Lethelium, a 24-string instrument fashioned from a bicycle wheel

You can pluck it, strike it, bow it, use your fingers, use a pick. The Lethelium is upcycled from bicycle parts and imagined in a cycle-punk zombie comic where bike parts save civilization. And all of this could only come from the imagination of Montreal artist Lateef Martin, an artist who lives a sci-fi reality others might only dream of. Or as Lateef puts it: “it reinvents the wheel.”

Physical modeling, modular explorations with Adam Pietruszko and AAS’ CV-3

Those sprawling synths are great, but when it comes to exploring a sound design idea compositionally, there’s nothing quite like a modular patch. I’ve long admired Adam Pietruszko’s work for AAS, so it’s a treat to watch him break down a patch and hear what he did on Rotors, bringing those leftfield sounds to dancefloor contexts.

Peter Kirn - November 18, 2025

El Jaguar: re-amped Colombian Picó sound systems as instrument

El Jaguar, out now, is a rhythmic excursion from sound library sameness. This toolkit from boutique house MNTRA produces a deeply customizable sound world by re-amping through the legendary Picó sound systems of Barranquilla, Colombia. It’s something new, melding Montréal synth love and afro-Caribbean percussion into a new hybrid playground for producers.

Peter Kirn - May 22, 2025

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