I wanted to see where ifyoudig.net would take me. Ifyoudig.net is a website that returns the name of an artist it believes you will “dig” based off of your input of the name of an artist you already “dig.” If you were wondering, yes, this lingo is in fact killing me.
I started with Michael Jackson as the input artist and the original signal. Then I kept clicking the topmost artist in the list, the only artificial constraint being that I would not select an artist that I had already selected previously. Then I watched as the ifyoudig system did its magic.
After 45 iterations, the website was beginning to suggest artists like Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister, known for their electronic downtempo sound.
After about 40 more iterations, the website suggested Yonder Mountain String Band, a progressive bluegrass group from Colorado.
I attached a video that takes you through the first 45 iterations by showing the major album of each successive artist/band – all to the backdrop of one of MJ’s most popular tunes. Then the video jumps to number 85 and includes an audio clip from one of Yonder’s most famous tracks. This provides you (the listener) with a side by side comparison of the sound of the input signal versus the sound of the output signal after 85 iterations of “feedback” through the system.