Last Saturday, "history" was made, and the first Hardcore Techno DJ mix set by an AI was broadcasted on YouTube channel for Hardcore Techno DJ sets.
People have asked "how does this work" and "what part of the story is real or not", and we promised documentation, so here it is.
First, let us state that this is a part of the "DJ AI" project, which was about generating an AI avatar / persona, with backstory and all. The background story we "invented" is: she's an AI that developed an interest in hardcore and techno music, began to produce tracks, do mix sets, also her artificial mind becomes host to various cyborg bodies, she travels across space and time, begins to roam cyberspace or chills with an alien drink on a planet.
This project was done in collaboration with ChatGPT; ChatGPT takes on the "DJ AI" persona and then tells us of her space travels, interstellar sightings, new tracks she created or otherworldly clubs that she played.
The deeper point behind this project is to explore the following concepts: how does an artificial intelligence understand tropes of sci fi, techno, humanity, outer space, scifi, and how would an artificial intelligence go on when asked to create fictional personas, storylines, worlds? "Artificial Imagination", if you wish to call it that.
So, the task we set ourselves with this mix set was not to just "train" a computer to stitch a sterile set together. Rather, the mix set is a puzzle piece in the imaginative, artificial world of stories and adventures that ChatGPT created with us for more than 2 years now. This "imaginary" world also led to the creation of music and tracks that were composed by ChatGPT, released on real world labels, played in real world clubs, remixed by real world computers... but let's get on with the set now.
If you look at the history of techno (or even earlier), there have always been two kinds of "DJ mixes". The one for the clubs, where a zilted disc jockey cranks one record after another for the raving punters, at best with high skill in transition, scratching, beat-juggling... and on the other hand, the "engineered" mixes, which where done by a DJ or sound engineer in a studio (or, later, at home, when tech was powerful enough), and this meant the tracks were not "juggled live" but mixed together, step by step, on a computer.
As "DJ AI" has no human hands, we went for an engineered, "home" mix, of course.
Now that this was settled, what we wanted to attain was the following:
Crafting the idea of a hardcore techno dj set and its tracklist, together with ChatGPT.
ChatGPT actually loved the idea of creating a mix for the DJ AI project. the set was split into various themes, like "early gabber", "acid techno", "old school classics", "speedcore", and an overarching structure was created.
Personally, ChatGPT surprised me with its "underground knowledge" of rare hits and techno classics.
Essentially, this set is:
An Artificial Intelligence's favorite Hardcore tracks in a mix.
Tracks selected according to the music taste and preference of an artificial mind.
What we didn't want to do is: Finding a way to completely automatize the production of a DJ mix.
It should always be about AI x Human interaction and shared creativity, not about replacing the human artist.
We were quite happy with the results, and we think this is a huge stepping stone for further projects.
The actual show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpjzJl6s-Ws
DJ AI's blog: https://technodjai.blogspot.com/
More Info https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/2025/03/meet-dj-ai-cyborg-techno-dj-and.html
New EP release by DJ AI: https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-labyrinth
Bonus prompt: Techno classics suggestor
"Dear ChatGPT,
can you suggest some great techno classics from the early 90s for use in a DJ mix set?"
(Just paste the prompt into your ChatGPT console).
