If your parents aren't disappointed in what you're doing with life right now, they're going to be after they watch this …
If your parents aren't disappointed in what you're doing with life right now, they're going to be when they see Swedish musician Martin Molin's Wintergatan Marble Machine. Powered by a wooden hand-crank that sends over 2,000 ball bearings into a meticulously crafted and engineered system, the marble machine is a feat of attention control and detail. As the marbles pass through the system, they trigger various musical components from a kick drum to snare and xylophone keys. The 32-bar loop wheel is programmable with LEGO parts, making the possibilities of song endless.
"It's all about the grid," Molin says. "I grew up making music on Midi, and everyone makes music on a grid nowadays, on computers. Even before digital they made fantastic, programmable music instruments. In bell towers and church towers that play a melody they always have a programming wheel exactly like the one that is on the marble machine."
The idea is to take the contraption, or a smaller, more maneuverable version of it, on tour — the current set up has to be disassembled and reassembled each time it's moved.
Here's to the people still out there using their free time to be badasses — we salute you!
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