The machines are learning. AI is taking over, and it's got some wild taste in music. If you've never wanted to hear how Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails would take on the Spice Girls classic "Wannabe," you're not alone. But here we are.
It's all part of the work being done by YouTube user JohnDopamine5 who deployed the OpenAI Jukebox to transform the bubblegum pop hit into a new, dark and brooding version.
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Yeesh! Well, there's the NIИ x Spice Girls cover that you never asked for. We warned you. If you're interested, he's got more. OpenAI researcher Prafulla Dhariwal and colleagues' have a paper on the technology being used, which you can read all about right here: Jukebox: A Generative Model for Music.
With this very unnecessary song now bouncing around our brains, we thought it would be a good time to revisit some of the actual cover songs that Nine Inch Nails have recorded, impeccably, over the years. From Queen to Adam Ant, to Joy Division, check out a few favorites below and then tell me what you want, what you really, really want...
Besides their recorded covers, Nine Inch Nails have been known for slipping in a ton of other artist's work into their live sets, even collaborating on stage with the original songwriters. Just to scratch the surface, the band toured with David Bowie during his fear of Americans phase, has brought legendary machine rocker Gary Numan to the stage in the past, and even rocked out in a hotel room with Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy in front of a small gathering of very, very lucky fans.
All good news for music lovers ready to get out and see live shows again as Nine Inch Nails, who just released a new collaboration with Los Angeles noise band HEALTH, have been announced as headliners for the 2021 incarnation of Riot Fest, happening September 17-20, 2021 at Chicago's Douglass Park. After such a long time away, and rumblings of a return to form, it will be interesting to see what surprises the band has in store for fans when they finally get a chance to hit the road once again.
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