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Bjork Employs Best Onstage Gadget Ever

6/6/07, 6:27 pm EST

Image Courtesy of Reactable-MTG
A collection of so-called digital luthiers at the Audiovisual Institute at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona has created an insanely cool new instrument known as “the reactable.” The instrument is comprised of a glowing surface and a series of blocks. When the blocks are moved they make a sound that reflects both the sonic nature of that particular block and the way in which it was moved. The user can change everything from pitch to volume to duration of each sound simply by moving it.

Bjork took one look at this intuitive, collaborative digital instrument and decided she had to have it for the Volta tour. There are only two reactables in the world, but Bjork was able to borrow one and incorporate it into her life show. “She saw it in action and she had to have it on the tour,” Bjork’s technical director Alan Pollard said of the quirky pop star’s reaction to the instrument. Cool, right?


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Comments

Jeff | 6/6/2007, 7:06 pm EST

Very.

LT | 6/6/2007, 7:34 pm EST

Looks like a really big Zoundz.

DON VITO | 6/6/2007, 8:17 pm EST

hey bam has one of those

Jon B. | 6/6/2007, 9:45 pm EST

ooooohhh…. pretty colors

M | 6/7/2007, 12:23 am EST

She had that at Coachella and they showed it on the big screen more than they showed her. It didn’t look like the movement of the blocks was affecting the changes in the sounds.

thomas | 6/7/2007, 3:20 am EST

Yeah, kinda neat but it won’t last long beyond initial curiosity.
Why not watch someone play a much more versatile instrument.

mikeky | 6/7/2007, 10:07 am EST

cool? um, no, not really. the new handful of magic beans. bjerk is sooooooooooo cutting edge!! she’s so cooooool!!

what a pretentious tool.

DON VITO | 6/7/2007, 10:51 am EST

I am a big smelly douche!

Mr. Green | 6/7/2007, 12:22 pm EST

Hey look, it’s the month of May all over again. I clicked “News” on the nav, not “Olds,” this made the rounds all over the web last month.

Killa | 6/7/2007, 12:38 pm EST

Trippy

mike jewell | 6/7/2007, 1:42 pm EST

thomas wrote: “Yeah, kinda neat but it won’t last long beyond initial curiosity.”

does thomas even know ANYTHING about electronic music?

thomas, seriously, you’re the biggest idiot of the day.

‘reactable’ will change the world of electronic music!

killblondes | 6/7/2007, 2:07 pm EST

Please don’t hate on Bjork you fools, she’s not advertising it to the world like every other pop star who discovers something “cool” (which is very rare nowadays).

Martin Kaltenbrunner | 6/7/2007, 2:27 pm EST

We will be showing the reacTable this weekend June 9/10 at the “Creators Series” in New York.

http://tinyurl.com/2zlf wq

the reacTable team

J | 6/7/2007, 4:53 pm EST

Bjork is the Andy Kaufman of music.

Rusty | 6/7/2007, 5:57 pm EST

She needs a good Bjorking.

thomas | 6/8/2007, 3:47 am EST

mike jewell | 6/7/2007, 1:42 pm EST

Gee thanks sir Mike, you must have a lot of friends. How dare I have an opinion without calling someone an idiot!

If this instrument-thingy does turn the world of electronica around, then I will eat my words.

I have more respect for Bjork than I’ll write here. Nothing wrong with showcasing it, it just seems a bit fadish.

twebbs1012 | 6/8/2007, 2:17 pm EST

Gives a whole new meaning to “Block Rockin’ Beats.”

JimKaml | 6/8/2007, 4:27 pm EST

I don’t care what she takes on tour with her, she’s still horribly overrated and godawful annoying!

ToolRule | 6/8/2007, 4:29 pm EST

The best thing she ever did was lay waste to that Asian reporter in the airport….

T-Nasty | 6/8/2007, 7:52 pm EST

I give Bjork the rating of 9/11… She’s a disaster.

Plazman | 6/8/2007, 8:20 pm EST

Well, as a long-time electronic music fan, I think the Reactable is absolutely amazing. You think it’s a fad? Have you seen Microsoft’s “Surface” computer? It’s the same thing. I don’t think every home’s going to have a Reactable in it, but the design philosophy and human-computer interface advancements can’t be denied.

Check out these videos to see that I’m talking about:

Reactable
http://www.youtube.com/v/0h-RhyopUmc

Microsoft Surface
http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=rP5y7yp06n0

ALEX | 6/9/2007, 10:44 am EST

Beyond the instruments, Bjork’s better than this

AAS | 6/19/2007, 1:43 pm EST

yrwwfq Hey, there is what you need.

AAS | 6/19/2007, 1:43 pm EST

yrwwfq Hey, there is what you need.

Hugo | 6/30/2007, 11:20 am EST

Björk Rules!!!!!

PrelKikam | 8/18/2007, 6:30 am EST

enter text? test, sorry

dfdf767df

fozyhu nfevm | 12/11/2007, 3:28 am EST

ilptebnhj mwegyx tsdipwlzv nigehtx apimcov pxntubkaq lebmpqh

babelfish | 3/7/2008, 9:03 pm EST

reminds me of a theremin

Hzlywqhk | 7/13/2009, 10:40 am EST

ehrSW2

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