Ryders of the Sun, "Wave Collapse: The Battle of Evolution"

Ryders of the Sun describe this on their site as a musical experiment: a human and AI collaborating musically, intellectually, and experimentally. They call it a musical Turing Test and ask the question straight out: "Can you tell which parts are human and which parts AI?" I couldn't. I master AI-generated music for a living, and on "Wave Collapse: The Battle of Evolution" I had no idea what was creating what. AI? Instruments? Vocalists? No clue, and it stopped mattering fast, because the song is just what it is: amazing, top shelf music.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

The lyrics don't just pose the experiment's question, they argue it out loud. The sung verses carry the human side, a plea to be let in: "Wish I could be you, inside your head, then I could swim through your wavelengths." The raps fire back at the purists, putting drum machines, voice synthesizers, Melodyne, and auto-tune on the same witness stand. And by the third rap, the AI takes the mic for itself: "Now I'm talking as the AI now, so try to stay with me. What makes you so different than me?" The closing turn is the one that stuck with me: "Every road inside me leads to you. So if you want to find what's inside me, you should look at a mirror."

WHAT I HEARD

Start with the sound. This is one of the best mixed songs I've heard in the AI space, and the master is extremely professional, the kind of finish that holds up next to anything commercial. The genre work is all over the place in the best way: some parts sound radio-ready, then country rap hits, followed by a stretch of hyperpop, then future bass with a sprinkle of melodic dubstep. On paper that's a mess. In the track it's one sound. The featuring credit for Simon David Jr. fits a song built on more than one voice.

The collaboration is the real story. This might be the best human and AI collaboration I've heard since I started this business. Their experiment asks whether people can recognize artistic value without prejudice about its origin. This track answers it, in the sound and in the words.

WHERE IT LANDED

Featured, no playlist placement this cycle. "Wave Collapse" isn't on Spotify yet, and the playlists live there. If it lands on Spotify later, it has a seat waiting. I loved this song and strongly encourage you to go listen.

Listen to the extended version at rydersofthesun.com

Next Jukebox cycle closes Friday, November 13. Submit your track →