RjDj explained

RjDj
Type:Private
Foundation:London, U.K.
Founder:Michael Breidenbruecker
Location City:London
Location Country:U.K.
Area Served:Worldwide
Key People:Michael Breidenbruecker

Robert Thomas

Christian Haudum
Industry:Video games
Computer software
Num Employees:4
Homepage:rjdj.me

RjDj (Reality Jockey Ltd.) was a startup founded in late 2008 by last.fm co-founder Michael Breidenbruecker. The company was based in London and was run by a small team of four employees. Its mission was to create sonic experiences specifically designed for the latest generation of personal music players. RjDj produced and distributed a network of mobile applications and sold additional musical content within this network.

RjDj developed a new genre of music that it called reactive music, a non-linear form of music that was able to react to the listener and their environment in real-time.[1] Reactive music is closely connected to generative music, interactive music, and augmented reality. Similar to music in video games, that is changed by specific events happening in the game, reactive music is affected by events occurring in the real life of the listener. Reactive music adapts to a listener and their environment by using built-in sensors (e.g. camera, microphone, accelerometer, touch-screen and GPS) in mobile media players. The main difference to generative music is that listeners are part of the creative process, co-creating the music with the composer. Reactive music is also able to augment and manipulate the listeners real-world auditory environment.[2]

What is distributed in reactive music is not the music itself, but software that generates the music.[3] Applications made by RjDj were available on Apple’s iOS platform. The technology behind it was based on the Pure Data (or Pd) digital signal processing framework. Reactive music pieces, so called Scenes, could be made using rjlib,[4] which is an open source library of useful software building blocks to construct reactive music.

RjDj closed its website and removed its apps from circulation in 2013.

Apps Developed

Artists who have released music as RjDj apps

YouTube videos

Notes and References

  1. Book: Barnard. iPhone User Interface Design Projects. 2009. Apress. New York. 978-1430223597. 235–238. etal.
  2. Web site: Sterling. Bruce. Augmented Reality: RjDj. Wired. 11 December 2012.
  3. Burton. Charlie. Mod your sounds with RjDj. Wired UK. January 2010. 01-10.
  4. Web site: (n.a.). rjlib. GitHub. 11 December 2012.
  5. Web site: Kincaid. Jason. RjDj Generates An Awesome, Trippy Soundtrack For Your Life. 13 October 2008 . Techcrunch. 31 October 2012.
  6. Web site: (n.a.). New 'LOVE BY AIR' iPhone App Invites Fans of the French Music Duo To Create Unique Sounds. EMI Music. 31 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120510165059/http://www.emimusic.com/blog/2010/new-love-by-air-iphone-app-invites-fans-of-the-french-music-duo-to-create-unique-sounds-enter-contest/. 10 May 2012.
  7. Web site: (n.a.). Inception The App. Remote Control Productions, Warner Bros. & Reality Jockey Ltd.. 31 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121103173121/http://inceptiontheapp.com/. 3 November 2012.
  8. Web site: (n.a.). First iPhone-only album to be released by Kids On DSP – video. NME. 31 October 2012.
  9. Web site: Cutler. Kim-Mai. The future of the music album? Check out RjDj's Little Boots app . 16 December 2009 . Venturebeat. 31 October 2012.
  10. Geere. Duncan. RjDj's New App Dimensions Turns Music Discovery Into 'Sonic Adventure Game'. Wired . Wired Magazine. 31 October 2012.
  11. Van Buskirk. Eliot. iPad Could Boost Interactive Music. Wired. 31 October 2012.
  12. Web site: (n.a). Music Zones by RjDj. Reality Jockey Ltd.. 31 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120623064241/http://musiczones.rjdj.me/. 23 June 2012.
  13. Web site: (n.a.). Trippy Replay. Laptoprockers.com. 31 October 2012.
  14. Geere. Duncan. The Dark Knight Rises Soundtrack Gets Augmented by RjDj App. Wired . Wired UK. 31 October 2012.
  15. Web site: H _ _ r. hearapp.io. 2016-09-21.
  16. News: Salmon. Chris. Click to download: Pump up the volume. 11 December 2012. The Guardian. 3 September 2009.