Everything’s almost entirely new in Proto: for electronic music, but, above all, for Holly Herndon, who lets her previous two great albums function as omens of what was to come. Her digital world is now a generous womb that protects and develops increasingly complex and challenging compositions, keen to survive in an idea of a post-human future. To do this, Holly Herndon created Spawn, an artificial intelligence entity born from her computer and part of the collective creator of Proto. But the beauty of this work is also its permanent connection with the human side, strengthened by the voices of a choir that expands the history of our artistic and human conquests in an emotional, opulent and whispering register. 

Intricate and intelligent, Proto speaks to us about artistic creation, the real and the fictitious body, and the moments when we are confronted with the dilemmas and pains of growing. “Why are we so lost?” it asks. In the midst of this giddying tumult, we find various answers.