monome at 20: memories of the grid, in pictures

Kelli Cain and Brian Crabtree are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their monome company and project this week. For anyone moved by their creations over the years, there will be no escape from the feels in this gallery — and, of course, I couldn’t resist adding some extra memories from that era.

From Éliane Radigue to West Coast, Homework is a patchable wonder

It’s a modular week, yes, but here are things you can never have too much of: great food, open beaches, modular environments, and Giorgio Sancristoforo sound playgrounds. So here’s Homework, a 4-track cassette recorder, retro effects including granular processor and tape echo, and modular synths inspired by Buchla and ARP. It’s all you need to recreate some Éliane Radigue-inspired drones and float away on a sea of noise.

Peter Kirn - May 4, 2026

Massive power, every format: the BB-777 brings back a boombox icon

It was arguably the moment the boombox peaked: the GF-909/GF-777 from Sharp boasted dual cassettes, radio, and massive sound. Now, Bumpboxx has decided to reboot that boom box for 2026, with a modern machine that can do everything — CDs, tapes, radio, USB, Bluetooth connectivity, the works. It could be a holy grail across every generation burned out on soulless streaming and ready to love music all over again.

Peter Kirn - March 27, 2026

Pi Day: Hear and see approximations for Pi — and learn about shaders, too

Peter Kirn - March 14, 2026

Making music on the TI graphing calculator — and a TI-inspired plug-in synth

Peter Kirn - March 6, 2026

In her own words: watch a free documentary on Éliane Radigue

Peter Kirn - February 27, 2026

Éliane Radigue has died at 94; portraits – “the sound before sound”

Peter Kirn - February 24, 2026

Here’s half an hour of string-reed Werner Durand and John Krausbauer drones

Peter Kirn - February 20, 2026

Laurie Spiegel’s Music Mouse is available now from Eventide

Peter Kirn - February 17, 2026