Gilles Aubry's 'L'Makina' Explores AI and Traditional Moroccan Music Through Machine Learning

Gilles Aubry has released an album titled 'L'Makina' through Corvo Records, which investigates the intersection of artificial intelligence and traditional Moroccan music. The project draws inspiration from a 1930s song by musician L'Haj Belaid, who originally addressed the phonograph as a new technological medium. Aubry employs a machine learning algorithm called RAVE to analyze and process recordings of instruments from the Rwais tradition, including the lotar and rebab. The resulting compositions feature vocal contributions from Ali Faiq and instrumental performances by Idr Bazrou. The album consists of two extended sections: 'L'Makina – Part 1' (17:39) and 'The Machine – Part 2' (16:19). These tracks blend electronic textures with transformed fragments of traditional sounds, creating atmospheric pieces that avoid conventional narrative structures. The work examines how technology interacts with cultural heritage, questioning whether machines can comprehend the social and ethical dimensions of music. Aubry positions the algorithm not as a replacement for human creativity but as a critical partner in artistic exploration. The project reflects on historical anxieties about technological innovation in music, connecting early 20th-century concerns about mechanical reproduction with contemporary debates about artificial intelligence. By processing traditional Moroccan musical elements through modern computational methods, Aubry creates a dialogue between past and present technological interfaces with artistic practice.