DubDubDub: Improvisation using the sounds of the World Wide Web

Abstract

DubDubDub was an educational project conducted by staff at Egerton High School, Manchester Metropolitan University and UCan.tv. It introduced a new type of musical instrument to the classroom, the DubDubDub player, which developed pupils’ musical performance and improvisation skills by using the sonic environment of the Internet. Users of DubDubDub remixed the sonic content of the Internet, arranged sounds and prioritised them in real time to form new musical works. The name DubDubDub references the three ‘w’s of internet URLs: http://www. The musical improvisations generated by DubDubDub can be combined with other instruments, as illustrated during DubDubDub’s first performance at the Discourse, Power and Resistance conference (hosted by the University of Plymouth and Manchester Metropolitan University on 21 April 2006). This paper reflects on the development of DubDubDub and this first performance, providing an insight into how technologies can facilitate new models of musical performance and improvisation that may be beneficial for educational application.