Ex-Post Malone Producer Frank Dukes is Pioneering Generative Music NFTs

Frank Dukes, perhaps best known as the former Post Malone producer, is pushing generative art to an audible new level. The studio hotshot is unveiling a collection of generative songs and accompanying visual work, as NFTs.

Well, actually that’s a little misleading. Frank Dukes was the pseudonym of Adam ‘Ging’ Feeney, under which he made countless hit singles. These include ‘Call Out My Name’ by The Weeknd, ‘Havana’ by Camila Cabello, and ‘Congratulations’ by Post Malone.

Having now ditched the Dukes name in favour of his own, Feeney, he is now dropping a series of audiovisual NFTs on 23rd December, via OpenSea, to mark this huge life moment. A presale will take place tomorrow, 22nd December.

The collection is entitled ‘The Ghost of Frank Dukes’, and comprises generative music and artwork. In total, there will be 9,999 pieces available. Each song is created at the moment it is purchased, through the use of a unique algorithm. According to the producer in an interview with Billboard, the code amalgamates “all different pieces of my music in a meaningful manner”. These are then incorporated with “the little micro-decisions that I would make.

From Post Malone Producer to the Ghost of Frank Dukes

Of course, the algorithm is the ghost of Frank Dukes. But, as the man points out, the AI often combines elements of his old music that he would not have thought of.

“I wanted to create something that sparks new ideas and promotes different ways of thinking,” Feeney said. “I’m by no means looking to replace humans… but I don’t want to be limited to exploring traditional mediums.”

According to the mastermind, it has taken around three years of trial and error to realise the project in its current form. Dropping the Dukes name was a way to move beyond the “metrics and numbers” world of pop and into a more innovative end of the industry. “I wanted to recapture the sense of freedom I had as a kid, making beats at my parents’ house.”.

However, it all began with small steps. Firstly, Feeney started spending more time sketching and less time working with other musicians in the studio. Secondly, he observed patterns in those drawings. Not least the consistent use of self-portraiture, prominence of ghosts, and themes of life and rebirth. Seeing his own reinvention as part of this, he began identifying as ‘Ging’, a childhood nickname.

From here, the project really began to take form. Regardless of whether he had thought much of the work at the time, he sifted through old pieces of music in his archives. Without reservation, he pored over these unused samples, loops, beats, and more. He then drafted celebrated engineer Tyler Murphy, and the pair started formulating new ideas. ‘The Ghost of Frank Dukes’ NFT collection was born, and here we are today.

Beyond Frank Dukes’ Ghost

In the same way as Feeney has started experimenting with non-fungible tokens, several other prominent faces from music are doing the same. Merck Mercuriadis, former manager of Beyoncé, has even said this technology is the future of the industry. Hence the likes of Sonu Nigam, and KidEight, making headlines recently.