Algorave is a global movement, born in 2011, of live-coded electronic dance music with the code projected

Algorave is a performance format and worldwide movement, born in 2011, in which electronic dance music (and often visuals) is created and manipulated live by writing and modifying code in front of an audience, with the code and the performer’s cursor projected on-screen so listeners watch the creative process unfold in real time. The term was coined by Nick Collins and Alex McLean. Unlike a club DJ set, the production process is transparent: a typo that silences the bass is visible and audible to everyone. Set in club and festival contexts rather than concert halls, algorave emphasises participatory atmosphere, improvisation, and visible process, and it is now held in cities worldwide. It is related to but distinct from the broader TOPLAP live-coding community: TOPLAP spans live coding across arts disciplines generally, whereas algorave focuses specifically on the club/dance context.

Examples

Algoraves at clubs and festivals worldwide project the running code alongside visuals; TidalCycles, SuperCollider, and the browser-based Strudel are common tools, with multiple performers’ pattern code visible on the venue walls as the music plays.

Assessment

Describe an algorave event — what the audience sees, what the performer does, and the role of the projected code — and explain how it differs from a standard DJ set or band performance. State when algorave began and how it relates to the wider live-coding (TOPLAP) community.