A British professor is merging academia with the dance music scene through his latest project, a Europop dance album titled Place and Space, which aims to engage new audiences with scholarly research. Andrew Hudson-Smith, a professor of digital urban environments at University College London (UCL), released the 10-track album as a creative interpretation of his recent Routledge textbook, Cities in the Metaverse.
The album’s tracks are inspired by themes from the textbook, with lyrics penned by Hudson-Smith himself, paired with 1990s-style Eurotrance music generated by the artificial intelligence platform Suno. Released under the electronic artist name Digital Urban, the album is available on Spotify and other major streaming services, receiving significant attention with over 68,000 views on its YouTube preview this month.
Hudson-Smith’s book delves into futuristic concepts such as digital twins, virtual reality, and virtual urbanism, and he believes that transforming these academic themes into dance tracks creates a bridge between the lecture hall and the dance floor. “The idea of living simultaneously in physical ‘place’ and digital ‘space’ felt inherently musical to me,” he stated. His goal is to take complex ideas like simulation theory and urban data modeling—typically confined to university seminars—and present them in a way that resonates physically with listeners on a dance floor, referring to it as “brain food set to 130 BPM.”
Despite the challenge of finding lyrical inspiration in some of the book’s more technical chapter titles, such as “Covariance matrix” and “Digital habitation,” Hudson-Smith expressed surprise at how effectively they translated into song. Feedback from fellow academics has been positive, with some noting the lyrical quality of the songs, describing them as “almost poetic.” Hudson-Smith shared that he had played tracks from the album at his local village hall, receiving enthusiastic reactions, including an unexpected spark of creativity from a local resident who is set to release their own album.
While Hudson-Smith’s use of AI-generated music has drawn criticism from some musicians who label such creations as “AI slop,” he sees potential for AI tools to engage broader audiences with academic research in accessible formats. “These things are often labelled AI slop but, with the right musical choices, it’s worked out well,” he remarked, suggesting that Place and Space serves not only as music but as an “auditory roadmap for our increasingly virtual future.” He emphasized that deep thought and high energy can coexist, challenging conventional boundaries between academia and entertainment.
The intersection of technology and art in Hudson-Smith’s work signals an evolving landscape where scholarly research can reach diverse audiences through innovative mediums. As the boundaries between physical and digital realms continue to blur, projects like this may pave the way for a new approach to academic dissemination, merging rigorous thought with popular culture.
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