Fad Gadgets

Rhodri Marsden on three of the latest must-have gizmos currently putting the prog in progress…

PLAYTRON

“Make music from everyday objects,” plead the Berlin-based tech-art cooperative Playtronica. The Playtron resembles a circuit board, costs around £65 and transforms citrus fruits into percussion instruments, and there aren’t many things you can say that about. Attach the board to your computer with a USB cable, link objects to the board with alligator clips, and suddenly those objects (provided they’re conductive enough) suddenly become a doorway to musical innovation – or, at the very least, a sustained giggle.

www.playtronica.com

SP2000 PLAYER

From the useful ‘n’ cheap to the superfluous ‘n’ expensive. Every few months I like to point and laugh at a piece of audio gear that’s more about status than utility, and this time around I was spoiled for choice, thanks to a specialist trade fair in Munich called High End that showcases such nonsense as a £24,000 floor-standing speaker system or an aluminium and bamboo music streaming device for £1,300. The SP2000, made by Astell & Kern, plays audio files. It features an Octa-core processor, 512Gb of storage space and costs an eye-watering £2,999. Fortunately you probably don’t need one.

www.astellnkern.com

CAPO GUITAR

Guitar players (and I count myself among them) can be an unimaginative bunch. Our fingers reach for the same shapes on the guitar neck, generating the same old chords. But look, a Canadian by the name of John Gillis has invented a guitar where pegs can be pushed into the fretboard to create “billions of new tunings”. More excitingly, he claims it’s like “having an extra hand”. Its failure to meet its Kickstarter target is a testament to how uninterested most are in exploring new musical horizons, but I know in my heart that Prog readers are different. www.facebook.com/ gillisguitars