Comments on: Bizarre Fish-Themed Gadgets, Musical Instruments

By: Create Digital Music » An Adorable Singing Note as Musical Instrument: Maywak Denki’s Otamatone

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:53:12 +0000

[...] Bizarre Fish-Themed Gadgets, Musical Instruments [...]

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 13:44:02 +0000

Nick and Fred — thanks for these eloquent descriptions. I had no idea of the background on their work; makes it all the more interesting. I wish I could see them in person.

By: nick

nick — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 06:09:03 +0000

They were originally two brothers (one has since “retired”). Back around the 70s their father ran an electric appliance manufacturing company called Maywa Denki that has since gone out of business. So part of their art/performance project involves behaving like a manufacturer – something they’ve become with quite a number of lower cost non-musical goods (like the extension cord) available at places like Tower Records in Japan. The above instruments though are one off items used in their shows. Their sound is all servo-mechanical, moving electric parts making acoustic sounds rather than electronic waves. They were signed to a Sony affiliated label in the late 90s and backed singer/neo-lounge act Satoru Wono on that Kraftwerk Tribute album “Musique Non Stop”.

By: Fred/Lanquarem

Fred/Lanquarem — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 17:27:03 +0000

Those instruments were created by the japanese group Maywa Denki.
I had the opportunity to see them on stage in 2005 in Paris (France) and this was one of the most incredible shows I’ve ever seen : those guys have built dozens of instruments and automats and programmed them to play songs.

The group is composed of a CEO (he sings), a financial director (plays the organ) and a crew (the workers, they operate the instruments and repair them while playing…) and the show is a pastiche of the philosophy of the japanese company.

Very strange group and difficult to describe, but really a must-see if you like automats, absurd situations, japanese pop music and humour.