Kind Des Geistes turns brainwaves into music on new album ‘Brainduino’

Experimental electronic musician Ismael Zouaoui has released a new album as Kind Des Geistes, utilising technology that translates brainwaves into music.

The 14-track album, titled ‘Brainduino’, is out via DREAMS, a sublabel of Childhood Intelligence, spanning styles such as ambient, trip hop and post-genre production.

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For the creation, the Swiss-Tunisian musician worked with a device called Brain-Duino, an open-source brainwave monitor that records neural signals and converts them into MIDI data, which was then used to shape the sounds and rhythms explored.

Brain-Duino was designed by Japanese engineer Masahiro Kahata, enabling users to capture electrical impulses in the brain. Activity in the right side of the brain is said to translate into “floaty” sounds, while electrical signals in the left side of the brain are more intense, allowing for a dynamic range of a musician's mental state to be captured.

“It’s like being both a conductor and a tamer of my own thoughts,” Ismael says.

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A mesmerising live show, which has been performed at Kyiv’s Strichka Festival and Berlin club Hoppetosse, also incorporates real-time visual creation generated by brain activity.

Based in Berlin, Ismael Zouaoui also operates under the alias ISH, and has previously released on labels including Animals on Psychedelics, Nashville House Syndicate and Griffé, as well as running his own label Holographic Universe.

Buy ‘Brainduino’ here.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Editor & Digital Director, follow him on Twitter