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[1]Skip to Content
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[2]Defector home
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[39]Subscribe to skip adsAdvertisement
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[40]Defector Reads A Book
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Dan Simmons Is Dead, So It’s Time To Read ‘Hyperion’
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[41][hea]
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By [42]Barry Petchesky
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12:55 PM EDT on March 8, 2026
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• [43]Share on Bluesky
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• [44]Share on Reddit
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• [45]Share on WhatsApp
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• [46]Share on Email
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WRITER DAN SIMMONS PUBLISHES 'FIRES OF EDEN'
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Dan Simmons in 1994.
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|Sophie Bassouls/Sygma via Getty Images
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[47]
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98Comments
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Call it the Orson Scott Card problem. You want to recommend a piece of sci-fi
|
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to a friend, but you know that if you do, you'll have to include the disclaimer
|
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that the author's politics are diametrically opposed to your own, and you find
|
||||
them downright objectionable. You truly love the book, and you think your
|
||||
friend will love it too, but you wonder if you even want to bother with the
|
||||
whole rigamarole the disclaimer requires.
|
||||
|
||||
The best way I can describe Dan Simmons, who [48]died last month at age 77, is
|
||||
as someone who got driven crazy by watching too much Fox News after September
|
||||
11th. Not one but two of his future-set novels feature as major plot points a
|
||||
Global Islamic Caliphate. One of those, Flashback, is basically [49]one long
|
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rant about how the American left would ruin the world if they gained power. Not
|
||||
that Simmons didn't have some taste issues before—Song of Kali, his World
|
||||
Fantasy Award–winning first novel, has some moments that read decades later as
|
||||
stunningly racist—but late-career Simmons was at times totally unredeemable.
|
||||
|
||||
This is a shame, because his best work belongs with the greats of fantasy,
|
||||
horror, and sci-fi. Summer of Night is a tighter, more satisfying version of
|
||||
Stephen King's It. Carrion Comfort is a brick-sized epic about psychic vampires
|
||||
that reads as breezily as a trade paperback. The Terror, which inspired the
|
||||
well-regarded show, is for its first three-quarters a brilliant and
|
||||
non-supernatural speculative take on a real doomed Arctic expedition.
|
||||
|
||||
Simmons played around with metafiction in ways that, if they didn't always
|
||||
work, were always interesting. His Ilium and Olympos feature a batshit conceit:
|
||||
What if future humans turned themselves into the literal Greek Gods and moved
|
||||
to Mars and reenacted the Iliad and resurrected scholars from our time to
|
||||
document it? And also there are robots from Jupiter, and Shakespeare's Caliban
|
||||
is real. Drood is a historical thriller featuring Charles Dickens's
|
||||
madness-inducing obsession with one of his characters, who may or may not be
|
||||
real. The Fifth Heart puts Henry James and Sherlock Holmes together to solve a
|
||||
mystery in Washington, D.C. It's often very silly, but whatever can be said of
|
||||
Simmons, he committed to the bit.
|
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|
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All that stuff (besides The Terror, which I truly love) might be an acquired
|
||||
taste for non-genre fans. Which brings us to the entire purpose of this blog:
|
||||
me telling you to read [50]Hyperion, and then you coming back later and saying
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thank you.
|
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|
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Hyperion does not hide its inspirations. Quotes from Keats, whose poem fragment
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||||
lends the book its name, litter its chapters. Jack Vance and Pierre Teilhard de
|
||||
Chardin are referenced by name. The entire book is one large frame story, the
|
||||
individual tales of seven pilgrims, a Canterbury Tales of the Ekumen. It is the
|
||||
obvious work of a voracious, small-c catholic reader, bringing disparate
|
||||
sources and philosophies to bear on the big questions of love, death, and
|
||||
redemption.
|
||||
|
||||
Our seven are seeking the mysterious Shrike, a menacing, quasi-organic creature
|
||||
who is said to grant one wish to pilgrims, but also oversees the Tree of Pain,
|
||||
on which it impales its victims for an eternity of hell. Each character gets
|
||||
their own turn in the spotlight, sharing their past and explaining what they
|
||||
will wish for. A Catholic priest of a dying religion who must suffer unknowable
|
||||
pain to prevent a resurrection. A faith-questioning Jewish professor seeking a
|
||||
cure for his daughter, who is inexorably aging backward. A politician who is
|
||||
willing to destroy humankind in an act of ecoterrorism, or perhaps just
|
||||
personal revenge. A soldier in love, trying to prevent a war. A poet looking to
|
||||
complete his life's work, who believes the Shrike is his ultimate muse. Each
|
||||
tale stands by itself as an exploration and celebration of some aspect of
|
||||
humanity. Despite the sci-fi setting, Hyperion is at root an imaginative,
|
||||
sympathetic portrait of people, and should speak to any reader.
|
||||
|
||||
The book ends just as our pilgrims reach the Shrike. The Fall of Hyperion
|
||||
completes their story, and then two Endymion books extend its themes and some
|
||||
of its characters into the wider universe. I think you can live without the
|
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last two, though I enjoyed them. And I think there's no reason for me to advise
|
||||
on the second one, because once you've read Hyperion you'll demand the direct
|
||||
sequel. It's a genuine achievement in sci-fi, using one of language's oldest
|
||||
literary structures to push the boundaries of what the genre can say about what
|
||||
it means to be human. It was always bound to long outlive its author.
|
||||
|
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Recommended
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[51]Arts And Culture
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[52]
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Don DeLillo’s Funniest Novel Is A 1980 Hockey Sex Romp He Won’t Acknowledge
|
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|
||||
[53]102Comments
|
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[54]Pete Segall
|
||||
March 4, 2026
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[55]A collage featuring three of the different paperback covers for "Cleo
|
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Birdwell"'s 1980 novel Amazons.
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[56]Subscribe to skip adsAdvertisement
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[61][hea]
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[62]Barry Petchesky
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[63]@barryp.bsky.social
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Deputy Editor
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Read More:
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• [64]Books,
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• [65]dan simmons,
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[71]MLB
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[72]
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Even At The World Baseball Classic, The Mariners Cannot Escape Themselves
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[73]21Comments
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[74][ima]
|
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[75]Kathryn Xu
|
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March 10, 2026
|
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[76]Randy Arozarena #56 of the Mexico in action during the 2026 World Baseball
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Classic game between Mexico and the United States.
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[77]NBA
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[78]
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The Atlanta Hawks’ Magic City Night Was Too Misunderstood To Live
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[79]33Comments
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[80][ima]
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[81]Israel Daramola
|
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March 10, 2026
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[82][GettyImages-1707906347]
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[83]NBA
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[84]
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|
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My Coworkers Browbeat Me Into Drinking James Harden’s Wine
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|
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[85]34Comments
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[86][rat]
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[87]Ray Ratto
|
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March 10, 2026
|
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[88]James Harden of the LA Clippers carries his brand name wine J-Harden
|
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Cabernet Sauvignon and shoe package as he arrives ahead of their NBA game
|
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against the Toronto Raptors.
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[89]Funbag
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[90]
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|
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The Kindness Of Familiar Faces
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[91]239Comments
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[92][dre]
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[93]Drew Magary
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March 10, 2026
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[94]Commuters waiting for a train
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[95]Chefector
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[96]
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If Cool The Pan Be, A Lousy Breakfast For Thee
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[97]117Comments
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[98][IMG]
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[99]Albert Burneko
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March 10, 2026
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[100]Stainless steel pan
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[101]College Basketball
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[102]
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Madison Booker’s Game Punishes The Tryhard Defender
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[103]5Comments
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[104][201]
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[105]Maitreyi Anantharaman
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March 10, 2026
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[106]Madison Booker #35 of the Texas Longhorns shoots over Destiney McPhaul #2
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of the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Moody Center on
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February 22, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
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[107]See all posts
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[1] https://defector.com/dan-simmons-is-dead-so-its-time-to-read-hyperion#main
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[43] https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Dan%20Simmons%20Is%20Dead%2C%20So%20It%E2%80%99s%20Time%20To%20Read%20%E2%80%98Hyperion%E2%80%99%20-%20https%3A%2F%2Fdefector.com%2Fdan-simmons-is-dead-so-its-time-to-read-hyperion
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[44] http://www.reddit.com/submit/?title=Dan%20Simmons%20Is%20Dead%2C%20So%20It%E2%80%99s%20Time%20To%20Read%20%E2%80%98Hyperion%E2%80%99&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdefector.com%2Fdan-simmons-is-dead-so-its-time-to-read-hyperion
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[47] https://defector.com/dan-simmons-is-dead-so-its-time-to-read-hyperion#coral_thread
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[48] https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/02/author-dan-simmons-death-hyperion-terror
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[49] https://www.npr.org/2011/07/28/137621172/one-rant-too-many-politics-mar-simmons-dystopia#:~:text=Dan%20Simmons%20is%20a%20popular%20author%20who,*%20Has%20bizarre%2C%20sometimes%20overtly%20offensive%20dialogue
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[50] https://bookshop.org/p/books/hyperion-dan-simmons/91c9fa80587a0c0b?ean=9780553283686&next=t
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[72] https://defector.com/even-at-the-world-baseball-classic-the-mariners-cannot-escape-themselves
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[74] https://defector.com/author/yueling-kathryn-xu
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[90] https://defector.com/the-kindness-of-familiar-faces
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|
||||
[93] https://defector.com/author/drew-magary
|
||||
[94] https://defector.com/the-kindness-of-familiar-faces
|
||||
[95] https://defector.com/category/food/chefector
|
||||
[96] https://defector.com/if-cool-the-pan-be-a-lousy-breakfast-for-thee
|
||||
[97] https://defector.com/if-cool-the-pan-be-a-lousy-breakfast-for-thee#coral_thread
|
||||
[98] https://defector.com/author/albert-burneko
|
||||
[99] https://defector.com/author/albert-burneko
|
||||
[100] https://defector.com/if-cool-the-pan-be-a-lousy-breakfast-for-thee
|
||||
[101] https://defector.com/category/death-to-the-ncaa/college-basketball
|
||||
[102] https://defector.com/madison-bookers-game-punishes-the-tryhard-defender
|
||||
[103] https://defector.com/madison-bookers-game-punishes-the-tryhard-defender#coral_thread
|
||||
[104] https://defector.com/author/maitreyi-anantharaman
|
||||
[105] https://defector.com/author/maitreyi-anantharaman
|
||||
[106] https://defector.com/madison-bookers-game-punishes-the-tryhard-defender
|
||||
[107] https://defector.com/all
|
||||
[108] https://defector.com/products
|
||||
[110] https://defector.com/
|
||||
[111] https://defector.com/
|
||||
[114] https://www.twitch.tv/defectormedia
|
||||
[115] https://bsky.app/profile/defector.com
|
||||
[116] https://defector.com/tips
|
||||
[117] https://defector.com/advertise-with-defector
|
||||
[118] https://defector.com/other-stuff
|
||||
[119] https://defector.com/other-stuff
|
||||
[120] https://defector.com/defector-hall-of-fame
|
||||
[121] https://defector.com/masthead
|
||||
[122] https://defector.com/privacy-notice
|
||||
[123] https://defector.com/terms-of-use
|
||||
[124] https://joinlede.com/
|
||||
344
static/archive/pitchfork-com-30jzgl.txt
Normal file
344
static/archive/pitchfork-com-30jzgl.txt
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,344 @@
|
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[1]Skip to main content
|
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Open Navigation Menu
|
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[3]Pitchfork
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• [4]Newsletter
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Search
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• [6]News
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• [7]Reviews
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• [8]Best New Music
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• [9]Features
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• [10]Lists
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• [11]Columns
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Open Navigation Menu
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[14]Pitchfork
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Search
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[16]Columns
|
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|
||||
How AI Wreaked Havoc on the Lo-Fi Beat Scene
|
||||
|
||||
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
|
||||
[17]Rabbit Holed is Kieran Press-Reynolds’ weekly column exploring songs and
|
||||
scenes at the intersection of music and digital culture, separating shitpost
|
||||
genius from shitpassé lameness. This week, he explores how artificial
|
||||
intelligence has laid waste to the once-burgeoning world of lo-fi beats.
|
||||
By [18]Kieran Press-Reynolds
|
||||
July 2, 2025
|
||||
Play/Pause Button
|
||||
Graphic by [20]Chris Panicker
|
||||
Save this story
|
||||
Save this story
|
||||
|
||||
In the mid-2010s, when I was in high school, the genre known as lo-fi beats was
|
||||
like a brain cleanse for all my time spent mainlining Minecraft and YouTube.
|
||||
The music was tender, with drums sizzling like kitchen pans and trumpet that
|
||||
zigzagged over the soundscape’s [23]open pasture. Perfectly timed samples leapt
|
||||
out like [24]flickers of a memory. Only a few channels soared back then; the
|
||||
mixes all had whimsical titles and background visuals that simulated the
|
||||
feeling of sitting indoors, cocooned in a duvet, while rain lightly falls
|
||||
outside.
|
||||
|
||||
Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the
|
||||
percussive undead. The YouTube search results have warped into an apparent AI
|
||||
breeding ground, [25]crammed with [26]hourlong mixes [27]full of [28]soporific
|
||||
dreck. The channels have similar names and cartoonish Kawaii imagery. Even the
|
||||
comments of the videos, which have millions of plays, brim with what look like
|
||||
fake conversations—pseudoymous accounts prattling on about how the music helped
|
||||
them unlock their true potential in life. Multiple channels repeat the same
|
||||
sentence structure like, “I don’t want much! I just want the person reading
|
||||
this to be healthy, happy, and loved!,” suggesting they’re AI-generated. “To
|
||||
whoever reads this comment: you are a wonderful person and I love you,” [29]
|
||||
writes one channel called Coffee Time, which specializes in [30]videos with
|
||||
titles that read more like Airbnb listings than music: “Happy Morning Jazz |
|
||||
Elegant Bossa Nova In Luxury Cliffside Cabin Overlooking the Sea for
|
||||
Relaxation.” It’s the theme song for the [31]dead internet theory, a rave-yard
|
||||
of zombified AI agents chilling out to death.
|
||||
|
||||
Longtime heads who fell in love with lo-fi beats and delicately craft it
|
||||
themselves are starting to panic. Obsessives on the Reddit forum for lo-fi
|
||||
beats, which banned AI submissions late last year, recently despaired about how
|
||||
the scene has been “overtaken” and “[32]lost its soul.” Some artists report
|
||||
losing significant opportunities and having to switch careers because of the
|
||||
genre’s downturn; others are paranoid, unable to discern the real from the
|
||||
hoax.
|
||||
|
||||
Mia Eden, a 23-year-old from Manchester, England, is one of a slew of lo-fi
|
||||
beatmakers who explicitly state that their videos are “made by real people” and
|
||||
free of AI. She runs a channel called [33]Lofi Louis, inspired by the name of
|
||||
her friend’s pet rabbit, and records under the alias Rosia! She started making
|
||||
the music in 2021 after stumbling on channels like the infamous, perpetually
|
||||
studying [34]Lofi Girl. Eden dug deeper and found the underground lo-fi scene,
|
||||
a community of artists who happily shared advice, made lo-fi beat-themed
|
||||
podcasts, and collaborated on compilations. Years ago, Eden earned anywhere
|
||||
from $500 to $1,500 a month from her songs getting slots on DSP editorial
|
||||
playlists; now, after the AI boom, that’s mostly dried up—Spotify’s lo-fi
|
||||
playlists spill with viral songs from suspicious profiles with no descriptions.
|
||||
Eden first noticed a dumpster’s worth of AI cover art, and then people
|
||||
full-sending the grift with AI music. She says she’s been tricked by some of
|
||||
her favorite channels starting to sneakily integrate AI.
|
||||
|
||||
“Previously, you could stream a track on Spotify or Apple and almost be certain
|
||||
you followed them on Instagram or spoke to them on Discord because the
|
||||
community was so tight-knit,” she says. “Now, it feels so nameless—where this
|
||||
could be an artist that maybe doesn’t like to show face, or it’s a computer.
|
||||
You can’t always distinguish now, and I’d say it’s over half [AI].”
|
||||
|
||||
Alex Reade, a 32-year-old from the United Kingdom, thinks the genre is “the
|
||||
most uninviting it’s ever been,” choked in a swamp of shit: listless,
|
||||
derivative beats and pure AI slop. He came to the genre around the turn of the
|
||||
decade, and was intrigued by the idea of trying to infuse things like post-rock
|
||||
into lo-fi. While working overnight shifts at a tech company’s store in an
|
||||
emptied-out mall, he’d balance out the spectral creepiness of the space with
|
||||
chill lo-fi beats. Like Eden, he’s seen a sharp dropoff in streams under his
|
||||
alias [35]Project AER; a skyrocketing count of two million listeners per month
|
||||
a few years ago has sunk to 420,000 today. Spotify’s fickle playlist placements
|
||||
and lo-fi’s enshittification has freaked him out. “There’s so much anxiety
|
||||
around what to do as artists,” he told me. “I’m trying to find any other means
|
||||
so I can take that reliance that I have on lo-fi out of my life because it
|
||||
causes me a lot of stress.”
|
||||
|
||||
Many people credit lo-fi beats to the [36]mothbitten jazz-hop of J Dilla and
|
||||
[37]Nujabes. It’s a slightly misleading term, since the sound isn’t always
|
||||
low-fidelity, and the phrase “lo-fi” already has many other meanings in music.
|
||||
It goes back to indie rock in the ’90s with one-man noise-makers and fuzzy
|
||||
bands like Guided by Voices, who made a deliberately imperfect, clangorous
|
||||
sound—partly as a reaction to the pristine quality of the CD era. “Lo-fi beats”
|
||||
coasts on the vaguest of associations, and there was never an ideological
|
||||
motive behind it. But its success online might partly come from it being the
|
||||
antithesis of so much ultraglossy, hi-fi music in the 2010s, from hyperpop to
|
||||
mainstream trap and pop. Lo-fi beats are [38]frayed and slipshod, with a [39]
|
||||
dustiness that carries the hallucination of lowkey intimacy, like you’re [40]
|
||||
overhearing someone practicing their drumming.
|
||||
|
||||
The scene proper didn’t really crystallize until the mid-2010s, when Lofi Girl
|
||||
and other online hotspots cropped up. The music was unofficially christened as
|
||||
“lo-fi beats to study to,” taken from the clickbait title of so many [41]
|
||||
YouTube mixes that curated soothing yet stimulating instrumental music. It
|
||||
became a macro-genre catchall term for anything vaguely chill, jazzy, wistful,
|
||||
playlistable: capacious enough to cover both J Dilla and cosmic IDM. The scene
|
||||
had a slew of [42]mini-stars—producers like [43]eevee and [44]potsu, who’s
|
||||
maybe most known for making the [45]petal-soft beat that XXXTentacion later
|
||||
hijacked for his massively popular “[46]Jocelyn Flores.”
|
||||
|
||||
The dreamiest beats offered a kind of divine comfort, from sublime bossa nova
|
||||
soundtracks for Pokémon games that don’t exist to the [47]bittersweet beats
|
||||
sampling Shiloh Dynasty, the enigmatic vocalist who is basically the scene’s
|
||||
Imogen Heap. Listening to the Flume-ified tripstream of eery’s “[48]hardly”
|
||||
instantly takes me back to the days when I first heard it as a teen—it inspired
|
||||
me to crack FL Studio and try to create my own instrumental mischief.
|
||||
(Thankfully, I pivoted to writing.)
|
||||
|
||||
AI has annexed the lo-fi scene for a hodgepodge of reasons: The lack of vocals,
|
||||
which typically gives away robo fraudulence, make it easier to infiltrate; the
|
||||
music’s association with aimless, unfocused listening—vibe music before vibe
|
||||
became a buzzword—means people aren’t paying as much attention to what’s real
|
||||
and what’s not; the fixation on fantastical, Studio Ghibli–core visuals, which
|
||||
image generators can vomit up with ease. Take Mewy Cat Lofi’s “Relaxing Lofi
|
||||
for Study Time,” which lures passersby with [49]adorable animations of Pusheen
|
||||
before, five hours into the 12-hour mix, they realize the same chord
|
||||
progression has seemingly repeated 100 times. YouTube offers [50]creators the
|
||||
option to disclose if their videos use AI, but they only require disclosure for
|
||||
some things, such as “altering a famous car chase scene to include a celebrity
|
||||
who wasn’t in the original movie.” A few [51]viral mixes have “Altered or
|
||||
synthetic content” warnings in the description, but many don’t.
|
||||
|
||||
“It’s a travesty, truly,” groans Dreamwave, a 26-year-old from Washington whose
|
||||
channel was one of the [52]earliest and biggest lo-fi archives, and who has
|
||||
never used AI for his carefully curated videos. He describes the arc of his
|
||||
channel as a slow, soul-crushing descent, from a thriving community of lo-fi
|
||||
lovers to minimal views on his uploads. He says it’d take him a month to sculpt
|
||||
a three-hour mix of lo-fi music—discovering and blending the sweetest tunes,
|
||||
asking for permission—while autobot channels can do it with a few clicks. “With
|
||||
AI, you can just come up with some ridiculous chord progression and then turn
|
||||
it into an ambient track where there’s just not a lot going on,” he explains.
|
||||
“You can almost loop it over and over and then upload that. You can upload
|
||||
three hour compilations every day.” He believes he’s lost millions of views
|
||||
because his sparse uploads have been deprioritized in the search results. “It
|
||||
really pisses me off to see anything AI-generated getting so many views. It
|
||||
enrages me.”
|
||||
|
||||
“The oversaturation caused by AI-generated music is very real,” adds Berkkan
|
||||
B., the manager of Lofi Records, the label spearheaded by Lofi Girl. “It’s
|
||||
flooding the platforms, and unless streaming services implement some kind of
|
||||
regulation, which we hope they will, this will inevitably dilute the presence
|
||||
and visibility of real artists.” While Berkkan believes AI “can be a powerful
|
||||
tool” to do things like “enhance workflows” and “refine ideas,” they say that
|
||||
everything on the Lofi Girl channel comes from human composers and designers.
|
||||
|
||||
I spoke with a pseudonymous creator who uses AI to power four separate
|
||||
channels: jazz music, meditation, rain sounds, and [53]Lofi Tone Art, the
|
||||
latter of which has amassed over 10 million cumulative views. The clips often
|
||||
show looping gifs of murky cityspaces and rain-soaked cabins that offer a “[54]
|
||||
quiet sanctuary in the storm.” They told me they use AI to create everything:
|
||||
ChatGPT for descriptions; other unspecified software (likely Udio or Suno, the
|
||||
most popular programs that generate music from text prompts) for the audio. “To
|
||||
be honest, I think at this stage, AI still struggles to outperform real music
|
||||
due to its high error rate,” they told me in an email. “However, when used as a
|
||||
supportive tool, it can be incredibly helpful. When selecting songs, I usually
|
||||
listen to them repeatedly to ensure they sound smooth and don’t overpower the
|
||||
mood.”
|
||||
|
||||
Detractors might argue that lo-fi beats was always mercenary music engineered
|
||||
and optimized to hook sad bois with no taste, and good riddance. But to the
|
||||
aficionados, it’s sacred music—the musical madeleine for a generation that
|
||||
listened to it through the highs and lows of their adolescence. Dreamwave says
|
||||
every upload to his channel represents a memory in his life. Reade sounds
|
||||
jubilant as he expounds upon his love for the somnambulant churn of
|
||||
Philanthrope and Sleepy Fish’s “[55]Space Cadet,” a track he claims he “could
|
||||
literally put on repeat and just listen to forever.”
|
||||
|
||||
For these lo-fi fanatics, the music came with the bonus of a lovely community.
|
||||
Eden described the scene as something like a virtual neighborhood, with
|
||||
specific comps supporting women beatmakers and online friends she’s since met
|
||||
in real-life, like the founders of the Portuguese label Salad Day Records.
|
||||
Reade recalls being in a cluster of Twitter chats, along with a Discord channel
|
||||
called “Lofi Backstage” that’s a who’s-who of “peak era” lo-fi GOATs. Dreamwave
|
||||
used to play Rocket League with other YouTuber-archivists, and relished the raw
|
||||
thoughts people left on his videos. “A lot of the comments on my channel are
|
||||
usually people going like, ‘Hey, I remember when I was listening to this song
|
||||
with my ex-girlfriend seven years ago, and I just wanted to comment and say
|
||||
that we broke up.’ You can’t find that in an AI-generated video.”
|
||||
|
||||
Many of these artists are fighting back, writing screeds against AI and
|
||||
commissioning art from illustrators whose livelihoods are being threatened.
|
||||
There’s a hint of futility in their voices as they wonder about what lo-fi will
|
||||
look like in a few years, but also a plucky determination, like they’re
|
||||
bedroom-producer Davids battling big bad Gol-AI-ith. It’s likely that as AI
|
||||
advances and makes reasonable facsimiles of even more genres, there’ll be a
|
||||
reverse push for realness—akin to listeners obsessing over vinyl or obscure
|
||||
formats, the human touch could become a boutique feature, like raw milk at the
|
||||
farmer’s market. Lo-AI hasn’t won the battle yet; it means too much to these
|
||||
people. “When things get so bleak with lo-fi or just the world, right, it’s
|
||||
very easy to enter a state of nihilism. Like, why should I do any of it, when
|
||||
it’s all so fruitless?” Reade said. “You do it for yourself. That’s the core
|
||||
thing with art and music for me.”
|
||||
|
||||
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
|
||||
What I’m listening to:
|
||||
Tags[56]Rabbit Holed
|
||||
[57]Pitchfork
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The most trusted voice in music
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• [58]
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References:
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||||
[1] https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-ai-wreaked-havoc-on-the-lo-fi-beat-scene/#main-content
|
||||
[3] https://pitchfork.com/
|
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[4] https://pitchfork.com/newsletter
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[6] https://pitchfork.com/news/
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[7] https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/
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[8] https://pitchfork.com/best/
|
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[9] https://pitchfork.com/features/
|
||||
[10] https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/
|
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[11] https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/
|
||||
[12] https://pitchfork.com/tv/
|
||||
[14] https://pitchfork.com/
|
||||
[16] https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/
|
||||
[17] https://pitchfork.com/tags/rabbit-holed/
|
||||
[18] https://pitchfork.com/staff/kieran-press-reynolds/
|
||||
[20] https://www.panicker.design/
|
||||
[23] https://youtu.be/MmPemW9ZJtE?si=SpJ7p_QB0g9ENnZW
|
||||
[24] https://youtu.be/HC6xx-GxlUY?si=XNosGThH-JVKNXMD
|
||||
[25] https://youtu.be/t2WD-eEPXFE?si=nztdyZVbJW_-gPti
|
||||
[26] https://youtu.be/Bh_QhurLUwU?si=Tdigb5Hj2w3BaVoW
|
||||
[27] https://youtu.be/9GaBMZRHM3U?si=4p2PReY8V3Q0HRES
|
||||
[28] https://youtu.be/BCxTQq0UiFs?si=CqBf7ljlGOgqB74S
|
||||
[29] https://youtu.be/BCxTQq0UiFs?si=Ph1E7NYqWmQSg7nS
|
||||
[30] https://youtu.be/OZ3yirnnQQE?si=g37Je8NWQVob0Zcq
|
||||
[31] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Internet_theory
|
||||
[32] https://www.reddit.com/r/LofiHipHop/comments/1kxslzd/lofi_has_lost_its_soul/
|
||||
[33] https://www.youtube.com/@lofilouismusic
|
||||
[34] https://www.youtube.com/@LofiGirl
|
||||
[35] https://youtu.be/iwrjRC2qcXU?si=JW33JsBgcQdwY6Cn
|
||||
[36] https://youtu.be/nrOW7U0pnB4?si=bKlSdzLsawRDpup9
|
||||
[37] https://youtu.be/8iP3J8jFYdM?si=ce-0yin-4njpes2C
|
||||
[38] https://youtu.be/naV2N1K0A3g?si=ixxSL99wID4C4HAX
|
||||
[39] https://youtu.be/9nvytHNsz5M?si=63lPvGYPX_nNdXRy
|
||||
[40] https://youtu.be/lZq4UDKja24?si=p-11ablZiDFxHioh
|
||||
[41] https://youtu.be/s49CT4DTAkw?si=MfEeXKa6OYrpDGGW
|
||||
[42] https://youtu.be/2a-kz_4Yfuw?si=kjPFB3QVy-CiX_sP
|
||||
[43] https://youtu.be/1_Q3b0NS_Ek?si=J-XUnpamtn2M6aEP
|
||||
[44] https://youtu.be/WqCpWu8tgRw?si=U9J2afkx96ORrqdw
|
||||
[45] https://youtu.be/xSB8trUFX1A?si=yR-Eg_uRj8aojeRh
|
||||
[46] https://youtu.be/FAucVNRx_mU?si=bUOJOAZtvrJJIJSH
|
||||
[47] https://youtu.be/7ly7Mhle-4M?si=f6fiSvwd0UAZBcL9
|
||||
[48] https://youtu.be/Vyj0kLPi2IA?si=PQceppX890RRtuMK
|
||||
[49] https://www.youtube.com/live/LUgjx7_84_Y?si=vGJozd88mdXqDZja
|
||||
[50] https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
|
||||
[51] https://youtu.be/Bh_QhurLUwU?si=xX0urBi0IClyNSqZ
|
||||
[52] https://www.youtube.com/@Dreamwave
|
||||
[53] https://www.youtube.com/@Lo-fi_chill_mix/videos
|
||||
[54] https://youtu.be/fWtFZE_du0Y?si=T2Pwu-YNJo6WSMRq
|
||||
[55] https://youtu.be/aLTo-gmdClw?si=m7Uw6uhnxi_s5lLI
|
||||
[56] https://pitchfork.com/tags/rabbit-holed/
|
||||
[57] https://pitchfork.com/
|
||||
[58] https://www.instagram.com/pitchfork/
|
||||
[59] https://twitter.com/pitchfork
|
||||
[60] https://www.facebook.com/Pitchfork/
|
||||
[61] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7kI8WjpCfFoMSNDuRh_4lA
|
||||
[62] https://www.tiktok.com/@pitchfork?lang=en
|
||||
[63] https://pitchfork.com/tv/
|
||||
[64] https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/
|
||||
[65] https://pitchfork.com/features/podcast/
|
||||
[66] https://pitchfork.com/info/masthead/
|
||||
[67] https://pitchfork.com/info/rss/
|
||||
[68] https://pitchfork.com/sitemap/
|
||||
[69] https://pitchfork.com/about/faq/
|
||||
[70] https://pitchfork.com/subscribe/
|
||||
[71] https://pitchforkmusicfestival.com/
|
||||
[72] https://pitchforkmusicfestival.co.uk/
|
||||
[73] https://pitchforkmusicfestival.fr/
|
||||
[74] https://www.pitchforkmusicfestival.mx/
|
||||
[75] https://pitchfork.com/info/events
|
||||
[76] https://www.condenast.com/user-agreement/
|
||||
[77] http://www.condenast.com/privacy-policy#privacypolicy
|
||||
[78] http://www.condenast.com/privacy-policy#privacypolicy-california
|
||||
[79] https://pitchfork.com/newsletter
|
||||
[80] https://pitchfork.com/info/rss
|
||||
[81] https://pitchfork.com/info/contact
|
||||
[82] https://pitchfork.com/info/accessibility-help
|
||||
[83] https://pitchfork.com/info/ad
|
||||
[84] http://www.aboutads.info/
|
||||
530
static/archive/synthanatomy-com-xthm71.txt
Normal file
530
static/archive/synthanatomy-com-xthm71.txt
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,530 @@
|
||||
• [1]About
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• [2]Imprint
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• [3]Contact
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• [4]Support
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• [5]Advertise with us
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• [13]NAMM 2026
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• [14]News
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□ [15]Hardware
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☆ [16]Audio & MIDI
|
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☆ [17]Drum Machines
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☆ [18]DIY
|
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☆ [19]Eurorack
|
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☆ [20]Effects
|
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☆ [21]Grooveboxes
|
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☆ [22]Synthesizers
|
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☆ [23]Sampler
|
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□ [24]Software
|
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☆ [25]Standalone
|
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☆ [26]FREE
|
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○ [27]FREE Plugins
|
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○ [28]FREE iOS
|
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☆ [29]Plugins
|
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○ [30]Plugin Updates
|
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☆ [31]Max For Live, Reaktor, Pure Data…
|
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☆ [32]iOS
|
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☆ [33]DAW
|
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□ [34]Preset & Sample Libraries
|
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☆ [35]Free Kontakt/ Presets/ Sample Libraries
|
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☆ [36]Sample Libraries
|
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☆ [37]Presets
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• [38]Leaks
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• [39]Reviews
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□ [40]Hardware
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□ [41]iOS
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□ [42]Plugins
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□ [43]Sample & Sound Libraries
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• [44]In-Depth
|
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□ [45]Real Talk
|
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□ [46]Vaporware Synths
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• [47]Synth Radar
|
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• [48]Deals
|
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□ [49]Hardware
|
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□ [50]iOS
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• [53]Events
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• [54]Music
|
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□ [55]Interviews
|
||||
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||||
News Ticker
|
||||
|
||||
• [56] [ March 10, 2026 ] Xaoc Devices Kamieniec II: upgraded analog phaser
|
||||
module with expandable stages Eurorack
|
||||
• [57] [ March 10, 2026 ] Augmatic Audio GRE: an algorithmic drum pattern
|
||||
generator for iOS and macOS iOS
|
||||
• [58] [ March 9, 2026 ] GEOSynths Fragments Vol 2: new sounds for Arturia
|
||||
MiniFreak Synthesizer News
|
||||
• [59] [ March 9, 2026 ] Terrarum Rivet 02 – Room: free room reverb plugin
|
||||
for iOS and macOS Free iOS Apps and AUv3 Plugins
|
||||
• [60] [ March 9, 2026 ] Groovesizer MYNAH: a compact polyphonic sampler for
|
||||
on-the-go DIY
|
||||
|
||||
Search for: [61][ ] [62][Search]
|
||||
[63]Home[64]News[65]Hardware[66]Drum MachinesMusical Beings Tembo: this
|
||||
magnetic drum machine turns the whole family into beatmakers
|
||||
|
||||
Musical Beings Tembo: this magnetic drum machine turns the whole family into
|
||||
beatmakers
|
||||
|
||||
[67]February 24, 2026 [68]Synth Anatomy [69]Drum Machines, [70]Hardware, [71]
|
||||
News [72]4
|
||||
|
||||
SYNTH ANATOMY uses affiliation & partner programs (big red buttons) to finance
|
||||
a part of the activity. If you use these, you support the website. Thanks!
|
||||
|
||||
Musical Beings Tembo is a new family-friendly drum machine with real-time
|
||||
sampling capabilities, programmed with magnets.
|
||||
|
||||
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of electronic instruments
|
||||
designed not just for us technically gifted people but for the whole family.
|
||||
They have very hands-on concepts and can be used by kids, parents, or even your
|
||||
grandparents.
|
||||
|
||||
These have opened up a new field in electronic music instruments. Examples
|
||||
include the Dato DUO synth, the new Dato Drum, the entry-level Stylophone
|
||||
gadgets, or the Blipblox series. The newest product in this category is the
|
||||
Tembo, a playful drum machine from the new company Musical Beings.
|
||||
|
||||
[73]Musical Beings TemboMusical Beings Tembo
|
||||
|
||||
Musical Beings Tembo
|
||||
|
||||
Tembo is a playful drum machine and sampler designed for the whole family. It
|
||||
lets you jam and create groovy loops in just a few minutes.
|
||||
|
||||
Musical Beings has taken many of the things we love about drum machines and
|
||||
created an original, very immediate, and childlike instrument in Tembo. No, it
|
||||
doesn’t try to compete with a traditional drum computer from our nerd
|
||||
universe.
|
||||
|
||||
Instead of focusing solely on tech enthusiasts, the goal was to create an
|
||||
instrument that lowers the barrier to entry and inspires even those with no
|
||||
experience with drum machines.
|
||||
|
||||
[74]Musical Beings TemboMusical Beings Tembo
|
||||
|
||||
This is evident in various aspects of the design, starting with the interface.
|
||||
Programming here is done without a cumbersome menu system or tiny display. The
|
||||
pattern generator is here, immediate and tangible.
|
||||
|
||||
Playful, Tangible Programming
|
||||
|
||||
Round magnet dots are used, arranged on a 5×8 grid. Wherever a magnet is placed
|
||||
on the sequencer, a sound is triggered. To trigger sounds with subdivisions,
|
||||
several magnets are stacked on top of each other. There is also a swing
|
||||
function and mute per channel.
|
||||
|
||||
Additionally, the interface provides real-time visual feedback of the
|
||||
sequencer. With 8 steps, the patterns are quite small; after all, you’re not
|
||||
exactly designing the next techno banger for Berghain in Berlin here.
|
||||
|
||||
But who knows what Tembo will do for a child? Maybe they’ll be the next techno
|
||||
star.
|
||||
|
||||
The very playful, direct sound setting allows quick pattern manipulation,
|
||||
whereas with large tech drum machines, menu diving is necessary. The Musical
|
||||
Beings Tembo is both a toy and a real instrument with many features of larger
|
||||
tech-focused machines.
|
||||
|
||||
[75]TemboTembo
|
||||
|
||||
Sample & Sequence It
|
||||
|
||||
As mentioned before, there are 5 tracks, each with an 8-step sequencer. The
|
||||
sound engine is sample-based. You can either use the sounds built-into the
|
||||
device.
|
||||
|
||||
Alternatively, you can use the built-in sampler in the Tembo hardware with the
|
||||
built-in mic or the line-in, allowing you to bring in any sound possible. This
|
||||
is also very direct and immediate. No menus, no finger acrobatics with button
|
||||
combinations…
|
||||
|
||||
Simply press the button, and record your sound into the device. This way, even
|
||||
children can incorporate sounds from their play area without parental
|
||||
assistance.
|
||||
|
||||
Even though there are no deep sound design options, you can polish any
|
||||
sequenced sound with an effect or modulation controlled by the knob in each
|
||||
row.
|
||||
|
||||
On top of that, you can easily add backing track loops to your rhythms
|
||||
|
||||
[76]Musical Beings TemboMusical Beings Tembo
|
||||
|
||||
Take It Further
|
||||
|
||||
If your mom or dad is a musician and likes to take the rhythms further, they
|
||||
can easily export the sounds at any time.
|
||||
|
||||
Musical Beings Tembo offers both a line and MIDI connectivity for connecting to
|
||||
your favorite DAW. It also ships with a companion VST plugin for deeper
|
||||
integration in your existing setup.
|
||||
|
||||
Yes, it comes with a plugin, but Tembo is a standalone instrument that doesn’t
|
||||
require a computer. It has a built-in rechargeable battery and a loudspeaker,
|
||||
allowing you to create anywhere.
|
||||
|
||||
Plus, it has a headphone socket with its own volume control and ear-protection
|
||||
limiter to help safeguard your hearing.
|
||||
|
||||
Musical Beings Tembo First Impression
|
||||
|
||||
I find it exciting that more companies are making the world of electronic music
|
||||
more accessible, including to children and people who aren’t particularly
|
||||
familiar with it.
|
||||
|
||||
Tembo looks very fun and intuitive, and I can imagine it’s a great way to teach
|
||||
people a feel for rhythm. We’ll have to see how much all this fun costs.
|
||||
|
||||
Musical Beings Tembo price and availability are TBA. It will be available soon
|
||||
to support on Kickstarter.
|
||||
|
||||
More information here: [77]Musical Beings
|
||||
|
||||
[78]Hardware Drum Machine News
|
||||
|
||||
[79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85]
|
||||
|
||||
• [86]hardware drum machine
|
||||
• [87]Musical Beings
|
||||
• [88]Musical Beings Tembo
|
||||
|
||||
[89]ACME Synthworks Roland Jupiter-8ACME Synthworks Roland Jupiter-8Previous
|
||||
|
||||
ACME Synthworks Roland Jupiter-8 clone is in development
|
||||
|
||||
[90]Inear Display pluginsInear Display pluginsNext
|
||||
|
||||
The experimental Inear Display plugins are back as pay-what-you-want incl. free
|
||||
downloads
|
||||
|
||||
Related Articles
|
||||
|
||||
[91][png][Isla-Instruments-SP-2400-326x245]
|
||||
Drum Machines
|
||||
|
||||
[92] Isla Instruments SP 2400 Drum Machine & Sampler Is Available Now For
|
||||
Pre-Order
|
||||
|
||||
[93]June 17, 2019 [94]Synth Anatomy [95]Drum Machines, [96]Hardware, [97]News,
|
||||
[98]Sampler [99]0
|
||||
|
||||
Isla Instruments SP 2400 is a new hardware drum machine / sampler that is heavy
|
||||
inspired by the legendary EMU SP 1200. The developers don’t describe as a clone
|
||||
but as a spiritual successor. So [100][…]
|
||||
|
||||
[101]Muse Ovation BeatWarpMuse Ovation BeatWarp
|
||||
Drum Machines
|
||||
|
||||
[102] NAMM 2023: Muse Ovations BeatWarp, new groovebox with a unique, colorful
|
||||
concept
|
||||
|
||||
[103]April 17, 2023 [104]Synth Anatomy [105]Drum Machines, [106]Grooveboxes,
|
||||
[107]Hardware, [108]News [109]4
|
||||
|
||||
NAMM 2023: Muse Ovations has introduced BeatWarp, a new fascinating audio/MIDI
|
||||
groovebox with a unique, colorful concept. NAMM 2023 is officially history.
|
||||
Saturday was the last day of the biggest music fair. There was some [110][…]
|
||||
|
||||
4 Comments
|
||||
|
||||
1. munkel says:
|
||||
[111]February 24, 2026 at 8:48 pm
|
||||
|
||||
dasja mal n cooles konzept
|
||||
|
||||
[112]Reply
|
||||
2. theeht says:
|
||||
[113]February 25, 2026 at 4:44 pm
|
||||
|
||||
ho wow, it’s very gorgeous, I already love it, thank you for the article!
|
||||
|
||||
[114]Reply
|
||||
3. Delaylaylay. says:
|
||||
[115]February 26, 2026 at 7:10 pm
|
||||
|
||||
I’m loving everything about this thing. Wouldn’t it be just great at an
|
||||
affordable price point? It seems like the whole point is to be inclusive,
|
||||
so let’s hope that includes non rich folk too. I’m most certainly in if it
|
||||
does.
|
||||
|
||||
[116]Reply
|
||||
4. Sangeet says:
|
||||
[117]February 27, 2026 at 3:30 pm
|
||||
|
||||
The first drum machine which triggers me!
|
||||
|
||||
[118]Reply
|
||||
|
||||
Leave a Reply [119]Cancel reply
|
||||
|
||||
Your email address will not be published.
|
||||
|
||||
Comment
|
||||
[ ]
|
||||
[ ]
|
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[ ]
|
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[ ]
|
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[ ] [ ]
|
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|
||||
Name *
|
||||
[122][ ]
|
||||
|
||||
Email *
|
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[123][ ]
|
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|
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Website
|
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[124][ ]
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[125][ ]Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I
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comment.
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[126][Post Comment]
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[ ]
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[ ]
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[ ]
|
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[ ]
|
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[ ]
|
||||
[ ]
|
||||
[ ]
|
||||
Δ[ ]
|
||||
|
||||
[132]Latest Reviews
|
||||
|
||||
• [133]Novation Launch Control XL 3 reviewNovation Launch Control XL 3 review
|
||||
[134] Novation Launch Control XL 3 review: USB-MIDI controller for hybrid
|
||||
setups
|
||||
[135]March 2, 2026 [136]9
|
||||
• [137]Arturia Keystep 37 MK2 reviewArturia Keystep 37 MK2 review
|
||||
[138] Arturia Keystep 37 MK2 review: a no-brainer MIDI & CV controller and
|
||||
sequencer
|
||||
[139]February 26, 2026 [140]5
|
||||
• [141]Arturia FX Collection 6Arturia FX Collection 6
|
||||
[142] Arturia FX Collection 6 review: Efx Ambient, Pitch Shifter-910, and
|
||||
37 more effects plugins
|
||||
[143]February 19, 2026 [144]0
|
||||
|
||||
• [145]Chompi Club Tempo firmwareChompi Club Tempo firmware
|
||||
Hardware
|
||||
|
||||
[146] Chompi Club sampler: alternative Tempo firmware turns it into a new
|
||||
instrument: out now
|
||||
|
||||
Chompi Club hardware sampler, part of Chase Bliss, is back in stock with an
|
||||
upcoming new Tempo firmware and a hardware update planned for 2026. At the
|
||||
end of 2025, Chase Bliss announced that the [147][...]
|
||||
• [148]Deal Roland TB-303 pluginDeal Roland TB-303 plugin
|
||||
Deals
|
||||
|
||||
[149] Deal: Roland TB-303 plugin: save 67% OFF for a limited time
|
||||
|
||||
It’s 303 day, and Roland has launched a special 303 deal offering the
|
||||
TB-303 plugin at 67% off for a limited time. Happy 303 Day! It’s the day of
|
||||
the legendary Roland TB-303 bassline Synthesizer. [150][...]
|
||||
|
||||
[151]MORE NEWS
|
||||
|
||||
• [152]Elektron Syntakt 1.40Elektron Syntakt 1.40
|
||||
[153] Elektron SYNTAKT: firmware 1.40 adds Twinshot sample machine and more
|
||||
[154]March 4, 2026 [155]21
|
||||
• [156]Morphor Echon 6Morphor Echon 6
|
||||
[157] Morphor Echon 6, analog polyphonic BBD Resonator Synthesizer: new
|
||||
sound demos
|
||||
[158]March 4, 2026 [159]13
|
||||
• [160]SynthFamDSP SamposiumSynthFamDSP Samposium
|
||||
[161] SynthFamDSP Samposium: a multi-layer performance sampler for iOS
|
||||
[162]March 4, 2026 [163]0
|
||||
• [164]Liminal Sound Devices BurgLiminal Sound Devices Burg
|
||||
[165] Liminal Sound Devices Burg: experimental semi-modular synth and
|
||||
multi-FX
|
||||
[166]March 4, 2026 [167]0
|
||||
• [168]Chompi Club Tempo firmwareChompi Club Tempo firmware
|
||||
[169] Chompi Club sampler: alternative Tempo firmware turns it into a new
|
||||
instrument: out now
|
||||
[170]March 3, 2026 [171]21
|
||||
|
||||
Follow on Facebook
|
||||
|
||||
[172]SupportSupport
|
||||
|
||||
© by SYNTH ANATOMY
|
||||
|
||||
[173]
|
||||
[174]WP-Backgrounds Lite by InoPlugs Web Design and [175]Juwelier Schönmann
|
||||
1010 Wien
|
||||
|
||||
References:
|
||||
|
||||
[1] https://synthanatomy.com/about
|
||||
[2] https://synthanatomy.com/imprint
|
||||
[3] https://synthanatomy.com/contact
|
||||
[4] https://synthanatomy.com/support-music-technology-website-synth-anatomy
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[5] https://synthanatomy.com/advertise-with-us
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[7] https://www.facebook.com/synthanatomy/
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[9] https://www.instagram.com/synth_anatomy/
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[10] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdhsQHBXLpf-qrAVox4fyMA
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[11] https://synthanatomy.com/feeds
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[12] https://synthanatomy.com/
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[13] https://synthanatomy.com/category/namm-2026-synth-and-music-tech-news-synth-anatomy
|
||||
[14] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news
|
||||
[15] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy
|
||||
[16] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/audiomidi
|
||||
[17] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/drum-machines
|
||||
[18] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/diy
|
||||
[19] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/eurorack
|
||||
[20] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/effects
|
||||
[21] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/grooveboxes
|
||||
[22] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/synthesizers
|
||||
[23] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/sampler
|
||||
[24] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/software
|
||||
[25] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/software/standalone
|
||||
[26] https://synthanatomy.com/category/free-music-software-plugins-apps
|
||||
[27] https://synthanatomy.com/category/free-music-software-plugins-apps/best-free-plugins-pc-mac-64-bit-ios-apps
|
||||
[28] https://synthanatomy.com/category/free-music-software-plugins-apps/free-ios-apps-and-auv3-plugins
|
||||
[29] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/software/plugins-software
|
||||
[30] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/software/plugins-software/the-latest-plugin-updates-at-a-glance
|
||||
[31] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/software/max-for-live-reaktor-pure-data
|
||||
[32] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/software/ios-software
|
||||
[33] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/software/daw
|
||||
[34] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/preset-sample-library
|
||||
[35] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/preset-sample-library/free-kontakt-presets-sample-libraries
|
||||
[36] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/preset-sample-library/kontakt-5-sample-libraries
|
||||
[37] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/preset-sample-library/presets
|
||||
[38] https://synthanatomy.com/category/leaks-rumours-synthesizers
|
||||
[39] https://synthanatomy.com/category/reviews
|
||||
[40] https://synthanatomy.com/category/reviews/hardware-reviews
|
||||
[41] https://synthanatomy.com/category/reviews/ios-reviews
|
||||
[42] https://synthanatomy.com/category/reviews/plugins-reviews
|
||||
[43] https://synthanatomy.com/category/reviews/sample-sound-libraries
|
||||
[44] https://synthanatomy.com/category/in-depth
|
||||
[45] https://synthanatomy.com/category/real-talk
|
||||
[46] https://synthanatomy.com/category/vaporware-synths
|
||||
[47] https://synthanatomy.com/category/synth-radar-synthesizer-electronic-music-videos
|
||||
[48] https://synthanatomy.com/category/best-music-tech-plugin-deals-you-need-to-know
|
||||
[49] https://synthanatomy.com/category/best-music-tech-plugin-deals-you-need-to-know/best-hardware-music-tech-deals
|
||||
[50] https://synthanatomy.com/category/best-music-tech-plugin-deals-you-need-to-know/ios-app-deals
|
||||
[51] https://synthanatomy.com/category/best-music-tech-plugin-deals-you-need-to-know/plugin-deals
|
||||
[52] https://synthanatomy.com/category/best-music-tech-plugin-deals-you-need-to-know/sample-preset-libraries-deals
|
||||
[53] https://synthanatomy.com/category/events
|
||||
[54] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music
|
||||
[55] https://synthanatomy.com/category/interviews
|
||||
[56] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/xaoc-devices-kamieniec-ii-upgradeded-analog-phaser-module.html
|
||||
[57] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/augmatic-audio-gre-an-algorithmic-drum-pattern-generator-for-ios-and-macos.html
|
||||
[58] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/geosynths-fragments-vol-2-new-sounds-for-arturia-minifreak-synthesizer.html
|
||||
[59] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/terrarum-rivet-02-room-free-reverb-plugin-for-ios-and-macos.html
|
||||
[60] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/groovesizer-mynah-a-compact-diy-polyphonic-sampler.html
|
||||
[63] https://synthanatomy.com/
|
||||
[64] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news
|
||||
[65] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy
|
||||
[66] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/drum-machines
|
||||
[67] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02
|
||||
[68] https://synthanatomy.com/author/tom
|
||||
[69] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/drum-machines
|
||||
[70] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy
|
||||
[71] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news
|
||||
[72] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comments
|
||||
[73] https://synthanatomy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Musical-Beings-Tembo.jpg
|
||||
[74] https://synthanatomy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Musical-Beings-Tembo-drum-machine.jpg
|
||||
[75] https://synthanatomy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Musical-Beings-Tembo-drum.jpg
|
||||
[76] https://synthanatomy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Musical-Beings-Tembo-drum-machine-sampler.jpg
|
||||
[77] https://www.musicalbeings.com/
|
||||
[78] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/drum-machines
|
||||
[79] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#
|
||||
[80] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#
|
||||
[81] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#
|
||||
[82] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#
|
||||
[83] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#
|
||||
[84] mailto:?subject=Musical%20Beings%20Tembo%3A%20this%20magnetic%20drum%20machine%20turns%20the%20whole%20family%20into%20beatmakers&body=https%3A%2F%2Fsynthanatomy.com%2F2026%2F02%2Fmusical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html
|
||||
[85] javascript:window.print()
|
||||
[86] https://synthanatomy.com/tag/hardware-drum-machine
|
||||
[87] https://synthanatomy.com/tag/musical-beings
|
||||
[88] https://synthanatomy.com/tag/musical-beings-tembo
|
||||
[89] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/acme-synthworks-roland-jupiter-8-clone.html
|
||||
[90] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/the-experimental-inear-display-plugins-are-back-as-pay-what-you-want-incl-free-downloads.html
|
||||
[91] https://synthanatomy.com/2019/06/isla-instruments-sp-2400-pre-order.html
|
||||
[92] https://synthanatomy.com/2019/06/isla-instruments-sp-2400-pre-order.html
|
||||
[93] https://synthanatomy.com/2019/06
|
||||
[94] https://synthanatomy.com/author/tom
|
||||
[95] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/drum-machines
|
||||
[96] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy
|
||||
[97] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news
|
||||
[98] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/sampler
|
||||
[99] https://synthanatomy.com/2019/06/isla-instruments-sp-2400-pre-order.html#respond
|
||||
[100] https://synthanatomy.com/2019/06/isla-instruments-sp-2400-pre-order.html
|
||||
[101] https://synthanatomy.com/2023/04/namm-2023-muse-ovations-beatwarp-groovebox-with-a-unique-colorful-concept.html
|
||||
[102] https://synthanatomy.com/2023/04/namm-2023-muse-ovations-beatwarp-groovebox-with-a-unique-colorful-concept.html
|
||||
[103] https://synthanatomy.com/2023/04
|
||||
[104] https://synthanatomy.com/author/tom
|
||||
[105] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/drum-machines
|
||||
[106] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy/grooveboxes
|
||||
[107] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news/news-this-way-best-hardware-music-tech-news-by-synth-anatomy
|
||||
[108] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news
|
||||
[109] https://synthanatomy.com/2023/04/namm-2023-muse-ovations-beatwarp-groovebox-with-a-unique-colorful-concept.html#comments
|
||||
[110] https://synthanatomy.com/2023/04/namm-2023-muse-ovations-beatwarp-groovebox-with-a-unique-colorful-concept.html
|
||||
[111] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152213
|
||||
[112] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152213
|
||||
[113] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152251
|
||||
[114] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152251
|
||||
[115] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152284
|
||||
[116] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152284
|
||||
[117] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152314
|
||||
[118] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#comment-152314
|
||||
[119] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#respond
|
||||
[132] https://synthanatomy.com/category/reviews
|
||||
[133] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/novation-launch-control-xl-3-review-usb-midi-controller-for-hybrid-setups.html
|
||||
[134] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/novation-launch-control-xl-3-review-usb-midi-controller-for-hybrid-setups.html
|
||||
[135] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03
|
||||
[136] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/novation-launch-control-xl-3-review-usb-midi-controller-for-hybrid-setups.html#comments
|
||||
[137] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/arturia-keystep-37-mk2-review-a-no-brainer-midi-cv-controller-and-sequencer.html
|
||||
[138] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/arturia-keystep-37-mk2-review-a-no-brainer-midi-cv-controller-and-sequencer.html
|
||||
[139] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02
|
||||
[140] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/arturia-keystep-37-mk2-review-a-no-brainer-midi-cv-controller-and-sequencer.html#comments
|
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[141] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/arturia-fx-collection-6-review-efx-ambient-pitch-shifter-910-and-37-more-effects-plugins.html
|
||||
[142] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/arturia-fx-collection-6-review-efx-ambient-pitch-shifter-910-and-37-more-effects-plugins.html
|
||||
[143] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02
|
||||
[144] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/arturia-fx-collection-6-review-efx-ambient-pitch-shifter-910-and-37-more-effects-plugins.html#respond
|
||||
[145] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/chompi-club-portable-sampler-and-looper-powered-by-daisy.html
|
||||
[146] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/chompi-club-portable-sampler-and-looper-powered-by-daisy.html
|
||||
[147] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/chompi-club-portable-sampler-and-looper-powered-by-daisy.html
|
||||
[148] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/deal-roland-tb-303-plugin-save-67-off-for-a-limited-time.html
|
||||
[149] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/deal-roland-tb-303-plugin-save-67-off-for-a-limited-time.html
|
||||
[150] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/deal-roland-tb-303-plugin-save-67-off-for-a-limited-time.html
|
||||
[151] https://synthanatomy.com/category/music-tech-news
|
||||
[152] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/elektron-syntakt-a-12-track-machine-driven-analog-digital-groovebox.html
|
||||
[153] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/elektron-syntakt-a-12-track-machine-driven-analog-digital-groovebox.html
|
||||
[154] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03
|
||||
[155] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/elektron-syntakt-a-12-track-machine-driven-analog-digital-groovebox.html#comments
|
||||
[156] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/morphor-echon-6-analog-polyphonic-bbd-resonator-synthesizer.html
|
||||
[157] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/morphor-echon-6-analog-polyphonic-bbd-resonator-synthesizer.html
|
||||
[158] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03
|
||||
[159] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/morphor-echon-6-analog-polyphonic-bbd-resonator-synthesizer.html#comments
|
||||
[160] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/synthfamdsp-samposium-a-multi-layer-performance-sampler-for-ios.html
|
||||
[161] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/synthfamdsp-samposium-a-multi-layer-performance-sampler-for-ios.html
|
||||
[162] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03
|
||||
[163] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/synthfamdsp-samposium-a-multi-layer-performance-sampler-for-ios.html#respond
|
||||
[164] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/liminal-sound-devices-burg-experimental-semi-modular-synth-and-multi-fx.html
|
||||
[165] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/liminal-sound-devices-burg-experimental-semi-modular-synth-and-multi-fx.html
|
||||
[166] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03
|
||||
[167] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/liminal-sound-devices-burg-experimental-semi-modular-synth-and-multi-fx.html#respond
|
||||
[168] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/chompi-club-portable-sampler-and-looper-powered-by-daisy.html
|
||||
[169] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/chompi-club-portable-sampler-and-looper-powered-by-daisy.html
|
||||
[170] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03
|
||||
[171] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/03/chompi-club-portable-sampler-and-looper-powered-by-daisy.html#comments
|
||||
[172] https://synthanatomy.com/support-music-technology-website-synth-anatomy
|
||||
[173] https://synthanatomy.com/2026/02/musical-beings-tembo-magnetic-this-magnetic-drum-machine-turns-the-whole-family-into-beatmakers.html#
|
||||
[174] http://inoplugs.com/
|
||||
[175] http://schoenmann.at/
|
||||
64
static/archive/www-chrbutler-com-avdt2j.txt
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64
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|
||||
[1][ ] [2] CB
|
||||
Christopher Butler
|
||||
[3]Information [4]Contents [5]Now Menu Close
|
||||
»
|
||||
[6]Home [7]Information [8]Contents [9]Now [10]RSS
|
||||
© Christopher Butler.
|
||||
All rights reserved.
|
||||
Christopher Butler
|
||||
log
|
||||
|
||||
The Productive Afterward
|
||||
|
||||
Summary
|
||||
|
||||
JA Westenberg's essay on the merits of optimism is a helpful reminder.
|
||||
|
||||
Published on February 25, 2026 by Christopher Butler
|
||||
[SOT]
|
||||
|
||||
[11]This, from JA Westenberg, is well-put:
|
||||
|
||||
“I’m going to argue that the pessimists have the best narratives and the
|
||||
worst track record. The doom scenarios require assumptions that don’t
|
||||
survive contact with economic history, and the psychological posture you
|
||||
bring to this moment actually matters for how it turns out.”
|
||||
|
||||
Westenberg’s essay is about why optimism at a time like the present makes
|
||||
sense. It’s exactly the sort of thing—when thoughtfully argued and laden with
|
||||
examples—that I need to read, as I tend to articulate optimism while
|
||||
internalizing the opposite. I tend to give every catastrophe a hearing, and
|
||||
even a momentary “what if this is right” leaves a mark on brain matter. That
|
||||
isn’t to say that ignoring all warnings is a good idea, nor is that what
|
||||
Westenberg recommends. But it is a helpful reminder that “catastrophist keep
|
||||
being wrong.” And one benefit to aging is that you can accumulate many
|
||||
directly-lived examples of just that.
|
||||
|
||||
I do appreciate the implicit message throughout this piece that reminds me of
|
||||
something important: we do experience great changes—the status quo isn’t
|
||||
untouchable—but the human drive to do something is both the most reliable force
|
||||
in ensuring future technological threats to our way of life and the productive
|
||||
afterward.
|
||||
|
||||
[EOT]
|
||||
|
||||
© Christopher Butler. All rights reserved.
|
||||
|
||||
[12]Information [13]Contents [14]Now [15]RSS
|
||||
|
||||
References:
|
||||
|
||||
[2] https://www.chrbutler.com/
|
||||
[3] https://www.chrbutler.com/information
|
||||
[4] https://www.chrbutler.com/archives
|
||||
[5] https://www.chrbutler.com/now
|
||||
[6] https://www.chrbutler.com/
|
||||
[7] https://www.chrbutler.com/information
|
||||
[8] https://www.chrbutler.com/archives
|
||||
[9] https://www.chrbutler.com/now
|
||||
[10] https://www.chrbutler.com/feed.rss
|
||||
[11] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/everything-is-awesome-why-im-an-optimist/
|
||||
[12] https://www.chrbutler.com/information
|
||||
[13] https://www.chrbutler.com/archives
|
||||
[14] https://www.chrbutler.com/now
|
||||
[15] https://www.chrbutler.com/feed.rss
|
||||
440
static/archive/www-joanwestenberg-com-3uezea.txt
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440
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@@ -0,0 +1,440 @@
|
||||
[1] [header-mar] > Westenberg. [MENU] [3] 1. Home [4] 2. About [5] 3. RSS [6]
|
||||
4. Tools [7] 5. YouTube [8] 6. Forum | [9] / Search | [10] → Sign in [11] +
|
||||
Subscribe
|
||||
STATUS // operational
|
||||
Westenberg. | v1.0 | 2026
|
||||
2026-02-25 // 13 min read
|
||||
|
||||
Everything is awesome (why I'm an optimist)
|
||||
|
||||
AUTHOR // [12]JA Westenberg ACCESS // true
|
||||
Everything is awesome (why I'm an optimist)
|
||||
|
||||
February is the month the internet decided we're all going to die.
|
||||
|
||||
In the span of about two weeks, Matt Shumer's [13]Something Big is Happening
|
||||
racked up over 80 million views on X with its breathless comparison of AI to
|
||||
the early days of COVID, telling his non-tech friends and family that we're in
|
||||
the "this seems overblown" phase of something much, much bigger than a
|
||||
pandemic. Before anyone had finished arguing about that, Citrini Research
|
||||
published [14]THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS (all caps) a fictional
|
||||
dispatch from June 2028 in which unemployment has hit 10.2%, the S&P 500 has
|
||||
crashed 38% from its highs, and the consumer economy has been hollowed out by
|
||||
what they coined "Ghost GDP": output that shows up in the national accounts but
|
||||
never circulates through the real economy, because, as Citrini helpfully
|
||||
observed, machines spend zero dollars on discretionary goods. Michael Burry
|
||||
signal-boosted it. [15]Bloomberg covered it. IBM fell 13%. Software and
|
||||
payments stocks shed over $200 billion in market cap in a single day,
|
||||
apparently because a Substack post called upon them by name and investors
|
||||
decided that constituted news.
|
||||
|
||||
The doom loop Citrini described is simple: AI capabilities improve, companies
|
||||
need fewer workers, white-collar layoffs increase, displaced workers spend
|
||||
less, margin pressure pushes firms to invest more in AI, AI capabilities
|
||||
improve. Repeat until civilization unravels. Shumer, meanwhile, told people to
|
||||
get their financial houses in order because the permanent underclass is
|
||||
imminent.
|
||||
|
||||
Both pieces went stratospherically viral, and both, I believe, are entirely
|
||||
wrong about where this is heading.
|
||||
|
||||
I want to make a case for optimism.
|
||||
|
||||
For anyone who read those pieces and felt the dread, whether you're building AI
|
||||
and worrying about what it means, or you've absorbed the pessimist consensus
|
||||
and started treating decline as a foregone conclusion, or you’re in the bucket
|
||||
of people Shumer insists are fucked; I'm going to argue that the pessimists
|
||||
have the best narratives and the worst track record. The doom scenarios require
|
||||
assumptions that don't survive contact with economic history, and the
|
||||
psychological posture you bring to this moment actually matters for how it
|
||||
turns out.
|
||||
|
||||
Why the doom loop feels so right
|
||||
|
||||
The central mechanism of the Citrini thesis: when you make intelligence
|
||||
abundant and cheap, you destroy the income that 70% of GDP depends on. A single
|
||||
GPU cluster in North Dakota generating the output previously attributed to
|
||||
10,000 white-collar workers in midtown Manhattan is, in their framing, "more
|
||||
economic pandemic than economic panacea." The velocity of money flatlines. The
|
||||
consumer economy withers. Ghost GDP accumulates in the national accounts while
|
||||
real humans stop being able to pay their mortgages.
|
||||
|
||||
Noah Smith, writing on [16]Noahpinion the day after the selloff, called it "a
|
||||
scary bedtime story" and pointed out that Citrini doesn't use an explicit
|
||||
macroeconomic model, so you can't actually see what assumptions are driving the
|
||||
doom spiral. Smith noted that none of the analysts whose job it is to track
|
||||
Visa and Mastercard stock had apparently thought about AI disruption until a
|
||||
blogger spelled it out for them, which tells you more about sentiment-driven
|
||||
trading than it does about macroeconomics. The economist Gerard MacDonell
|
||||
described the entire piece as "allegorical" but pointed out that it ignores a
|
||||
basic economic principle: production generates income.
|
||||
|
||||
Ben Thompson, on Stratechery, has been making a version of this counterargument
|
||||
for months, most forcefully in his January piece [17]AI and the Human Condition
|
||||
, where he argued that even if AI does all of the jobs, humans will still want
|
||||
humans, creating an economy for labor precisely because it is labor. Thompson's
|
||||
framing cuts to something the doom narratives consistently miss. They model AI
|
||||
exclusively as labor substitution: the same economy, minus humans. Every
|
||||
section of the Citrini piece is about replacing workers and squeezing margins
|
||||
on existing activity. What they don't model is what the freed-up surplus
|
||||
creates. As Thompson put it in [18]his analysis of the Citrini selloff, this is
|
||||
the real error: a refusal to believe in human choice and markets.
|
||||
|
||||
It's an error that has been made, in nearly identical form, about every major
|
||||
technological transformation in modern history. Every single time, the
|
||||
pessimists looked at what was being destroyed and extrapolated catastrophe,
|
||||
while failing to imagine what would be created, because the thing that would be
|
||||
created hadn't been invented yet.
|
||||
|
||||
Catastrophists keep being wrong
|
||||
|
||||
In 1810, 81% of the American workforce was employed in agriculture. Two hundred
|
||||
years later, it's about 1%. If you had shown someone in 1810 a chart of
|
||||
agricultural employment decline and asked them to model the economic
|
||||
consequences, the only rational projection would have been apocalypse. Where
|
||||
would 80% of the population find work? What would they do? How would anyone eat
|
||||
if the farmers were all displaced by machines?
|
||||
|
||||
The answer, of course, is that entirely new categories of work were created
|
||||
that no one in 1810 could have conceived of, and these new jobs paid
|
||||
dramaticaly more than subsistance farming. Factory work, office work, services,
|
||||
knowledge work, the entire apparatus of modernity: none of it was visible from
|
||||
the vantage point of the pre-industrial economy. The transition was brutal and
|
||||
uneven. The handloom weavers of England suffered. Dickens documented the
|
||||
squalor of early industrialization in prose that still makes you flinch. But
|
||||
the trajectory was real, and the people projecting permanent immiseration from
|
||||
the displacement of agricultural labor were, in the fullest sense,
|
||||
catastrophically wrong.
|
||||
|
||||
Tom Lee of Fundstrat made this point with a specific example that I find
|
||||
clarifying. The invention of flash-frozen food in the early 1900s disrupted
|
||||
farming, taking agriculture from 30-40% of employment down to its current
|
||||
sliver. The economy didn't collapse. It reallocated value elsewhere, into
|
||||
industries and occupations that the frozen food pioneers couldn't have
|
||||
imagined. And today, I can't name a single family that subsists on frozen TV
|
||||
dinners.
|
||||
|
||||
The Citrini scenario expects you to believe that AI will be the first major
|
||||
technological revolution in which this reallocation mechanism fails entirely.
|
||||
Where every previous wave of automation freed up human labor and capital to
|
||||
flow into new, higher-value activities, this time the loop... stops. The
|
||||
surplus accrues to the owners of compute, consumers lose purchasing power, and
|
||||
the negative feedback loop has no natural brake. It's worth sitting with how
|
||||
strong a claim that is. It requires every previous pattern of technological
|
||||
adaptation to be wrong, or at least irrelevant. And when you look at the actual
|
||||
data, there are signs that white-collar job postings have stabilized, layoff
|
||||
mentions on earnings calls remain well below early 2023 peaks, and
|
||||
forward-looking labor indicators show no sign of the displacement spiral that
|
||||
the doom thesis predicts.
|
||||
|
||||
Does that mean AI won't disrupt specific industries and jobs? Obviously it
|
||||
will. Some of those disruptions will be painful and dislocating for the people
|
||||
caught in them. But there's an enormous gap between "this technology will cause
|
||||
serious labor market disruption that we need to manage" and "this technology
|
||||
will cause a self-reinforcing economic death spiral from which there is no
|
||||
recovery." Citrini is arguing the latter, while the evidence supports the
|
||||
former.
|
||||
|
||||
Why vivid scenarios beat boring probabilities
|
||||
|
||||
There's a reason the doom narratives go viral while the measured
|
||||
counterarguments get a polite nod // a fraction of the engagement. It has
|
||||
nothing to do with the quality of the underlying analysis. It has everything to
|
||||
do with how human brains process information.
|
||||
|
||||
Daniel Kahneman's work on the availability heuristic showed that we judge the
|
||||
probability of events by how easily we can imagine them. Dystopia is easy to
|
||||
imagine. We have an extraordinarily rich cultural tradition of imagining
|
||||
technological nightmare scenarios in exquisite detail. Orwell did it
|
||||
brilliantly. Every season of Black Mirror does it competently. The Terminator
|
||||
gave us the visual grammar for AI catastrophe decades before anyone had a
|
||||
working language model. When Citrini describes a world where the unemployment
|
||||
rate hits 10.2% and the S&P crashes 38%, you can picture it. You can feel the
|
||||
dread. Hollywood has been training you to feel exactly this dread for your
|
||||
entire life.
|
||||
|
||||
Now try to imagine the positive scenarios. Try to picture, in concrete sensory
|
||||
detail, a world where AI helps us solve protein folding problems across
|
||||
thousands of neglected tropical diseases, where it accelerates materials
|
||||
science research by orders of magnitude, where it makes high-quality legal and
|
||||
medical advice accessible to people who currently can't afford it, where it
|
||||
enables forms of creative expression and economic activity that we can't yet
|
||||
name because they don't exist yet. It's fuzzy and abstract. You can state it
|
||||
intellectually, but you can't feel it the way you can feel the unemployment
|
||||
spiral.
|
||||
|
||||
This asymmetry isn't trivial. The [19]Ifo Institute has published research
|
||||
showing that investors are willing to pay more for economic narratives than for
|
||||
raw forecasts, and that pessimistic narratives command higher prices among
|
||||
certain investor types. As [20]Joachim Klement put it in his response to the
|
||||
Citrini selloff: investors value narratives more than actual recession
|
||||
forecasts. Stories travel faster than spreadsheets.
|
||||
|
||||
Shumer's piece is a narrative construction, and a questionable piece of
|
||||
analysis. He opens with the COVID comparison: remember February 2020, when a
|
||||
few people were talking about a virus and everyone thought it was overblown? He
|
||||
positions himself as the insider who sees what's coming, who's been "giving the
|
||||
polite, cocktail-party version" but can't hold back the truth any longer. [21]
|
||||
Paulo Carvao, writing in Forbes, noted that it reads at times like a sales
|
||||
pitch. It’s a used-car pitch at that. The Guardian pointed out that Shumer
|
||||
"previously excited the internet by announcing the release of the world's 'top
|
||||
open-source model,' which it was not." (To be clear: this is a kinder way of
|
||||
saying [22]it was fraud.)
|
||||
|
||||
But criticism doesn't travel like fear does. Fear is a better story. And so the
|
||||
doom narratives accumulate cultural mass while the boring, incremental,
|
||||
statistically-grounded counterarguments remain niche reading for economists and
|
||||
strategists.
|
||||
|
||||
We remember disasters, not the ones we dodged
|
||||
|
||||
Humans are spectacular at remembering disasters, passed down in every format
|
||||
from the written word to the oral tradition. We are (for obvious reasons)
|
||||
terrible at remembering the disasters that didn't happen. In 1962, during the
|
||||
Cuban Missile Crisis, a Soviet submarine officer named Vasili Arkhipov refused
|
||||
to authorize the launch of a nuclear torpedo, overriding two other officers who
|
||||
wanted to fire. The world didn't end. Most people today have never heard of
|
||||
Arkhipov. Everyone knows about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bomb that fell is
|
||||
seared into collective memory. The bomb that didn't fall is a footnote.
|
||||
|
||||
The Y2K bug was going to crash civilization; then billions of dollars of
|
||||
engineering work fixed it, and everyone retroactively decided it was never a
|
||||
real threat. The ozone layer was going to disintegrate; then the Montreal
|
||||
Protocol worked better than almost anyone predicted, and ozone depletion feels
|
||||
like a quaint 1990s worry. Acid rain was dissolving the forests of North
|
||||
America; then sulfur dioxide regulations cut emissions drastically, and the
|
||||
whole issue evaporated from public consciousness. Every one of these was a
|
||||
genuine threat. Every one was met by human ingenuity and institutional
|
||||
coordination. Every one was subsequently memory-holed, because success is
|
||||
boring and failure is vivid.
|
||||
|
||||
We're running our forecasting models on a dataset that systematically excludes
|
||||
our wins. It should be entirely unsurprising that the forecasts come out
|
||||
somewhat bearish.
|
||||
|
||||
Ben Thompson (as usual) gets it right
|
||||
|
||||
Thompson's core insight is that humans want humans. He points to the
|
||||
agricultural revolutions: in the pre-Neolithic era, zero percent of humans
|
||||
worked in agriculture. By 1810, 81%. By today, 1%. Machines replaced human
|
||||
agricultural labor entirely, and rather than the economy collapsing, entirely
|
||||
new categories of work were created that paid dramatically more. This cycle
|
||||
played out again with industrialization, with computing, with the internet.
|
||||
Every time, the displacement was real, and every time, new forms of
|
||||
human-valued work emerged that couldn't have been predicted.
|
||||
|
||||
Citrini called DoorDash "the poster child" for AI disruption, imagining
|
||||
vibe-coded competitors fragmenting the market overnight. Thompson flips it:
|
||||
DoorDash is the poster child for why the article is absurd. DoorDash didn't
|
||||
always exist. It was built, and it wins through the active choice of customers,
|
||||
restaurants, and drivers. The doom thesis treats it as a static rent-extraction
|
||||
layer sitting on top of human laziness, but DoorDash created its market from
|
||||
scratch and generated new jobs for millions of drivers along the way. What the
|
||||
Citrini analysis lacks, Thompson argued, is any belief in human choice or
|
||||
markets. If your starting assumption is that things are as they are, you can
|
||||
only envision breaking them.
|
||||
|
||||
Citrini predicted AI would collapse real estate commissions by eliminating
|
||||
information asymmetry. But the internet already did that. You can look up every
|
||||
house for sale right now, with full history and photos. Real estate agents
|
||||
still exist, which is one of the better arguments that humans are resourceful
|
||||
at giving themselves work to do even in fields where they arguably shouldn't
|
||||
need to.
|
||||
|
||||
In a world of AI abundance, the things humans create will become more valuable
|
||||
precisely because they're human. AI art will make human art more desirable, not
|
||||
less, because provenance matters. AI-generated content will make
|
||||
human-generated content worth more, because the imperfections and
|
||||
idiosyncrasies are features.
|
||||
|
||||
Is this optimistic? Yes. Could it be wrong? Sure it could. But it's grounded in
|
||||
a real observation about human psychology that the doom models don't account
|
||||
for. Citrini's Ghost GDP thesis assumes that when AI replaces human labor, the
|
||||
value simply evaporates from the consumer economy. Thompson's counterargument
|
||||
is that humans will create new forms of value that are specifically human, and
|
||||
that demand for those forms of value will intensify as machine-generated
|
||||
alternatives become ubiquitous. The history of technological disruption
|
||||
suggests Thompson has the stronger case.
|
||||
|
||||
Pessimism as a self-fulfilling prophecy
|
||||
|
||||
What actually worries me is the second-order effects of the doom narrative
|
||||
itself.
|
||||
|
||||
When the smartest, most technically capable people in a field become convinced
|
||||
that the field is heading toward catastrophe, several things happen. Some leave
|
||||
the field entirely, removing exactly the talent you'd want steering the ship.
|
||||
Some stay but adopt a posture of resigned inevitability, which is functionally
|
||||
identical to apathy. Some decide that since disaster is coming, they might as
|
||||
well accelerate and cash out. And a vocal minority become so consumed by
|
||||
existential risk that they advocate for extreme countermeasures that would
|
||||
concentrate power in ways that create entirely new categories of danger.
|
||||
|
||||
Robert Oppenheimer (in the wake of his famous invocation of the Bhagavad Gita)
|
||||
spent the years after the Manhattan Project arguing passionately for
|
||||
international cooperation on nuclear governance. He didn't say "we should never
|
||||
have done this." He said, essentially, "this is incredibly powerful, and we
|
||||
need to build institutions that can handle it." He was an optimist in the
|
||||
meaningful sense: he believed better outcomes were achievable if people worked
|
||||
to achieve them. He was right about that, because we're still here.
|
||||
|
||||
The most effective people working on AI safety and governance right now are,
|
||||
almost without exception, optimists. They work on alignment because they
|
||||
believe alignment is solvable. They push for better governance becuase they
|
||||
believe governance can work. The ones who've concluded that the problem is
|
||||
unsolvable tend to stop doing useful work, for obvious reasons.
|
||||
|
||||
Gramsci wrote about "pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will." You
|
||||
look at the world clearly. You see the problems. And then you choose to act as
|
||||
if better outcomes are possible, because that choice is the precondition for
|
||||
achieving them.
|
||||
|
||||
Nobody can see the next economy
|
||||
|
||||
What both Shumer and Citrini miss is that they're modeling a future economy
|
||||
using the structure of the present economy. They see AI replacing white-collar
|
||||
workers within the existing economic framework and project the consequences of
|
||||
that replacement within that same framework. But every major technological
|
||||
transformation has changed the framework itself, creating entirely new economic
|
||||
structures that were invisible from the vantage point of the old ones.
|
||||
|
||||
In 1995, if you told someone that one of the largest employers in America would
|
||||
be a company that let strangers sleep in each other's homes, they would have
|
||||
thought you were insane. If you told them that millions of people would make a
|
||||
living by talking into microphones about their opinions, or recording
|
||||
themselves playing video games, or writing newsletters on the internet, they'd
|
||||
have had you committed. The entire creator economy, the gig economy, the app
|
||||
economy, the SaaS economy that Citrini is now eulogizing: none of it was
|
||||
predictable from the vantage point of 1995. And that's a 30-year window. The
|
||||
agricultural revolutions played out over centuries.
|
||||
|
||||
What will people do when AI can handle most current white-collar tasks?
|
||||
|
||||
I don't know.
|
||||
|
||||
And that's the whole point.
|
||||
|
||||
Nobody knew what displaced agricultural workers would do, either, until they
|
||||
did it. The absence of a visible next chapter isn't evidence that there won't
|
||||
be one. It's evidence that we're bad at predicting what humans will invent when
|
||||
constraints shift.
|
||||
|
||||
Choosing optimism with open eyes
|
||||
|
||||
I'm not saying everything will be fine. I'm not saying the transition will be
|
||||
smooth. I'm not saying that the people displaced by AI won't suffer, or that we
|
||||
don't need better policy frameworks to handle the disruption. The
|
||||
distributional concerns at the heart of the Citrini piece are legitimate. If
|
||||
productivity gains accrue primarily to the owners of compute and capital while
|
||||
labor income stagnates, that's a genuine problem. Labour's share of GDP has
|
||||
been declining for decades. These are real numbers pointing to real challenges.
|
||||
|
||||
What I am saying is that the leap from "this will be disruptive and we need to
|
||||
manage it carefully" to "this will cause an irreversible economic death spiral"
|
||||
isn't supported by the evidence, by economic history, or by what we know about
|
||||
how humans respond to technological change. The Citrini scenario requires every
|
||||
adaptive mechanism in the economy to fail simultaneously and completely within
|
||||
roughly two years. That's a very specific left-tail outcome.
|
||||
|
||||
If you're building AI systems, if you're founding companies, if you're writing
|
||||
code that will shape how people experience the world, your psychological
|
||||
orientation toward the future is a variable that directly shapes // affects
|
||||
outcomes. Pessimistic builders build defensively. They hoard and hedge and make
|
||||
decisions based on fear. Optimistic builders build with ambition. They invest
|
||||
in safety because they believe safety is achievable. They take on hard problems
|
||||
because they believe hard problems have solutions.
|
||||
|
||||
The tech industry is at a hinge point, and the narrative it tells itself will
|
||||
shape what it creates. If the dominant narrative is doom, the best people
|
||||
leave, the remaining people race to extract value before the collapse, and the
|
||||
governance frameworks get built by people who don't understand the technology.
|
||||
If the dominant narrative is cautious optimism, the best people stay, the work
|
||||
is good, and the institutions get built by people who know what they're
|
||||
building for.
|
||||
|
||||
Ed Yardeni, the veteran Wall Street strategist, noted in the wake of the
|
||||
Citrini selloff that "the AI story has morphed from a Roaring 2020s
|
||||
productivity booster to an existential threat to our way of life." He found
|
||||
this striking. I find it absurd. The underlying technology hasn't changed, and
|
||||
the capabilities haven't shifted. What changed is the narrative, and narratives
|
||||
are always, always choices.
|
||||
|
||||
I choose optimism. I choose it because the alternative is surrender as
|
||||
sophistication. And because every time I look at the historical record, the
|
||||
full record that includes both the disasters and the averted disasters, both
|
||||
the tragedies and the triumphs, the case for human ingenuity and resilience is
|
||||
stronger than the case against it.
|
||||
|
||||
The doomers may have the best stories.
|
||||
|
||||
I believe the optimists have the best evidence.
|
||||
|
||||
I'll take the evidence.
|
||||
|
||||
Everything is (going to be) awesome.
|
||||
|
||||
$ cat ./comments
|
||||
$ cat ./subscribe.md
|
||||
|
||||
Get updates
|
||||
|
||||
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|
||||
|
||||
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|
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|
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|
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||||
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||||
|
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|
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|
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[13] https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[14] https://www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gic?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[15] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-23/software-payments-shares-tumble-after-citrini-post-on-ai-risks?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[16] https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-citrini-post-is-just-a-scary?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[17] https://stratechery.com/2026/ai-and-the-human-condition/?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[18] https://stratechery.com/2026/another-viral-ai-doomer-article-the-fundamental-error-doordashs-ai-advantages/?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[19] https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5637576&ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[20] https://klementoninvesting.substack.com/p/why-pessimists-make-more-money?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[21] https://carvao.substack.com/p/the-problem-with-techs-latest-something?ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[22] https://x.com/jawestenberg/status/2021782902342922514?s=20&ref=joanwestenberg.com
|
||||
[25] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/
|
||||
[26] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/about/
|
||||
[27] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/rss/
|
||||
[28] https://westenberg.gumroad.com/
|
||||
[29] https://www.youtube.com/@jawestenberg
|
||||
[30] https://westenberg.discourse.group/
|
||||
[31] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/
|
||||
[32] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/about/
|
||||
[33] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/rss/
|
||||
[34] https://westenberg.gumroad.com/
|
||||
[35] https://www.youtube.com/@jawestenberg
|
||||
[36] https://westenberg.discourse.group/
|
||||
[37] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/
|
||||
[38] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/about/
|
||||
[39] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/rss/
|
||||
[40] https://westenberg.gumroad.com/
|
||||
[41] https://www.youtube.com/@jawestenberg
|
||||
[42] https://westenberg.discourse.group/
|
||||
[43] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/
|
||||
[44] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/about/
|
||||
[45] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/rss/
|
||||
[46] https://westenberg.gumroad.com/
|
||||
[47] https://www.youtube.com/@jawestenberg
|
||||
[48] https://westenberg.discourse.group/
|
||||
[49] https://www.joanwestenberg.com/everything-is-awesome-why-im-an-optimist/#/portal/
|
||||
[50] https://joanwestenberg.com/
|
||||
[51] https://thisisstudioself.com/
|
||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user