Awesome Electronic Music

Sampling other songs has been a staple of music production since the 1980s. Tracklib’s compilation doesn’t go back quite that far. Still, it provides an excellent retrospective of the use of samples in the most popular electronic and dance tracks since 1990, kicking things off with Deee-Lite’s Groove in the Heart. For more, check out their hip-hop sample breakdown.

Dharni and Mamikoyoko are each amazing performers, but when they collaborate, something magical happens. Their multitrack beatbox recordings of trance and dance tracks like Children, Sandstorm, Castles in the Sky, and Better off Alone are so well-executed that if you close your eyes, you might think you were listening to synthesizers, not humans.

Musician GRAYSSOKER’s primary instrument is a customized accordion that he uses as a sound source for some incredible, genre-bending electronic mayhem. He uses a number of effect pedals to augment its sounds and to create mesmerizing, live-looped sequences. Can’t get enough? Enjoy another cool live performance.

This expressive controller gives musicians an incredible amount of control and looks amazing while performing. The ERAE II has 16,000 force sensors to detect movements and pressure across its multitouch surface. A colorful LED grid provides visual feedback and can be programmed with virtual keys, drum pads, faders, and buttons. It also has a built-in 8-track looper.

Here’s something we never thought we’d see – mushrooms playing a keyboard. BionicandtheWires put together this strange setup which uses sensors to detect electrical fluctuations in a mushroom plant. It then takes those signals to trigger solenoids that move mallets and strike the keys. And it makes precisely the kind of music we’d expect a group of fungi to make.

The 1970s gave the world some of its first electronic toys. Among them was the Panasonic Do-Re-Mi, a relatively rare gizmo that combined a small record player with a simple analog synthesizer. David Hilowitz got his hands on an as-is unit and spent some time restoring it. After getting it working, he took it for a spin and sampled its sounds for future use.

Oscilloscopes visualize waveforms from electrical signals. With the right signal source, it’s possible to display animations. In this video from Techmoan, he shows how music can create patterns on a scope, courtesy of Jerobeam Fenderson and Hamsi3D and their EP N-SPHERES, which includes a oscilloscope emulator to play it on your PC or Mac.

Bedtime Company’s tape! is a portable audio gadget that digitally reimagines a cassette tape player. But it’s so much more. It has four asynchronous virtual tape heads that can loop sounds, with the ability to apply effects and adjust speed and pitch in real-time. It has a line input, a built-in stereo mic, and USB-C connectivity. Coming soon to Kickstarter.

This electronic autoharp from Napkey is a modern take on the 1980s Suzuki Omnichord. Push a button and strum its touchpad, and it plays a chord. It has 36 chord buttons, 20 voice polyphony, and waveform, release, and volume adjustments. It also has USB-C MIDI and TRS MIDI outputs for connecting to digital audio workstation apps and a 3.5 mm audio output.

This octagonal drum machine is designed to encourage collaboration. It offers backlit buttons, drum pads, and pitch sliders, which allow multiple players to participate in the rhythm-making process. The eight-step sequencer comes with a bunch of sounds, and you can load your own samples from your computer. It also has MIDI and sync connections.

Washiyama Giken created this unique musical instrument that combines a synthesizer with the bow action of a violin. It uses a piezo sensor to detect the vibrations created by the bow’s movement and an Arduino Uno R4 Minima to translate those into a sound waveform that impacts the sound produced by the note pressed on the keyboard. More here.

Audima Labs shows off a sweet new MIDI controller that enhances live performance. Like a theremin, it’s controlled by waving your hands above it, but the Sway is built to control digital music. It offers six degrees of expression including strike, sway, glide, X/Y, aftertouch, and 2-handed gesture control. Place a reservation now to save when it launches.

Electronics and industrial design masters Teenage Engineering created the EP–133 K.O. II., a portable synth, sampler, and composer for electronic music. It offers instant sampling with 999 sample slots, six stereo voices, 12 mono voices, a high-res sequencer, real-time FX, looping, and more. Ports include stereo audio, sync, MIDI, and USB-C MIDI. In-depth demo here.

Amsterdam’s Our House is a wonderland for fans of electronic music. One of their interactive installations is a wall-sized sequencer, which lets you create your own looped rhythms by pushing its buttons. Here’s a look at it being programmed to play the Eurythmics 1983 hit Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).

This pocket-sized musical instrument from MicroKits is an analog synthesizer shaped like a cassette tape. It has a touch-sensitive 13-key keypad, which you can connect to other objects (like bananas) to turn them into keys. It’s got a built-in 1-watt speaker, a headphone jack, and controls for pitch, volume, octave shift, and a vibrato effect.

This unique musical instrument combines a synthesizer, a looper, and a MIDI controller. It has 12 capacitive sensing pads, a bridge for strumming and tapping notes, as well as an accelerometer and gyroscope for gesture-based input. It has drum, bass, chord, and lead modes, and a built-in speaker and 3.5mm audio jack lets you play without external equipment.