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12/01/2026

I Invented Live Coding

I invented live coding

in 2001 I was sat at my Akai MPC2000 remembering experiments done in BASIC on my home computer (and also on graphical calculator) as a teenager, thinking: it would be nice if I could describe using instructions - do this 8 times and the third time make it this etc

I didn’t invent live coding

it probably happened as soon as computers could make a sound and respond directly/quickly to user input. Plus many others since then.
It’s a shame it’s taken so long and it’s still only just taking off.

So whats’s your point?

My point is that I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Don’t ask me how it took that long.
it took lots of forgetting, distractions, and the right kind of accidents. But I got here.

(I’ve found the best way to do something is by accident, like becoming an artist or learning electronics)

I’m not really a live coder and I’ve been pretending this whole time

sometimes I wonder if I’m an electronic musician who makes music in a live-codey way.
Either way I get a lot of value from the concepts and scene of live coding
I’m able to be both more and less live than traditional approaches eg electronic hardware.
I feel my output is both too ‘musical’ and too obtuse. I guess I’m hitting some kind of sweet spot (for me) then?

Doesn’t that directly contradict what you started this post saying?

Yes

anyway

I can now make jungle on my phone and it sounds great!
Not just the notes/rhythms but the reverb, chorus, synthesis.
I can’t believe it took this long and I’m really glad it did.

Ps. I think I’ll only perform the jungle live, because I feel using the amen is lazy (no judgement on others!)

You can (probably) see/hear it here:
https://luma.com/fkgzcsuz

You probably won’t see it here:
https://syntel8.bandcamp.com/album/sketches-ii

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