ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Onyx Ashanti - Beatjazz inventor and controllerist
Onyx Ashanti is the inventor of "beatjazz" -- a new way to make music.

Why you should listen

Onyx Ashanti is a musician, geek, open-source advocate, Maker, collaborator ... and we come back around again to musician. The intrumentation he has created fuses technique and technology into a full-body musical system, playable with hands, arms, mouth and body. As he says:

I am what can only be described as a cyborg musician.  in other words, the music i create live, can not be replicated without technology. My music is called "Beatjazz." It is a mix of sound design, live looping and jazz improvisation. My instrument of choice over the years has been a Yamaha Wind MIDI controller, but now the limitations have started to stunt the growth of this new form, so i designed an instrument that can take it into future.

He is now working on the next iteration of his instrument, codenamed Tron, and built around a helmet-mounted controller.

More profile about the speaker
Onyx Ashanti | Speaker | TED.com
Full Spectrum Auditions

Onyx Ashanti: This is beatjazz

Onyx Ashanti: Das ist Beatjazz

Filmed:
884,234 views

Musiker und Erfinder Onyx Ahanti führt "Beatjazz" vor – seine Musik, erschaffen mit zwei Handsteuergeräten, einem iPhone und einem Mundstück, gespielt mit dem ganzen Körper. Nachdem er seine Beats und Schleifen eingestellt hat, spielt er bei TED's Full Spectrum Auditions einen dreiminütigen Song und teilt seine Vision für die Zukunft der Musik.
- Beatjazz inventor and controllerist
Onyx Ashanti is the inventor of "beatjazz" -- a new way to make music. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:18
(MusicMusik)
0
3000
10000
(Musik)
00:32
TextText: BeatJazzBeatJazz.
1
17000
3000
Text: BeatJazz
00:54
BeatJazzBeatJazz is:
2
39000
2000
BeatJazz ist
00:56
1. LiveLeben loopingLooping,
3
41000
3000
1. Live Durchlauf von Schleifen
01:00
2. JazzJazz improvisationImprovisation
4
45000
2000
2. Jazz Improvisation
01:02
And
5
47000
3000
und
01:05
3. "GesturalGestische" soundklingen designEntwurf.
6
50000
3000
3. "Gestischer" Klangentwurf
02:27
AccelerometersBeschleunigungssensoren
7
132000
2000
Beschleunigungsmesser
02:29
on eachjede einzelne handHand
8
134000
2000
an jeder Hand
02:31
readlesen handHand positionPosition.
9
136000
2000
messen die Position der Hand.
02:52
The colorFarbe of the lightsBeleuchtung
10
157000
4000
Die Farben der Lichter
02:56
indicateszeigt an whichwelche soundklingen I am playingspielen.
11
161000
3000
zeigen an, welchen Klang ich gerade spiele:
03:02
RedRot = DrumsSchlagzeug,
12
167000
4000
Rot = Trommeln
03:06
BlueBlau = BassBass,
13
171000
4000
Blau = Bass
03:17
GreenGrün = ChordsAkkorde,
14
182000
5000
Grün = Akkorde
03:22
OrangeOrange = LeadsFührt,
15
187000
2000
Orange = Leads
03:24
PurpleLila = PadsPads
16
189000
4000
Violett = Pads
03:38
The mouthpieceMundstück
17
203000
3000
Das Mundstück
03:41
consistsbesteht aus of ...
18
206000
2000
besteht aus ...
03:43
a buttonTaste,
19
208000
2000
einem Knopf,
03:45
two guitarGitarre picksTipps
20
210000
4000
zwei Plektren
03:49
and lots of hotheiß glueKleber.
21
214000
4000
und jeder Menge Klebstoff.
04:40
The heads-upHeads-up displayAnzeige
22
265000
3000
Dieses Kopfüber-Display
04:43
is a smartphoneSmartphone that displayszeigt an systemSystem parametersParameter.
23
268000
4000
ist ein Smartphone, dass die Systemparameter anzeigt.
04:57
Why?
24
282000
3000
Warum?
05:00
To atomizeZerstäuben musicMusik- cultureKultur
25
285000
3000
Um die Musikkultur zu atomisieren.
05:03
so that ALL pastVergangenheit, presentGeschenk and futureZukunft genresGenres
26
288000
2000
Damit ALLE vergangenen, gegenwärtigen und zukünftigen Genres
05:05
can be studiedstudiert and abstractedabstrahiert, liveLeben.
27
290000
3000
live studiert und abstrahiert werden können.
05:08
And
28
293000
2000
Und
05:10
"BeatJazzersBeatJazzers"
29
295000
3000
"BeatJazzers"
05:13
becomewerden as commonverbreitet as D.J.'s's.
30
298000
4000
so verbreitet werden wie D.J.'s
05:21
But mostlymeist ...
31
306000
5000
Aber hauptsächlich ...
05:26
to MAKE the futureZukunft
32
311000
5000
um die Zukunft zu GESTALTEN
05:31
ratherlieber than wait for it.
33
316000
3000
anstatt auf sie zu warten.
06:13
(ApplauseApplaus)
34
358000
10000
(Beifall)
Translated by Lex Asobo
Reviewed by Karin Friedli

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Onyx Ashanti - Beatjazz inventor and controllerist
Onyx Ashanti is the inventor of "beatjazz" -- a new way to make music.

Why you should listen

Onyx Ashanti is a musician, geek, open-source advocate, Maker, collaborator ... and we come back around again to musician. The intrumentation he has created fuses technique and technology into a full-body musical system, playable with hands, arms, mouth and body. As he says:

I am what can only be described as a cyborg musician.  in other words, the music i create live, can not be replicated without technology. My music is called "Beatjazz." It is a mix of sound design, live looping and jazz improvisation. My instrument of choice over the years has been a Yamaha Wind MIDI controller, but now the limitations have started to stunt the growth of this new form, so i designed an instrument that can take it into future.

He is now working on the next iteration of his instrument, codenamed Tron, and built around a helmet-mounted controller.

More profile about the speaker
Onyx Ashanti | Speaker | TED.com
THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM