2026 playlist(s)

[Gone Fission]

Da fuq? Eastwood is doing a few Travis Bean tribute models with wood necks, not aluminum: https://eastwoodguitars.com/products/eastwood-etb1000

I’m not a member of the clang gang so far, but isn’t that a big “then why even bother?!” flag on the play?

[dubkitty]

they've been doing that for awhile. i suppose that if you're a Garcia stan the look is something you'd want because he was probably their most famous adopter in the mid-70s, but i totally can't see the point because it's not going to sound anything like the OG guitars. which really isn't a bad thing for that subculture, because it's widely held that they were the least liked by the community then and now. "clangy" is the typical adjective used. i did not care for that sound...when i saw them in October of 1977 and Jerry was back on the Doug Irwin "Wolf" guitar i and many others breathed a sigh of relief. the only thing that i can think of that would add a little to getting that sound would be putting as much brass on there as possible. nut, saddles, and possibly a bridge with a sustain block. but i really don't see the point. their other Garcia guitars don't sound or look that much like the originals at all other than general shape, either. you can't substitute mahogany for purpleheart core wood, or a maple neck for aluminum. the inlays on the Wolf are nice, though, but the plain maple rather than quilted is a major L.

[dubkitty]

apparently he liked them because they barely varied from unit to unit. talked about it in interviews.

[echorec]

So many lovely sounds in this Gattobus demo of the Frap Tools Magnolia...

Finally, someone is showing off the Buchla/West Coast mid-century laboratory sounds element---along with epic pads, evolving textures, et cetera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLyz_mEHkAk

At $4,800 that is not a budget synth, but it kills me to see dopes online whining about the cost. It's 2026 and a small company just dropped an analog poly for under $5K. The Prophet~5 was $3,995 in 1978. ($19,726.42 today) The more time I spend online, the more I wish the internet was like a theme park---'must be this smart' to ride.

[echorec]

Check out this guy--

The Tembo is a magnetized matrix sequencer. (portable with rechargeable battery) It will launch with samples, or you can make your own on the fly.

(price is TBD, but the designer is adament that the price won't be up into the stratosphere) The refundable deposit shows $350, with $550 scratched out. So does that mean it will be $350 to early adopters, with 550 as the regular retail price? That could mean used units in the wild for $275+ eventually.

It's supposed to feature a swing control to keep the patterns from being too stagnant. I really like this, as someone who never enjoyed programming drum machines. I, also, appreciate that it's suitable for any age or skill level. It'd be cool for a library or an after-school club for students.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EibcapHY9Ac (2026 demo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlIJqSaSzIg (2026 trailer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duaHR0KdjAY (first demo from last year)

https://www.musicalbeings.com/ (FAQ/features)
https://www.instagram.com/musical.beings/ (more clips and short reels)
https://prelaunch.com/projects/tembo-by ... yZNhITpr_A (reserve/deposit page)

[dubkitty]

i'm not sure whether that's brilliant or dopey. i guess i would want more than 5 voices, but a two-minute demo doesn't show much.

i'm pretty good at programming drums, but i don't enjoy it at all. too much programming, not enough drums.

[echorec]

i'm not sure whether that's brilliant or dopey. i guess i would want more than 5 voices, but a two-minute demo doesn't show much.

i'm pretty good at programming drums, but i don't enjoy it at all. too much programming, not enough drums.

I feel like I'd be good with 5 layers---you could always play over it or have other loopers going---so as a component of a larger ecosystem, 5 layers doesn't seem bad. I do kind of wish it wish more than 8 steps, but perhaps the swing function is lively enough to keep that fresh.

Maybe there will be deluxe (or pro) version in time----8 layers and 16 steps or something.

I look forward to hearing how people use it. I'd be more inclined to put piano loops or horn samples in there, rather than drums. Constantly changing the magnets manually could also make for interesting live remixing possibilities. ---Def want to see more toy-like stuff for musicmaking (the simpler, the better).