ROLI Soundpacks For BLOCKS and NOISE

Signature sounds from RZA of Wu-Tang Clan and Steve Aoki   06-Jan-17

ROLI has been in touch to tell us that hip-hop legend RZA and EDM superstar Steve Aoki have distilled their signature sounds in custom-made soundpacks that are available today to anyone making music on BLOCKS and NOISE, ROLI's music creation system. RZA makes beats with Spoonful of Grit by RZA, his exclusive soundpack, and discusses his inspiration for it in the video above.

Here's the ROLI press release with the full details...

Whether beginners or professionals, music-makers can now explore a huge range of sounds with the Neon Future by Steve Aoki soundpack, Spoonful of Grit by RZA soundpack, and seven other soundpacks that ROLI releases today including Giant Dubstep, World Colours, Video Games, and Expressive Electronic.

The collection of nine soundpacks triples the number of sounds available on BLOCKS and NOISE. It marks the beginning of a soundpack collection that will grow throughout 2017, as renowned artists and sound designers craft and share their sounds.

Roland Lamb, founder and CEO of ROLI and inventor of BLOCKS, said: "BLOCKS and NOISE are an incredibly accessible and versatile new way to make music. Since we launched BLOCKS we've received an outpouring of excitement. But many creators have noted that they need a wider and more diverse sound palette to work with in NOISE and BLOCKS. This release provides just that. I spent several hours on the flight from London to Las Vegas making loops with RZA's and Steve Aoki's soundpacks. They are, in a word, awesome."

Steve Aoki, one of the leading EDM artists worldwide, has packaged a collection of uplifting leads and distorted basses based on Neon Future, his double album of big-room dance-floor hits. "I've been a fan of ROLI for years, and I'm excited to share sounds inspired by the Neon Future series. I hope that people around the world can now bring the futuristic sounds of Aoki to their BLOCKS and NOISE creations," Steve Aoki said.

Rapper and producer RZA's collection of gritty urban sounds and kung-fu effects is based on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the iconic hip-hop album that helped launch Wu-Tang Clan in 1990s. "When I listen to music on the radio today I miss some of the grit, and this soundpack gives back a spoonful of grit. I'm happy to share some of my sounds with the public, so they create a whole new vibe and a new generation of music," RZA said.

The 5D EDM, World Colours, Giant Dubstep, Video Games, Hybrid Acoustic, Expressive Electronic, and Synthetic Leads soundpacks were created by ROLI's sound design team. They are custom made for shaping sound through five dimensions of touch on the sensitive surface of the Lightpad Block, the central Block in the BLOCKS system.

Pricing and Availability:

BLOCKS is now available at ROLI.com, Apple.com, and Apple Stores worldwide. The modular music creation system launched in November 2016 with the Lightpad Block, Live Block, and Loop Block, three devices with complementary musical functions that connect together to create expandable kits. The system is powered by NOISE, a free music creation app for iPhones and iPads that is also the software engine of BLOCKS. This week at CES, BLOCKS won the IoT Breakthrough award for Innovation Consumer Product of the Year.

Soundpacks are available to purchase in-app in the new Soundpack Store of NOISE. Any pack purchased in NOISE is accessible on BLOCKS. Four of the new soundpacks are exclusively available to BLOCKS owners, and they can be redeemed for free when registering a Block.

Soundpacks are now available in the Soundpack Store of NOISE, ROLI's free music app for iOS devices.

Nine new soundpacks are now available to purchase or redeem in addition to ROLI's Fundamentals soundpack.

The Soundpack Store is now a feature in NOISE, a free music-making app and the software engine of BLOCKS.

Soundpacks releasing on January 5 are collections of synth sounds, Drum Kits, and Groove Kits - the interactive kits that let anyone make multi-layered, professional-sounding grooves. Contents and prices vary.

• RZA's Spoonful of Grit: 3 Drum Kits, 13 presets. $6.99, £4.99
• Steve Aoki's Neon Future: 16 presets. $6.99, £4.99
• 5D EDM: 2 Drum Kits, 14 presets. Free when a Block is registered.
• Giant Dubstep: 2 Drum Kits, 14 presets. Free when a Block is registered.
• World Colours: 1 Groove Kit, 3 Drum Kits, 12 presets. Free when a Block is registered.
• Video Games: 3 Drum Kits, 13 presets. Free when a Block is registered.
• Hybrid Acoustic: 12 presets. $3.99, £2.99,
• Expressive Electronic: 16 presets. $3.99, £2.99,
• Synthetic Leads: 11 presets. $3.99, £2.99

About ROLI
ROLI is a London-based music technology company with a mission to extend the joy of music creation to everyone. ROLI BLOCKS and NOISE is a new modular music creation system that lets anyone shape music through easy-to-learn gestures on powerful devices that connect together. The award-winning Seaboard RISE and Seaboard GRAND instruments - adopted by world-renowned artists like Stevie Wonder and Meghan Trainor - are an evolution of the piano keyboard that open new dimensions of expression. Professionals and people who have never played an instrument are making music in new ways through ROLI's ever-growing ecosystem of Connected Music products.    

More information:

• ROLI