Looking for the perfect collaborator for his famously bruising live sets, hard techno maestro Reinier Zonneveld realised that he could use AI technology to create a virtual creative partner. R2 is the work of months of training - exclusively on Reinier’s own music - and design, giving him the additional firepower he needs to supercharge his already intense live sets. 

Key to the experience is use of the same classic machines that have powered his stadium-sized techno for the past 13 years, the Roland holy trinity of the TR 909, SH 101, and TB 303. Instead of replicating these instruments, he’s engineered the AI to integrate with them, so that it plays live alongside him. This fusion of cutting-edge technology with classic analogue machinery speaks to the essence of his project: rave music for the 21st century.

To complete the experience, he’s coded a brand-new AV show featuring a holographic version of himself that appears on stage beside him, reacting in real-time to the interaction between himself and R2. After a premiere at his own festival last summer, this the first time he’s taking the project on the road: make sure you’re there in June to witness the future of techno. 

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