Listening to birdsong — and the instruments that mimic it

Okay, class: today’s reading includes a short but inspiring passage by Estevan Carlos Benson, who has lately been suggesting we treat our musical listening biome in the same way that we do our gut. Along the way, we get birdsongs and whistle bottles from Ecuador millennia ago and Peru today.

Playing KORG’s phase8, acoustic synth, with videos (mine and others)

KORG’s phase8, engineered by the skunkworks office in Berlin, has found some visibility. But what does it mean as an actual electroacoustic instrument? What’s it like to play? My Lemonade Stand video from Superbooth is out, along with others, so I thought I’d do some reflection

Peter Kirn - August 28, 2026

Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves have the cutest dinosaur music video

Owen Lake is back — the alias of Jeff Snyder, who in these parts is best known for Snyderphonics, MPE innovator and Manta creator (of Princeton University). Here, we get twee-and-western, electro-country tunes with Anica Mrose Rissi that charmingly stick in your head, played partly on instruments Jeff invented, Electrosteel and Electrobass. And there’s a music video with dinos!

Peter Kirn - July 28, 2026

From sushi pianos to Yoko Shimomura, Square Enix Music TV is the best TV

Peter Kirn - April 27, 2026

In the sound of Wukir Suryadi’s kentongan, a world warning

Peter Kirn - March 25, 2026

In flickering feedback, an audiovisual synth hums and sings

Peter Kirn - February 27, 2025

Sequencing with light on an alien-looking instrument by Kacper Ziemianin

Peter Kirn - January 10, 2025

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

Peter Kirn - May 22, 2024

Suzuki is re-releasing the electronic autoharp Omnichord to celebrate its 70th anniversary

Peter Kirn - March 28, 2023