GLaDOS: Please Proceed Into Android Hell

She is Always Right

GLaDOS: Please Proceed into Android Hell

By: Kirsten Grove-White

While I was browsing thesixtyone.com – a music sharing site with video game-like properties such as quests and levels – I came across this fun little piece that was released in 2007 that actually started out as a joke. Thankfully its creators, Victims of Science, decided to make something serious out of it which has since become their most popular piece.

It utilizes auto-tuned clips of GLaDOS’ voice, as well as a couple of turret clips thrown in for added creepiness, to form semi-coherent lyrics. I’m not generally a huge fan of techno, having been raised playing classical music since I was five, but this is quirky and has enough melody for me to actually like it.

Ironically, a section near the end (starting at 2:24, “Thank you for participating in this Aperture Science computerated enrichment activity”) is presented in a way that reminds me of Anglican chant – an old church music technique of presenting a lot of text in a harmonically interesting way. For me, that reminder is a jarring yet fascinating juxtaposition of ancient and extremely modern.

If you’re a fan of techno or Portal or both, or just want something novel to listen to, try this.

About Kirsten:

Kirsten is studying biology at university currently, but has studied music extensively for most of her life. She has won awards in musicology/music history and performance in both piano and voice. She was also a choral scholar for four years, studying and performing primarily medieval church music. She was introduced to video games as a little girl by her grandfather (weird, right?) and has fought her older sister for controller time ever since. She has a particular passion for video game music, naturally, and is vocal in the fact that she believes it’s some of the best modern music out there and is grossly underrated.