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In 1987 we started dreaming of the world we wanted to live in.

It would be a kind of utopia for music:

all the boundaries between composers would come down,

all the boundaries between genres would come down,

all the boundaries between musicians and audience would come down.

Then we started trying to build it.

This website belongs to you, all the wonderful musicians, fans and friends who helped create the world we want to live in. Please leave us a message, and it will come back to you as a piece of music, made of bits from our recordings through the years. Here is a question to get the ball rolling:

What is your favorite memory of a live music event?

For the best experience, turn up the volume!

HINTS

  • There are a few dozen special words and phrases that will yield special sonic results. We'll give you one for free: Try typing sound and then press the space bar. How many secret words and phrases can you find?
  • Try typing more than just a few words. The longer you type, the more the sound evolves!
  • Puctuation: The Key to Variation!
    Try including captial letters, periods and commas in your message to unlock new sound layers.
  • On a cell phone or other mobile device? Things should work OK in most cases, but you might want to also check it out on a "big computer" to get the full effect!
  • Is your browser severely out of date? On an older Windows computer? You can still leave a message for Bang on a Can, but you might not get the full beauty of the audio and visual aspects of the site. Try an updated version of Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari for the best experience!
  • Did you know you'll be able to share your custom composition that you create by typing a message here when you're done? Just click the share button and fill out your info. We will send you an email with a link you can share as soon as we review your message to make sure it's not spam. Check out some examples of what other people have done in the Responses section.

Thanks for sharing your response!

We just need a little more info in order to post your answer to this site.

Your privacy is important to us. We will never share or publish your email address. See Bang on a Can's Privacy Policy.

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All materials ©1987–2020 Bang on a Can, Inc. All rights reserved.

Site by Square Candy Design.
Sound Collage concept & audio editing by Chris Marianetti.
Sound Collage code development & visual design by Peter Wise.
Bang on a Can Archives project lead: Matt Evans.

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