To all things, a beginning.

Hello! You've reached Humonium, the official blog of H+. I suspect around this point, you're probably asking yourself, "What is this H+ all about?" To put it simply, H+ is the world's first Transhumanist musical group. But then, perhaps the simple definition isn't good enough. Let's dig a little deeper, shall we?

Transhumanism is the school of thought that humans can and should use science to transcend the current limitations of the human condition. Despite the initial science fiction images this statement is bound to conjure in your mind, if you take a moment to think about it, using technology to enhance our physical and mental capacities is something we've been doing for millenia. After all, it is our ability to build and use tools that has made us the dominant race on this planet. For a very simple example, I will point out that anyone who uses eyeglasses or contact lenses to improve their eyesight is being technologically enhanced. Transhumanism takes this basic idea a step further, suggesting that the perfectionist ethical imperative for humans to improve their condition can lead to absolute control of evolution through science and technology. This is not limited to using technology to increase our intelligence, strength, or resistance to disease; but could mean new methods of comprehension and senses. Imagine "listening" to a symphony of quantum strings. Imagine experiencing the emotions and sense memories of a friend. Now try and imagine the art created by and such a person. That is H+.

How does this translate into the world of music? Well, the members of H+ (currently Daniel Hirshleifer on vocals and Andy Robinson on percussion) feel that these philosophies are, at their noblest, an extension of humankind's unending search for transendence. Transhumanism represents a bold leap forward, and we want to bring these elements into the world of music. Our plan is to embrace the new and the old together. We want to take existing forms of musical expression (everything from your basic rock/pop milieu to indigenous music to a multitude of cultures) and meld it with new technologies, new ways of looking at music. H+ (literally "Humanity Plus") as a band would look to synthesize the musicians and their audience in ways yet unseen, including giving the audience the ability to help shape the music in some form or fashion. We're looking towards new experimental instruments and technologies to use at the forefront of our music, while still keeping an eye towards tried and true methods. As great as the new may be, there's always something to be said for what has worked before.

This blog is part of the experiment. We are going to use it to keep our audience informed of what we are doing, and the format of a blog, with comments and an open dialogue, will allow for direct communication between musician and audience member. Let us know what you're thinking and what you would like to see. All that we ask is that you keep your comments constructive and intelligent. We will give you the same courtesy.

And so, with that H+ goes, as Peter Gabriel put it, "Out on the air." Stick around and let's discover where this goes together.

-Daniel and Andy, collectively H+