Tokyoplastic’s Flash animations have won them widespread acclaim, including a Sundance Online award for their film drummachine. Their animation is hip, sexy, and centers around fabulous sound design with dramatic musical cues. Don’t miss the drum machine in particular — because nothing can compare with watching someone use their head as a mallet. To find it, you’ll have to do a little site navigation: click ‘enter tokyoplastic’ for the Flash site and then prepare to watch the user interface try to crawl away from you. Just be patient: find drummachine or poke around other bits of the site. So the interface elements have legs, literally. It’s worth the wait. Now if only we could convince them to turn it into a plugin version.

Of course, tokyoplastic doesn’t get the original credit for turning some creatures’ heads into drums. That goes to the character Marvin Suggs and his Amazing Muppephone. (Ah, the silky sounds of “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow” . . . you had to see it.) Apparently Marvin and the Muppephones even made a recent appearance as an action figure.

Anyway, rip those piezo sensors out of an old drum machine, tape them to your head, and bang it against things — hard. Instant drum trigger. Connect it via MIDI, and you’re set! Let us know how it goes, if you can still focus on your computer screen.

We’re going to need a “Where are they now?” edition for bizarre instrument design projects. Case in point: the Drum Buddy. Reader “fer” writes, succinctly, “wassup with this?”

The answer, fer, is wassup indeed. This strange light-powered instrument had its fifteen seconds of fame on the Music Thing blog last summer, but its whereabouts now are more mysterious.

According to its creators, the Drum Buddy “represents the future of electronic instruments.” If so, we have a future of pulsing, noisy oscillators-gone-awry played by the likes of Miss Pussycat “and her puppets.” For its part, the Drum Buddy itself uses light sensors and analog components, packed into a 40-lb. Russian Birch cabinet and outputing in glorious mono. The limited run of 44 units at US$999 is now over. If you’re bummed you missed that run, they do tease us with the possibility of mass production. (Who do you think — M-Audio or Edirol?) If you don’t believe they sold any, they do provide an owner list. If you’re in New Orleans, do ask Chef Menteur how it’s working out. (And stay away from Autopsy Assistant Dirk in Germany.)

Of course, what we really need to do is track down Quintron and Miss Pussycat, the musicians apparently behind the mayhem. You can see them in Drum Buddy, the movie, but amazingly the group is touring Boston at the same time I am. May be the same night as the CDM party I’m planning, but my suggestion is we either get drunk before seeing Quintron, or afterwards (not sure which we’ll need, but probably one of them).

Anyone with information related to Quintron, the Drum Buddy, or whoever those puppets are, please do write. And the rest of you . . . stay tuned.

Regine reports from Cybersonica on a “manual input” method for controlling sound and image — no, really “manual,” as in hands — on Near Near Future. Golan Levin and Zachary Lieberman have developed a system that analyzes hand movements above an overhead projector. Projected imagery combines the direct output of the overhead (i.e., they shine the overhead at a screen) with digitally-modified projections. Their use of the technology is strikingly simple and elegant — check the photos and videos on their site. I’m looking forward to Regine’s report!

One thing you probably didn't see last weekend at Miami's WMC: this DJ. (via audioserve) Call it world's cutest scratching. Netherlands-based Lejo
specializes in this unique hand + props marionette theater. And the
show tours — if you happen to be passing through, say, Segovia or
Mechelen.

What, you say? You don't think DJs are real musicians? Fine. Check this rockin' accordion duet.

Too shy to make funny voices while using your sock puppet? Be
the life of a party, with a MIDI sock puppet that can make silly
'singing' noises or play a synth. A single flex sensor (we're guessing)
can even manipulate pitch in a mode. Brought to you by UK's Matthew
Irvine Brown and, of course, via near near future. HP's DJammer has nothing on this.

Link (with videos and tech details)