David Byrne, Please Report to the App Store
Sunday, October 12th, 2008The Apple Blog reported this week on a new iPhone app, Bloom, designed by ambient virtuoso Brian Eno. TAB sums it up well:
Developed by Peter Chilvers, in collaboration with Eno, the app is described as, “Part instrument, part composition and part artwork…” The idea is that anybody can play with Bloom and coax gentle melodies and ambient soundscapes out of their iPhone.[...]“Bloom’s innovative controls allow anyone to create elaborate patterns and unique melodies by simply tapping the screen.” Setting aside the marketing spiel, Bloom is utterly unique — a truly enchanting experience…
This YouTube clip shows Bloom in action - enchanting, indeed! Ambient music isn’t really my thing, but I dig Bloom and could certainly kill a lot of time with it. What I would really dig is David Byrne - Eno collaborator, intrepid artist, and personal favorite - creating a similar app. Something where tapping/dragging elements on screen makes percussive sounds that could be layered and patterned. (I can almost see Eno and Byrne making their next album together using only iPhones.)













