Floppy II by Alex Dragonetti

Floppy II is a direct companion to Floppy (2021). Where Floppy was meant to be a reframing of nostalgia-based music, consequently creating stable, safe pieces, Floppy II is a more critical, authentic look at those same nostalgic feelings and their inherent unreliability.


Questions:


Why is this on a floppy disk?

Just like Floppy, I wanted to explore the aesthetics of nostalgia for people who grew up with earlier technology-driven entertainment media. The artificial compression was integral to the piece. I wanted to put the music on a floppy disk anyway, so I needed an external drive and floppy disks. At that point, I figured I'd make a few and slap some stickers on it.


Can I listen to music off of the floppy?

Maybe, if you have a device that can both read a floppy disk and run a program that can use mp3 files. Your best bet is probably a floppy to USB drive. You can also just listen to the floppy cuts that are available for free and take my word that they're on a disk.

1.44mb is a boutique label/production company specializing in releases on Floppy disk.


Why a floppy disk?

The medium forces audio files to be heavily compressed, creating both a challenge and tool for artists.


Do they actually play audio?

If you have a device that reads floppy disks and plays .mp3 files, you should be able to treat our floppy disks like a USB drive - so kind of!