Tape Notes TN:177 Imogen Heap
Mar 25, 2026
Imogen Heap, British composer and tech innovator behind the Mi.Mu gloves and Mogen AI voice, chats about her I AM__ project. She traces noisy, visceral recordings and modular synth explorations. She explains building a private AI vocal, spatializing intense sounds, and why improvisation and aftercare shape her creative process.
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Berlin Modular Jam Rewired The Track
- Imogen met modular artist Irene Amnus in Berlin and used dozens of her modular samples, including a massive Lyra bass crash that changed the song's direction.
- She integrated cello recordings from friend Ian and reshaped the track around Irene's thunderous modular sound.
Barn Noise Session Revealed Loneliness
- Imogen recorded noise artist Flesh Licker naked in her barn to re-create a visceral pink-noise experience that left her emotionally overwhelmed.
- The five-minute noise recording induced crying and a subsequent walk where she realised music had been substituting for deep human connection.
Pleasure Point Lies At Edge Of Chaos
- Imogen describes peak pleasure as sitting at the edge of chaos where structure almost breaks, which noise can hit by unpredictably oscillating between order and disorder.
- That fulcrum made her body and perception intensely present during noise events.