robotcowboy info
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Project Title
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robotcowboy

-> branding note: one-word, all lower-case

Micro Description
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a computer-music rock and roll project

Short Description
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a one-man band compu-rock musical project using custom hardware and software running on a wearable computer

Long Description
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robotcowboy is a wearable computing platform to explore new types of man-machine music & artistic performance. Embedded computing, custom open-source software, and audio electronics are utilized to build portable, self contained systems which both embed and embody the computation on the performer. This cyborg approach is both empowering and compromising as new sonic capability & movement are offset by the need for electrical energy: elements of tension between human and system. robotcowboy shows are always live and contain aspects of improvisation, feedback with the audience, and an inherent capability of failure.

robotcowboy's first 2006-2007 incarnation melded rock with realtime algorithmic composition tools into a dynamic live show. The second incarnation followed the story of the first human on Mars with spacesuit as portable music machine in 2013. The ongoing third incarnation explores themes of trajectories, radiation, and space travel. The future is bright, do you have room to wiggle?

Artist Bio
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Dan Wilcox is an artist, engineer, musician, and performer who combines live musical performance techniques with experimental electronics and software for the exploration of new expression. He grew up in the Rocket City, and has performed in Europe, Asia, and around the US with his one man band cyborg performance project, robotcowboy.

danomatika.com

Further References
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robotcowboy.com

danomatika.com/music

robotcowboy.bandcamp.com

Basic Tech Rider
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Basic tech rider: min 10 m power cable, min of 2 10 m XLR audio cables for stereo out, HDMI for projection if possible, stage not necessary as I can play within the audience.

Open Source Technologies
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This project has been realized from the ground up using open source technologies, namely Pure Data, and the tools built for its implementation have been released either with the BSD or GPL licenses. The original platform was an industrial computer running GNU Linux with an SDL-based frame buffer visual program and has expanded to include PdParty, a free open source iOS application for running general-purpose Pure Data patches; loaf, a Lua scripting interpreter for openFrameworks; the rc-patches, a Pure Data abstraction library developed for this project; and joyosc, an HID game controller to OSC event daemon.

Image Attribution
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* robotcowboy gpn 2024.jpg
  - robotcowboy 2024
  - Photo by Anika Wilcox

* robotcowboy ars electronica 2023.jpg
  - Ars Electronica 2023
  - Photo by Tom Mesic
  - Original url: https://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/53177265083/

* robotcowboy zkm kamuna 2023.jpg
  - ZKM Karlsruhe 2023
  - Photo by Felix Grünschloß

* robotcowboy fleischmarkthalle 2022.jpg
  - robotcowboy 2022
  - Photo by Anika Wilcox

* robotcowboy jubez 2018.jpg
  - robotcowboy 2018
  - Photo by Anika Wilcox

* robotcowboy new Hazlett 2013.jpg
  - New Hazlett Theater 2013
  - Photo by Renee Rosensteel