LCD Soundsystem may be done, but James Murphy isn’t. His latest musical project is one of the most fascinating yet: The artist teamed up with developers at IBM to turn tennis matches from the U.S. Open into music. While initially it sounds like Murphy would be sampling the grunts, swooshes, and pops inherent to any match (or maybe do something like this guy), what he and IBM actually came up with is much more complicated.
In the most basic terms, a computer collects data from each match, then uses a three-part algorithm to generate music. Each ace, point, double fault, etc. creates its own unique sound. It’s a complex process that Murphy believes will create upwards of 400 hours of music. The team will be working throughout the U.S. Open, which started August 25 and runs through September 8. Several songs are already streaming here. IBM also made a trailer for the project, which is below.