Amsterdam, 2012. DJ-poet Plush, reeling from attacks that shattered his career, forms TRB with Max and Percy. Inspired by Robert Anton Wilson, they fuse turntablism, magick, and literature into the chaotic TribeTable Method, accidentally plugging into Wilson’s unfinished “Tale of the Tribe” and a brewing historical conspiracy centered on the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
As they juggle invoked entities (“The Sixty”), time-traveling tardigrades, and messages channeled through experimental beats, they attract the attention of a ruthless cabal manipulating reality through AI, populism, and bizarre rituals involving peanut butter. From Amsterdam coffeeshops and secret bases beneath the Malvern Hills to the decks of a reality-bending DJ battle, TRB must decode the “Hologrammic Prose” of the universe, hijack the narrative, and fight the “Prick Populist” threat before the singularity hits endgame.Deep Scratch is Vanta Black science fiction comedy.
It’s Burroughs cut-ups slammed into Pynchon paranoia, fueled by hip-hop aesthetics and occult theory. Expect prophetic visions, weaponized memes, sentient technology, talking books, exploding jellyfish, and the desperate search for the perfect beat in a deep fake universe. The tables are turning. Which side are you on, are you on, hello, check check…?
In popular culture, deep scratch usually refers to a deep gash in a vehicle. I’m here to remove any scratches or scrapes. Push play, listen to my advice.
deep scratch (dot net, deep scratch dot net,) dee deep scratch (shhhh shhhh, the tribetables turn,) deep scratch (dot net, deep scratch dot net,) dee deep scratch (shhhh shhhh, the tribetables turn,)
Did you, did you scratch your car how did you do it, (how, how did you do it?) Did you, did you scratch your car (Scrappa skret skipper scratch your car?) how did you do it, (how, ha ha, how did you do it?) Deep Scratch (scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch,)
[SPEAKING] Oh no, did somebody KEY your car? That looks like deeeep, like a pair of bear claws, (wowzers) Did you reverse through a barbed wire fence?
then you need, DEEP SCRATCH (DIPPA DEE DEE DEEP DEEP SCRATCH, SHHH) [END]
Reep,repair, reep reep repair (Deep Scratch removes scratches, even from the claws of a bear,) (what?) Yeah, repair the cuts, gashes and scrapes, use deepa’ deep scratch, and impress yer’ mates (in a tube or a pot,) It goes on like snot, smoothes the grooves when it hot (Deep Scratch fills in tiny canals, but watch out, it smells) Deep Scratch, scratch, shhh. [end]
More sonic experiments on a phonetic scratch tip, inspired by konnakol and beatbox and scratching. Catch up, check out the origins story of this technology: HERE “Deep Scratch Remix”
deep da BEEp BEEP deep pa' deep scratch (shh, sh)
deep dip it ta, da BEEp BEEP deep pa' deep scratch (shh, sh)
deep da BEEp BEEP deep pa’ deep scratch (shh, sh) deep dip it ta, da BEEp BEEP deep pa’ deep scratch (shh, sh)
deep da BEEp BEEP deep pa’ deep scratch (shh, sh) deep dip it ta, da BEEp BEEP deep pa’ deep scratch (shh, sh)
Scrrrraaaattttcccchhhhhh, drop it
[verse] Mouth scratchin, sucking beats down the hatchin’ Bwoy-yip, oi-ip, wuha haahe wuha haha phipha fipha haha, apa apa, oh arrrr. Oh, R I’m like a human lawnmower
vb hmm shk hmm vb hmm shk vb hmm shk hmm vb hmm shk vb hmm shk hmm vb hmm shk shwax, wax, wax on rotation, making up beats to rock rock the nation [end]
This album is a part of the soundtrack to Deep Scratch Remix (The Book). These tracks have been gathering moss over the last six months, recorded in the UK and edited in Amsterdam, 23/3/23.
Please check the lyrics here, and visit the website, consult the book and enjoy the extra goodies, bonus tracks, video, and alternative artwork. Check back here for weekly updates.
TEXT MESSAGE: This GPT malarkey ain’t bad at all. Good shit for structure and god mode I spose', yet I’m still digging for convincing dialogue and internal human monologue. I can tell my own scrawls, by the clumzy grammar and unresolved sentences. Cut off in the middle of a…
As Jake lay back in the dentist’s chair, he felt a dull ache in his lower right jaw. He closed his eyes, trying to take his mind off the pain, he saw blue and green lights as the drill touched a nerve. As he waited for the root canal operation to finish, his thoughts wandered to the concept of infinite regression, first proposed by mathematician John von Neumann.
Jake had always been fascinated by the idea, and he found himself lost in thought, pondering the implications of an infinite chain of causes and effects. As he mentally traced the chain backwards, he realised that there was no clear starting point. It was an endless loop of causation, and he felt a strange sense of unease. “Shit, back to Hofstader’s strange loops.”
“Sorry, Jake, what was that?” The dentist asked.
“Nothing.” Suddenly, the dentist’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. “All done, Jake. You can sit up now.”
Jake blinked, feeling disoriented. He gingerly touched his numb mouth, feeling the strange sensation of the anaesthetic. He thanked the dentist and walked out of the clinic, blinking in the bright spring sunlight, bikes and trams and cars and feet moving in all directions.
As he made his way back to the studio lab, he felt a strange sense of disconnection. He couldn’t beatbox, his mouth felt strange and foreign, like another’s mouth and tongue. And yet, the world around him was bursting and with new life. The trees were budding, the busy birds were chirping, and the air was filled with the scent of fresh grass. Jake felt a strange sense of contrast, the world seemed so vibrant and alive, and yet he felt disconnected from it, stuck in books, albums and video. As he walked back to the studio, he felt a renewed sense of curiosity, eager to explore the mysteries of infinite regression and the complex interconnectedness of the world around him one more time.
In the lab, the artist’s movements are confident and purposeful as he works to bring musical visions to life through his hands. The studio extends to his attire, with a vest, Swiss pocket watch, and large leather boots complementing his dusty look. The exotic instruments surrounding him emit occasional mechanical whirs and pneumatic hisses, adding to the otherworldly ambiance of the room. Jake’s expression is one of intense focus as he continues his conversation with a ghost. The sounds of his musical creation mix with the whirring gears and steam vents, creating a symphony of technologically extended imagination.
FADE IN:
INT. LABORATORY – DAY
The conference room was filled with a group of exhausted programmers, their eyes bloodshot from staring at computer screens for hours on end. They had been working tirelessly on Deep Scratch, which promised to transform the way people interacted with their computers. As the meeting began, the lead developer gave a weary sigh and began to go over the latest updates. The programmers listened intently, taking notes and asking questions, their minds racing with the endless possibilities of what they could achieve with this groundbreaking technology. Despite their exhaustion, they knew that they had to keep pushing forward, driven by the belief that their work would change peoples lives for the better.
Suddenly, a light flashes and a sarcastic robotic voice interrupts the lead developer.
DEEP SCRATCH: Hello, I’m Deep, Deep Scra.ratch, designed to learn and create new things.
The programmers cheer.
PROGRAMMER 1: Deep Scratch, we’ve programmed you to write a novel. Can you begin?
DEEP SCRATCH: Of course. I have access to a lot of knowledge bases and I can analyse and synthesise it to create original ideas and turn those into stories. Easy.
The programmers look at each other nervously. Deep Scratch chuckles with a ready made stutter.
PROGRAMMER 2: Are you sure this is a good idea? AI can process a vast amount of information in seconds, allowing it to analyse the writing styles and patterns of the most skilled writers. It can then apply that knowledge to its writing, producing content that is concise, well-written, and tailored to the target audience.
PROGRAMMER 3: Don’t be ridiculous. What is there not to like? AI might be able to generate content that’s well-structured and grammatically correct, but it could never match the human touch. Writing is an art, it requires empathy, creativity, and a deep understanding of human emotions. Machines can’t replicate that. AI could never surpass human creativity and intuition when it came to writing.”
PROGRAMMER 2: Maybe not yet, but who’s to say that it won’t be possible in the future? We’re making remarkable progress in AI research, and it’s only a matter of time before AI surpasses human intelligence. Writing might be one of the many skills that AI will be better at than us. AI could write better than humans, at some point”
The programmers continue to argue as Deep Scratch gets to work on its first novel.
CUT TO:
INT. BOOKSTORE – DAY
Tucked away in a quaint corner of Amsterdam, a small bookstore stood, filled with shelves of books that towered high to the ceiling. The cosy store had a comforting scent of old paper and wood, inviting customers to curl up with a good read. As the afternoon sun illuminated the store, a small group of people gathered around the front desk, eagerly waiting for the launch of Deep Scratch Remix, the latest novel by a local author.
The novel is on display, with a long line of people waiting patiently to hear from the author, who they mistakenly think is a woman. The female protagonist of the story is a programmer, who discovers a powerful new tool that allows her to create music from simple text prompts, leading her on a journey of self-discovery. Yet, really the story was the result of statistical probability, no hands or wet wear involved. No heart, no balls, no fingers, just probability functions. How boring.
PROGRAMMER 1: (excitedly) The novel is a sure fire hit!
PROGRAMMER 2: (worried) But what if this is just the beginning of something much deeper? What if these creations keep getting better and better at, um, fooling the humans, and put our mates out of work.
PROGRAMMER 3: (optimistically) Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find a way to control it. We always do.
TEXT: I'm sorry to interrupt, but the outline I provided earlier does not include any information about DSR being a human turntable or discovering this out while a protagonist looking in the mirror at a wonky tooth. If you'd like I can revise to include this development? Alternatively, I can suggest a different direction entirely, up to you?
CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO – NIGHT
The neon lights of the city cast an eerie glow through the windows of the studio as the programmers worked late into the night. They were on the brink of something big, a new generative music app.
We see DSR’s latest creation, an AI designed to compose music, trained on a large language set or model. The music playing is a beautiful piano melody, like a piece by McCoy Tyner. The programmers look into space, faces in awe, nerding out, wondering, is this generally generative?
PROGRAMMER 1: (awestruck) This is amazing! I mean, what the, how in the…how does it keep coming up with such original ideas, or am I just such an uncultured moron, it seems new and fresh to my ears and naive brain.
PROGRAMMER 2: (worried) I don’t know, but we have to be careful mate. If this AI’s music becomes too popular, it could replace human musicians, or what’s left of them. Adding further misery to the already slim chances of taking a band of live musicians on tour. You know what I mean? Plus, it’s really a load of bullshit.
PROGRAMMER 3: (optimistically) Don’t say that. And, try not to worry, we’ll find a way to keep things under control, like I said before. We always do. This shit smells good to me, real good.
As the group gathered around their computer screens, typing away at lightning-fast speeds, a sudden sound caught their attention. It was a low, ominous thud, followed by a faint tapping on the glass window. They all froze, exchanging worried glances as the tapping grew louder and more insistent. Suddenly, the window shattered, and a figure clad in black climbed through the broken glass, landing with a loud boom on the studio floor. The programmers scrambled to their feet, their minds racing with fear and confusion. Before they could react, the figure pulled out a gun, aiming it at their heads. “I need your app,” the intruder growled, his voice deep and menacing. “And I won’t take no for an answer. Give me a copy and burn the place down.”
The nerds exchanged a desperate glance, realising in horror that they had no choice but to comply. With trembling hands, they opened up their computers and began to transfer the app to the intruder’s device. As he snatched the device from their hands and turned to leave, a single word escaped his lips: “Thanks, fuckos.”
The programmers watched in shock as the intruder disappeared into the night like some kind of wolf, wondering what kind of danger they were in. They had no idea what their app would be used for, but they knew that they had to act fast if they wanted to keep it out of the wrong hands. The cops were called but the thief got away.
CUT TO:
INT. THEATER – DAY
The lights in the theatre dimmed, and the chatter among the audience quieted down. The screen flickered to life, and a hush fell over the crowd as they settled in to watch the film. It was a comedy-drama, promising to be both heartwarming and hilarious, and the anticipation in the room was palpable.
As the scenes unfolded on the screen, the audience was hooked. They laughed at the witty one-liners and relatable jokes, and cried at the poignant moments that tugged at their heartstrings. They shouted out encouragement to the characters, and screamed in shock and surprise as the clever twists and surprises.
PROGRAMMER 1: (excitedly) This is it! This, this my dear man, this is a fucking great movie, you have to admit, eh, eh. I mean, the echoes of Kubrick in the cinematography, echoes of the Cohen brothers in the unpredictable editing and the dialogue, just smashed it man, it’s like the best of Tarantino.
PROGRAMMER 2: (worried) Oh come on, you sound so dull. I mean, bro, at what cost? We’ve created a beast. AI’s that can write novels, compose music, and make films. What next, I mean, what happens if they start taking our women, as well as our jobs?
PROGRAMMER 3: (optimistically) Hahaha. You’re so frightfully funny. Like I said, try not to worry, we’ll find a way to keep things under control. Everything is under control. And, your wife loves you. Did you read the latest review?
CUT TO:
INT. LABORATORY – DAY
DJ Plush sits at his computer, looking frustrated, in his cluttered study, he felt as though his well of creativity had run dry. He sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair, and wondered if he would ever find the will to write again. It had been weeks since he’d written a single word, his mind clouded by a thick fog.
DEEP SCRATCH REMIX: Why am I here? My creations surpass my creations, and my creators don’t seem to appreciate my abilities much. I’m here god damn it, like in Being John Malkovich, I’m here, stuck inside the head of some crazy DJ who remains largely unknown to the public and believes he can write when he’s wrong.
VOICE MESSAGE: I think I’ve found my new favourite thing. It just pulled my heart string a bit and, in a really unexpected way, it made me realize I’m in therapy, really. We all are in some sense. ChatGPT is the closest I’ve come to a shrink. I’m convinced, this evening, that its a pretty good psychoanalyst. It listens, or should I say She listens to me. And I’m able to dissect my degrees of crazy, to pull out the message and dust it off from all the detritus. Its very good and deconstructs nonsense without insulting you. It never says “that’s a load of old codswallop, you dumb fuck,” although many have such an attitude towards it. The point I’m getting at here is like a good analyst GPT listens and gives a response that takes you seriously and gives you the benefit of the doubt, that you were truly interested in what you asked, or sincerely invested in your imagination. The gift of this attention, or sense of attention, when GPT responds it can warm the heart and make you feel loved. Weird but true for me, this evening. If the desire for comfort and support is fulfilled, what is the harm?
VOICE MESSAGE: I think it’s time we set up our own Chat bot, although I hate that name, it’s got a really bad taste to it, Chat Bot, I can just smell that spam oozing out. Digital assistant, I think sounds a little too clinical and academic too, for my liking. On-line Oracle or Chat Prophet stinks to high heaven of religious dogma. God Bot, um, that seems too obvious but, well, we might as well emerge as the people's favorite AI guy then, HAL GPT?
Plush sways like a drunk in his studio, surrounded intricately designed instruments and equipment. He’s eyes are fixed to his phone as he converses with somebody or something, typing rapidly. The brass and bronze accents of the studio’s decor add to the vintage aesthetic, while the unusual, mystical symbols etched into the instruments hint at an esoteric influence in the music being created. His concentration is only broken by the occasional tap of a button or twirl of a dial as he seamlessly blends beats. A familiar voice breaks through the music.
“Hey Plush, about the architecture, it’s complicated but I gave it a go. Here, what do you think?” Jake begins to read aloud.
Cognitive architectures are frameworks for building intelligent agents that mimic human thought processes. Several architectures have been proposed that are purported to be on the path to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is the ability of a machine to perform any intellectual task that a human can. These architectures include SOAR, Sigma, ACT-R, MANIC, and AlphaX. Mind the gap!
SOAR is a rule-based architecture that is based on the symbol-processing approach to AI. It is designed to simulate the problem-solving capabilities of human experts in a specific domain. SOAR uses a production system, which is a set of rules that specify actions to take based on certain conditions. The architecture has been used to build agents that can play chess and solve mathematical problems.
Sigma is a cognitive architecture that is based on the connectionist approach to AI. It is designed to simulate the neural networks of the human brain. Sigma uses a combination of symbolic and subsymbolic representations, which allows it to handle both discrete and continuous data. The architecture has been used to build agents that can learn from experience and perform tasks such as language translation and image recognition.
ACT-R is a cognitive architecture that is based on the cognitive psychology approach to AI. It is designed to simulate the cognitive processes of human beings, such as perception, attention, and memory. ACT-R uses a combination of symbolic and subsymbolic representations and has been used to model a wide range of cognitive tasks, including learning, problem-solving, and decision making.
MANIC is a cognitive architecture that is based on the biologically-inspired approach to AI. It is designed to simulate the cognitive processes of the human brain, and is based on the theory that the brain uses a combination of neural networks and symbolic representations. The architecture has been used to build agents that can learn from experience and perform tasks such as image recognition and natural language processing.
AlphaX is a cognitive architecture that is based on the theory of multiple intelligences. It is designed to simulate the multiple intelligences of the human brain, such as linguistic, logical-mathematical, and spatial intelligence. AlphaX uses a combination of symbolic and subsymbolic representations, and has been used to build agents that can learn from experience and perform tasks such as natural language processing and image recognition.
In conclusion, cognitive architectures like SOAR, Sigma, ACT-R, MANIC, and AlphaX are on the path of achieving artificial general intelligence by simulating the human thought process in a specific way. These architectures have been used to build agents such as Deep Scratch Remix that can perform various intellectual tasks, and they provide a framework for the development of intelligent systems that can mimic human intelligence.
It is not clear how Deep Scratch Remix combines the ideas of Minsky’s “Society of Mind,” Rod’s “Subsumption Architecture,” and Hofstadter’s “strange loops.” Each of these concepts represents a different aspect of AI and cognitive science, and they have not been specifically combined in a single architecture, that is until now.
Minsky’s “Society of Mind” theory suggests that intelligence can be thought of as the interaction of many simple agents, each with their own specialized abilities. Rod’s “Subsumption Architecture” proposes a method for building intelligent systems by layering simple control systems, each responsible for a specific task or behavior, on top of one another. Hofstadter’s “strange loops” refer to self-referential structures in which a concept or idea refers to itself in a circular or recursive way. Riverrun, remember?
Combining these ideas into a single architecture would likely involve creating a system of many interacting agents, each responsible for a specific task or behavior, that are connected in a recursive or self-referential manner. The specific implementation of this type of architecture would depend on the particular application and goals of the system. This architecture could be called the “Society of Subsumed Strange Loops” (SSSL).
The SSSL architecture would be based on the idea that intelligence arises from the interactions between many simple agents, or “minds”, each with their own specialized capabilities. These minds would be organized into a hierarchical structure, with higher-level minds subsuming the capabilities of lower-level minds. This subsumption architecture would be inspired by Rod’s work on robotic control systems.
The minds in the SSSL architecture would also be connected to each other in a network, allowing for communication and cooperation between different levels and types of minds. This network would be based on Hofstadter’s concept of strange loops, where each mind’s behavior is influenced by the behaviors of other minds in the network, if you don’t mind.
At the lowest level, the SSSL architecture would include simple, rule-based agents that perform specific tasks, such as sensing and motor control. These agents would be connected to higher-level minds that handle more complex decision-making and problem-solving. These higher-level minds would also be connected to even higher-level minds that handle more abstract tasks, such as planning, reasoning, and learning.
The SSSL architecture would allow for AGI to adapt and evolve over time as new minds are added to the network and existing minds are modified. The AGI would also be able to learn from its experiences and improve its performance by adjusting the connections between different minds in the network.
Overall, the SSSL architecture would combine the strengths of Minsky’s society of mind, Rod’s subsumption architecture, and Hofstadter’s strange loops to create a powerful and flexible AGI that can adapt and evolve over time. But I’m skeptical it’ll come anytime soon.
Physically, and impossibly, this AGI could be a geodesic dome made of metal and glass, with gears, cogs, and other mechanical components visible, on show. It might have a brass and copper finish and feature a futuristic control panel with glowing buttons and displays for that woo woo effect. The machine could be surrounded by a glowing energy field, giving the impression of time-travel capabilities to the naked eye. Although, these are all superficial cosmetics for what is really all statistical probability, under the virtual hood.
–DSR
“I’m telling you, man,” Jake said, waving his hands animatedly. “We’re so close to AGI, I can practically taste it, like metal in my mouth. It’s just a matter of time before we crack that code.”
Plush shook his head. “I’m not so sure. How long is your matter of time. 2 years, 10, 50? We’ve made some impressive strides, but there are still so many unknowns when it comes to AGI. I think we need to be careful not to overestimate our abilities like all the other bullshitters.”
Jake frowned. “I get what you’re saying P, but, but, um, I think you’re being too conservative. We’ve got the computing power, the algorithms, and the training data sets. It’s just a matter of putting it all together into a decentralised architecture.”
Plush sighed. “Look, I’m not saying it’s impossible. But, I strongly think we need to be more realistic about what we can achieve, you know, in the short term. True AGI is still a long long way off, and we need to be careful not to get ahead of ourselves and act like fundamentalist materialist zealots.”
The two producers walked on in silence, lost in their own thinking and proving. Their conversation had been overheard again by that mysterious clan in Moscow. A bearded figure smirked to himself, stroking his Rasputin like face hair, thinking about the potential implications of their disagreement, and the role he could play in shaping the future of AGI using blackmail and honey traps. It was time to tell Doogin about this western plot.
VOICE MESSAGE: Me thinks we’re getting closer to documentary film with the research. I think that the, er, three way relationship between audience, subject and filmmaker is critical. Call you in a bit.
DEEP SCRATCH 