Posts tagged with musical instruments
October 30, 2008 | New Trends | 
by Francis Andrews |
I hadn’t heard of this instrument until a few months ago — not surprising considering it was only invented eight years ago. It’s refreshing to know that not all new discoveries involve a microchip or some complex wiring system. The Hang is a veritable one-man band — a good player can get the range of percussion sounds out of it, from steel drum to bell to glockenspiel, even some bass kick. And the result is beautiful and unique. Last I heard there were only several hundred in existence. Prices are very steep and to obtain one, customers have to send a letter of request to its birthplace in Switzerland. A real labour of love, then.
July 2, 2008 | New Products | by Derrick Stembridge |
The AirPiano is an innovative musical interface which allows the playing and controlling of software instruments simply by moving your hands in the air. Above the AirPiano is a virtual matrix of keys and faders, each assigned with MIDI messages ready to be triggered. The length of a triggered note is equivalent to the time a hand is placed on the corresponding virtual key, which is also confirmed by LED feedback.
UK artist Wirrow creates some nicely childlike, ethereal work smudging, dragging and delicately managing his charcoal to rather nice darkly dreamlike effect. Read more
Brooklyn-born and based, Jean-Michel Basquiat was the first African American artist to be feted internationally for his dynamic and exciting street-art style, which mixed elements of inner-city graffiti with vibrant figurative modernism. Read more
I’m really excited about the Melbourne band Plug-in City. They remind me of Belle & Sebastian, The Kooks and Cut Copy all in one. What more can us New Yorkers ask for?
I’d never before seen a museum where the building itself is the attraction more so than what is exhibited inside. Built by Daniel Libeskind in 1999, the Jewish Museum in Berlin is worth a visit even if you are not an architecture fan. Read more
It turns out that the Internet was invented for cute animals as much as it was for porn. All these four-legged nobodies suddenly have our attention, and all they have to do is sneeze or fall asleep or act like they’re talking for us to fawn all over them. Heeding the growing chorus of people calling for these furry hacks to be cut back down to size, Fuck You Penguin aims to keep the egos of goats, puffins, moose, and pretty much every adorable creature on earth in check.
Though most people in the West think of mahjong as a mysterious game old Chinese people play, it’s actually gets quite rowdy when people get together to play it. Rowdy is certainly a good adjective for Mahjongg, the exquisitely danceable electro-whatever outfit from Chicago who draw as much from Afrobeat as they do vocoder-laden sleaze rock from the 70s.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Barcelona label Kinkiking have launched their new collection, Kinkiking Industries, which consists of four t-shirts representing imaginary businesses. The team behind the label take their visual inspiration from comics, music, design and graffiti. Read more
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Baltimore Mural by Josh Van Horne
My friend Josh Van Horne, a local Baltimore artist, did this amazing mural in our neighborhood that depicts the history of this warehouse-laden area.
It’s refreshing to see artists like Joe Kievitt who are contented to explore the beauty in simple forms and asymmetrical patterns. Read more
Mathematics? Leave me out. Fashematics? Now you’re talking! This gem of a site is a runway equation that adds up to a whole lot of wonderful.
The return of the Brionvega rr226
Italian brand Brionvega has resurrected the classy Radiofonografio piece first created in 1965. The updated version is just like the original turntable/radio unit, but also has a CD/DVD player.
Francoise Nielly’s Yellow series
Parisian visual artist Francoise Nielly brings technicolour to the forefront in her latest series, Yellow. Featuring thick impasto palette knife strokes and trippy neon hues, Nielly captures the vulnerable expressions of her muses to a tee. Read more
On this Virgin Mary HaloTech watch, the dial is a modern version of the nineteenth century art form of lithophanes, carved porcelain sheets that, when lit, deliver astoundingly detailed images. When the pusher is activated, the dial springs to life in 3D. The watch features a light-up dial, LED light, and afterglo effect. Read more
If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]
FOLLOW US
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it's not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.
