The Gen R-8 is the most advanced Stylophone yet

Somewhat iconic in its heyday, the late-’60s ribbon-controlled Stylophone synth was resurrected from a long hiatus by Dubreq back in 2012. Since then we’ve seen two new iterations – the significantly souped-up S2 and last year’s more affordable, pocket-sized Gen X-1.

Now Dubreq are releasing what they call the ‘ultimate Stylophone’, an analogue monosynth christened the Gen R-8. This latest iteration packs dual oscillators, two sub oscillators, a multimode VCF, envelope and LFO modulators and an analogue-style delay.

Naturally, the classic touchstrip-style keyboard is still present, but here it's fleshed out to three octaves and doubles up as a 16-step, eight-bank sequencer. For external control, there’s MIDI in and out, plus 19 CV/gate patch points for semi-modular experimentation.

The R-8 is due to ship late February and is available to pre-order now, priced at £299.