Chris of Pixelsumo alerts us to the Beatbox “physical programmable drum machine” at the RCA show in the UK. (see additional commentary at MusicThing)
So, is this the future of drum machines? Of course not. An Akai-style sampler has a physical interface, too, and it’s more usable than these. But after a slow start, watch as the video gets further in for some quirky tapping action, particularly when the boxes get taped to bottles and whatnot.
Alternative to this approach: many tap-loving musicians have gone the opposite route, taping contact mics to objects and tapping them, then feeding into a computer. (Admit it: you want to tap the bottle directly, not just tape an electronic box to it.) Oh yeah . . . and there are those things called drums. But they’re annoying.