Computer-generated artificial tracks by Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, and Jim Morrison highlight a new project that helps bring attention to mental illness.
Toronto organization Over The Bridge has created a compilation featuring songs created via artificial intelligence in the style of musicians who died at the age of 27.
The organization, which aims to change the conversation about mental health in the music community while providing a compassionate environment for members to thrive, started the project to show the world what’s been lost to mental health crises.
Over The Bridge note that suicides are twice as high in the music industry as in the general population and that 68% of musicians have experienced depression, according to one study. The compilation is also an insight into what’s been lost to the mental health crisis and an homage to the music these creators might have made had they not passed away when they did.
The algorithm listened to isolated hooks, rhythms, melodies, and lyrics of 27 Club musicians. It learned from the music, then generated a string of all-new hooks, rhythms, melodies, and lyrics. Finally, an audio engineer took these AI-generated musical elements and composed the Lost Tapes of the 27 Club, creating four songs in total.
