We’re going to need a “Where are they now?” edition for bizarre instrument design projects. Case in point: the Drum Buddy. Reader “fer” writes, succinctly, “wassup with this?”
The answer, fer, is wassup indeed. This strange light-powered instrument had its fifteen seconds of fame on the Music Thing blog last summer, but its whereabouts now are more mysterious.
According to its creators, the Drum Buddy “represents the future of electronic instruments.” If so, we have a future of pulsing, noisy oscillators-gone-awry played by the likes of Miss Pussycat “and her puppets.” For its part, the Drum Buddy itself uses light sensors and analog components, packed into a 40-lb. Russian Birch cabinet and outputing in glorious mono. The limited run of 44 units at US$999 is now over. If you’re bummed you missed that run, they do tease us with the possibility of mass production. (Who do you think — M-Audio or Edirol?) If you don’t believe they sold any, they do provide an owner list. If you’re in New Orleans, do ask Chef Menteur how it’s working out. (And stay away from Autopsy Assistant Dirk in Germany.)
Of course, what we really need to do is track down Quintron and Miss Pussycat, the musicians apparently behind the mayhem. You can see them in Drum Buddy, the movie, but amazingly the group is touring Boston at the same time I am. May be the same night as the CDM party I’m planning, but my suggestion is we either get drunk before seeing Quintron, or afterwards (not sure which we’ll need, but probably one of them).
Anyone with information related to Quintron, the Drum Buddy, or whoever those puppets are, please do write. And the rest of you . . . stay tuned.