Endel is a paid

generative music Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system. Historical background In 1995 whilst working with SSEYO's Koan software (built by Tim Cole and Pete Col ...

app that creates personalized sound environments (called ''soundscapes'') to match user activities. The app provides preset modes for relaxation, focus, sleep, and moving, and reacts to time of the day, weather, heart rate, and location to create unique compositions. Endel is available on

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and

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devices, as a standalone

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app, and Amazon Alexa Skill.

History

Endel was launched in 2018 as an application that generates individual soundscapes fitted to the user's immediate conditions. The app's Endel Pacific engine was built based on scientific principles about sound's effect on the human body and mind. The same year the app passed the Techstars Music

startup accelerator Startup accelerators, also known as seed accelerators, are fixed-term, cohort-based programs, that include mentorship and educational components and culminate in a public pitch event or demo day. While traditional business incubators are often g ...

and raised investments from the Amazon's Alexa Fund (focused on voice-powered products and conversational computing).

Soundscapes

In January 2019, Endel signed a distribution deal with

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

to produce and release 20 algorithmically created albums, attracting media attention from outlets such as ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'', ''

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'', ''The Guardian'', ''The Wall Street Journal''. In 2020, Endel collaborated with

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has in ...

to create ''AI Lullaby'' sleep soundscape featuring her vocals and music, inspired by her experience as a new mother. A 2022 James Blake's

Wind Down English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer James Blake has released 7 studio albums, 6 extended plays, 28 singles and 13 music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a ...

album was also made in a collaboration with Endel. Endel launched a variety of soundscapes: seasonal soundscapes like Recovery (for Winter 2020),

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

soundscape Study, Wiggly Wisdom soundscape with spoken word phrases from

Alan Watts Alan Wilson Watts (6 January 1915 – 16 November 1973) was an English writer, speaker and self-styled "philosophical entertainer", known for interpreting and popularising Japanese, Chinese and Indian traditions of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu ...

. The Clarity Trip soundscape, launched in October 2021, used data on user's movement and pace as a part of its generative algorithm.

Developers

The app is developed by a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

software company Endel Sound GmbH founded by Oleg Stavitsky, Protey Temen, Philipp Petrenko, Dmitry Evgrafov, Kirill Bulatsev, Dmitry Bezugly. Its early-stage investors and partners included the Amazon Amazon Alexa Fund,

Sonos SONOS, short for "silicon–oxide–nitride–oxide–silicon", more precisely, " polycrystalline silicon"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon nitride"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon", is a cross sectional structure of MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconduc ...

Avex Group is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

, Kima Ventures, Impulse Ventures, Plus Eight Equity Partners, Waverley Capital, Powerhouse Capital, Techstars Music,

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...

's Chris Leacock, and DJ La Fleur. In September 2020 it raised a $5 million Series A funding round led by

Kevin Rose Kevin Rose is an American Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk. He also served as production assistant and co-host at TechTV's ''The Screen Savers''. From 2012 to 2015, he was a venture partner at GV. Earl ...

and supported by existing and new investors.

References

{{reflist Companies of Germany German companies established in 2018