Bonkers! Lets you think you are playing a record...

[A Lark Ascending]

With everyone and his aunt coming up with different ways to get you to 'interface' with music, this has to be one of the strangest:

That’s No Record Player

That’s a “Playlist Player,” made by designer Martin Skelly to bring the digital back to the roots of the tree, the vinyl record. I’m not going to sit here and tell you how much better vinyl sounds than other music, or how much more awesome records are than anything else. You already know that! What Martin Skelly is here to tell you is – listen to your music start to finish, in a record player setting, with the ability to spill beer on it. That is the gosh-honest truth, for real!

In the words given to us at YD, Martin Skelly lets us know specifically that this project is “based on the rich interactions of vinyl records and turns digital playlists into physical objects that you can touch, treasure, drop, lose or spill beer on.” This is awesome.

What this project actually is composed of is a (special) record player and five different color covered records, also of a special nature. Playlists of music are made by you on your computer, (Skelly suggests iTunes,) they are synced to the player with a memory stick, and are then ready to play. Each record represents a playlist. As the record is placed on the box, so too is the corresponding list ready to play.

Here’s where it gets weird or awesome, depending on your specific political view on how music should be listened to. When the music plays, a band of light can be seen emitting from the box and through the translucent record. The light advances from the outer rim toward the middle of the record, just like a pin would playing a real bit of vinyl. This light, however, represents the time left on the list rather than the track being played. Also the light shows you where you are, but the temptation to skip tracks, fast forward, or rewind, are eliminated by the lack of being able to do so. The idea is that just like a record, there are less distractions from the music due to the lack of ease in changing tracks.

Wild enough for you?

Definitely TRON-approved, in my book I’d say. Martin Skelly himself decrees the design reference to be “retro professional” and the materials to be “reminiscent of Seventies hi-fi design.” Spot on, good chap.

Keep them wheels a spinnin.

Designer: Martin Skelly

From:

http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/04/30/thats-no-record-player/

Edited June 2, 2010 by Bev Stapleton

[sidewinder]

I want an Aro/Ittok arm on it and not a couple of kindergarden building blocks

[ejp626]

This might be clever if they minaturized it down to something that would fit in the palm of your hand or maybe sit on a monitor. As it is, it is full size. I have exactly space for one LP player in my office, and I am sure not going to waste it on a toy LP/MP3 player.

[porcy62]

It's like forcing your partner to wear a Marilyn Monroe's mask while having sex... pretty sick IMHO.

Edited June 2, 2010 by porcy62

[sidewinder]

It's like forcing your partner to wear a Marilyn Monroe's mask while having sex... pretty sick IMHO.

I would have said a Marilyn Manson mask..

[A Lark Ascending]

I want an Aro/Ittok arm on it and not a couple of kindergarden building blocks

I suspect there is an art in aligning those building blocks. The designers ensure you will never feel completely comportable that you have got them quite perfect...maybe they even damage the mp3s if not set up right.

[JSngry]

The more things change...

[sidewinder]

I want an Aro/Ittok arm on it and not a couple of kindergarden building blocks

I suspect there is an art in aligning those building blocks. The designers ensure you will never feel completely comportable that you have got them quite perfect...maybe they even damage the mp3s if not set up right.

I guess to get the full 'retro' feel you have to level them with a spirit level mounted centrally on the blocks.