Algorave reframes live coding as a rave: bodies dancing to visibly-generated algorithms in a club

Algorave (coined by Collins and McLean) fuses the cultural form of the rave — darkness, a sound system, physical dancing, participatory atmosphere — with the transparency of live coding, so that a crowd dances to algorithms whose generating process is on display. It grew from a deliberate conversation about whether one could intentionally design a genre. Its criteria are permissive on means but strict on transparency: any kind of algorithmic music qualifies, not only line-by-line live coding — a GUI can be algorithmic too — as long as the audience can see what is happening. The social contract is ‘show us your screens’ (a TOPLAP phrase): the performer’s screen is projected so the code is visible. This distinguishes algorave from a DJ set and from a hidden-screen laptop concert, and McLean frames it as closer to playing an instrument in public than to replacing DJs or turntablism. The club-dancefloor context imposes practical demands — the coder must write quickly and hold attention — which is one reason terse micro-languages (TidalCycles, Sonic Pi, ixi lang, Gibber) were developed. Associated infrastructure includes the algorave.com listings and the Eulerroom streaming/archive platform.

Examples

One to three coders in a dark, smoke-filled venue project their screens and write patterns live in TidalCycles or SuperCollider while a crowd dances to the evolving output; Eulerroom streams and archives such sets, and algorave.com lists club nights worldwide.

Assessment

Distinguish algorave from a standard laptop concert and a DJ set. What structural features of the rave does it preserve, and what does it add from live coding? Explain ‘show us your screens’, name two constraints the club context places on the performer, and identify one micro-language shaped by them.