Home » Jazz Articles » Joe Mills (Aver) of Move 78 Decodes Jazz from the Algorithms

Joe Mills (Aver) of Move 78 Decodes Jazz from the Algorithms

By Lawrence Peryer | Spotlight On
September 16, 2023
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Today, the Spotlight shines On Joe Mills, a musician and producer who performs under the name 'Aver' in the Berlin-based band Move 78.

Move 78's music sits at the intersection of improvised jazz and programmed hip-hop. Their music is crafted from hours of studio improvisations that have been chopped-up, rearranged, and layered with live instrumentation provided by the band members. In this chat, Aver explains their technique and process as well as how it extends to their live performances. It's amazing.

Move 78's name is taken from a match of the ancient Chinese board game Go between Lee Sedol, the world champion of Go at the time of the match, and a computer program named AlphaGo. Lee was defeated in the first three games of the five-game match by his AI opponent, but he adapted and played a move so strange that it completely befuddled AlphaGo and its algorithms. This move, which represented the human response to the challenges of an ever-evolving technological world, was, of course, Move 78.

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