JamiOki-PureJoy: a game engine and instrument for electronically-mediated musical improvisation

JamiOki-PureJoy is a novel electronically mediated musical performance system. PureJoy is a musical instrument; A highly flexible looper, sampler, effects processor and sound manipulation interface based on Pure Data, with input from a joystick controller and headset microphone. PureJoy allows the player to essentially sculpt their voice with their hands. JamiOki is an engine for running group-player musical game pieces. JamiOki helps each player by 'whispering instructions' in their ear. Players track and control their progress through the game using a graphical display and a touch-sensitive footpad. JamiOki is an architecture for bringing groups of players together to express themselves musically in a way that is both spontaneous and formally satisfying. The flexibility of the PureJoy instrument offers to JamiOki the ability for any player to play any requested role in the music at any time. The musical structure provided by JamiOki helps PureJoy players create more complex pieces of music on the fly with spontaneous sounds, silences, themes, recapitulation, tight transitions, structural hierarchy, interesting interactions, and even friendly competition. As a combined system JamiOki-PureJoy is exciting and fun to play.