Photo: Alix Spence
Today, acclaimed composer Daniel Wohl unveils ‘Artificial’, a striking new single that continues his exploration of the blurred boundaries between organic sound and digital synthesis. Released through New Amsterdam Records, ‘Artificial’ is performed by the genre-defying ensemble Alarm Will Sound and marks a powerful new chapter in Wohl’s sonic evolution.
Born in Paris and now based in Los Angeles, Wohl is known for his masterful blending of acoustic instruments with electronics. His music has been performed at venues like the Hollywood Bowl, MoMA PS1, and the Broad Museum, and he’s collaborated with artists such as Arooj Aftab, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and Son Lux. With a background in both concert music and film scoring, including HBO’s Search Party, Wohl brings a cinematic sensibility and emotional depth to everything he creates.
On ‘Artificial’, Wohl invites listeners into a sound world that is “part organic, part digital, and overflows with a deep emotionality that is imbued into each gesture,” as the press release describes. “I imagined this piece like walking through a virtual forest where your sense of reality is slightly off; some branches are real, some might be rendered; some birds are natural, others synthetic”, Wohl explains. “It’s that in-between space where you’re not quite sure what’s living and what’s programmed”. The piece builds from lush synths and shimmering textures into a haunting and immersive landscape, both futuristic and deeply human. Wohl offers further insight into the track:
“Artificial was written for Alarm Will Sound in 2022, right as AI was starting to shift how we think about making art. I started with a fully electronic track, then reimagined it as an acoustic piece for the ensemble, and eventually blended those recordings back into the electronic mix. I was curious about how changing formats, digital to physical and back again, would shape the music in unexpected ways. As AI tools got more advanced over the past couple years, I fed bits of the recording into them and used what came back to reshape the final version. To me, the piece feels kind of hopeful as it leans into the idea of a human–machine collaboration in a way that’s maybe more optimistic than how I usually feel about where all this is going.”
An utterly gorgeous, bold and riveting piece, ‘Artificial’ offers a vivid and timely exploration of sound in the age of technological transformation. Blending acoustic performance with electronic production and AI-driven manipulation, the piece sits at the intersection of music, technology, and imagination. Take a listen below.