazing talent that went in to the original shows; it reminds me of all the amusing, absurd and inspirational characters whose existence makes me chuckle every day. Arrested Development's Tobias Fünke is one of my all-time favorite characters, so I always do my best to squeeze in a "slip of his tongue," if you will.

Tell me about "Release The UnReleasable."

Over the last year or so I've recorded a lot of short scratch skits using dialogue samples from a wide range of shows and movies, but they're spread out over different mixes and aren't labeled or referenced in any way. I recently set up "Release The UnReleasable" as an umbrella project to throw it all together in one place with source information. This includes standalone versions of all the skits alongside new, fully-referenced, screenplay-format transcripts, plus new custom graphics, which play on the original source graphics. The screenplay format is a little tip-of-the-hat to the origins of all the material I've drawn on -- it's one for the nerds. The project title refers to the fact that the audio is plucked from so many different sources that there's no way anyone could get hold of all the licenses required to do a legitimate label release, so in practice it is actually unreleasable. I also enjoy the ridiculous Mr. Burns-esque imagery of releasing some horrendous monstrosity on an unwilling public.

What's next for DJ Irk?

My next few Solid Steel mixes are taking shape; I have new audio and graphics for Release The UnReleasable on the go; I'm developing the live show a lot, practicing new sequences, getting it all as balanced and engaging as possible; and I've also started playing around with the video plug-in for Serato SL (the DJing software I use). That means live vinyl scratching of not just audio sampled from video, but of video itself, viewed on a screen, along with the corresponding audio. So it's a whole new ball game, exciting stuff. Then there's booking live shows, promoting, making connections -- ultimately trying to spark people's interest in the amazing music out there which goes largely unheard. Music has been all-consuming lately, but I am starting to keep an eye out for math-related research opportunities again. After having been involved in a fairly esoteric topic previously, I feel ready for something on the applied side, something with more of a practical, real-world impact. For now though, it's all about continuing to juggle everything it takes to get by doing this: beats, samples, time, money, jobs, homes, relationships, travel -- you know, the usual stuff.

Originally posted at HSW: Space Music: DJ Irk Talks Music, Math and Alien Communication

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