The Music Box Reimagined For The 21st Century?

US An interesting sculptural take on the drum machine using magnets 31/03/15

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This is the XOXX Composer from Axel Blume. A drum machine designed to be accessible to anyone, producer or not.

Surely this machine must have taken some cues from music boxes of yesteryear. Giving a mechanical take on the drum machine it allows the user to activate sound samples using magnets arranged on the discs. The physical interface is made up from eight rotating discs allowing the user to quickly create unique beats.

Every disc is quantised into four bars, which is indicated by the coloured lines on their faces, and each bar is divided into four steps. That means every disc has sixteen steps which allows the user to explore a variety of different music styles and degrees of complexity.

Seeing beats layed out in this fashion gives a very unique and interesting way of visualising musical structures. In some ways composing beats in this cyclical nature makes a lot more sense than the classic XOX/Roland style of step sequencing.

This project will be on display at the Ugly Duck in Bermondsey (London), as part of a collaboration between Sonos and the Royal College of Art.

For more of Axel's projects head over to his website

(Via CDM)