Robert Henke: CBM 8032 AV

These computers were never supposed to be used to create music. Modifying them with his own software, Henke wrestles out extraordinary sound and imagery – digital clicks and glitches with geometric projections reminiscent of old sci-fi. Though vintage, this hardware produces an audio-visual experience which is at once modern, complex and fluid. ‘Everything presented within the project could have been done in 1980,’ says Henke, ‘but it needed the cultural backdrop of 2019 to come up with the artistic ideas driving it.’

Part-artist, part-scientist, Robert Henke is one of the most influential electronic musicians working today. As Monolake, he blurs the lines between ambient, club and electronic textures. His impact is even more widely felt as one of the engineers behind Ableton Live, the music production software which has transformed music.