It’s a portable gaming machine – but unlike other such devices, the Steam Deck is also an open, handheld, Linux-powered computer. And you know what that means: it’s a synth and a DAW, too.

They started as terrific modules – now they’re available in plug-in form. Noise Engineering is on a roll. The free plug-ins are essential, and eventually, you may want everything, hardware and software. There’s just so much goodness here – all literally glowing and pulsing with a selectable color palette. (I mean, did I wind up […]

From inside Ukraine comes driving techno to give you new strength. We welcome Alex Glass for a guest mix, recorded just hours before the invasion began – and talk to him about techno and feeling in times of war.

The Dart line of controllers is an Arduino-powered array of devices, either for DIYers in shield form and with open software and specs, or mutated into a cornucopia of peculiar-looking devices. DMX and MIDI support and full customizability. This is old news, but now feels like the right time to rediscover them. It’s impossible not […]

What is the sound of one drum machine clapping? Well… that’ll be the bland sound you hear way too often. It’s time to layer up, get your claps out of isolation, and layered on thick. And Goldbaby’s latest might have you fall for the clap all over again.

For all the crises, Beirut’s international connections continue to grow. Next up is an extensive residency-exchange project, starting in Berlin this week and returning to Beirut later this month. And that’s an excuse to give you some music to check out.

Quick! Make visuals for that track! Uh… yeah, normally visual tools aren’t nearly as immediate and playable as music ones. And that’s where Videosync comes in – now with a vastly expanded feature set belied by today’s 1.1 release.

People are starving; now is the time when dismantling imperialism and supporting family is vital. So let’s turn our ears again to the poignant sounds of the Iranian “underbelly” – and enter the ultraverse.

Meanwhile in Czechia – the zany minds of Bastl Instruments are teasing a new product, which is possibly a modular product but knowing them, could be a module and a pizzeria. Behold:

Ableton has released another free Max for Live device. It’s cool, it can be useful, it’s free (if you have Live Suite or a Max for Live license). But it’s worth pausing to consider whether tuning solutions could be more.