HAND is a Eurorack module that is also a disembodied crawling hand

As a firm believer in technosolutionism, I am here to tell you, authoritatively, that you need a disembodied glowing hand that creeps around your house and plays spooky music. Not want. Need. Those who do not buy this disembodied hand will surely be left behind, or at least it will crawl after you. Instrument builder and inventor Gijs Gieskes is back at it again.

KORG’s phase8 “acoustic synthesizer” is now a product for sale

The experimental electromechanical 8-voice instrument, after a long gestation period at KORG Berlin’s skunkworks R&D, is now going public. That means this unique set of sequenced steel resonators is making its way off the laboratory table and into the wild.

Peter Kirn - January 22, 2026

Noise Surround System makes spatial audio kinetic, mechanical

To tackle the issue of noise pollution, Warszawa’s panGenerator brought immersive, spatial sound to the philharmonic. But they didn’t make that spatial audio virtual: tracks, skateboard motors, and speakers on karts put this installation into physical motion.

Peter Kirn - February 27, 2025

Tour Superbooth with Afrorack – featuring the show’s best instruments

Peter Kirn - May 22, 2024

Landscape’s Ferrous, an electro-mechanical resonator for strings

Peter Kirn - May 16, 2024

Error Instruments’ Loopman is an experimental cassette Walkman instrument

Peter Kirn - August 24, 2021

Motor Synth is brutal, electro-mechanical synth – last days of discount

Peter Kirn - June 24, 2019

Learn electronics with the vintage Side Man drum machine

Peter Kirn - September 29, 2015