What’s the sound of ten Stylophones buzzing?

Truly awful — deliciously so.

Answering the question on everyone’s mind, “how could we form a band using nothing but Stylophones, and what timbres would result?”, the Los Angeles-based troupe LA Stylophonic here plays original music for the stylus-controlled electronic instrument. Adding that many Stylophones together produces a sound that can best be described as … well, unique, certainly. Composer Paul Fraser does actually give them some musical meat into which the ensemble can sink their teeth, with a minimal music-inflected, rhythmic composition that lets that buzzy, edgy sound fly. I love it.

If you think this group is alone, though, you’re sorely mistaken. Stylophone seems to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts, as tracked by the superb:
http://www.stylophonica.com/

Synth legend Vince Clarke bought a new stylophone for his tour. Celeb Mark Ronson jams on one on a national British talk show. Electronics lovers are building their own, using Arduino and kits. There’s a boutique retailer online that caters to those who believe only the original Rolf Harris model has the authentic sound. (An admirable philosophy, if a bit akin to searching out only high-end kazoos.) And a relaunched model is regularly out of stock, thanks to surging popularity. Not bad for an electronic instrument invented before humans traveled out of Earth’s orbit.

What I do enjoy about the hipster (nerdster?) troupe wielding their Stylophones above is that there’s some compositional intent – ultimately, that’s what lets any instrument shine. Thanks, Paul! (Directed by Nick Flessa – a moving portrait, indeed.)

And with all due respect to the late, great Steve Jobs, maybe it isn’t true that “if you see a stylus, they blew it.”

paulfrasermusic.com

It’s beginning to look a lot like Kraftwerk. December 1, you should be able to look forward to a simulated Stylophone app for iPhone and iPod touch. The Stylophone, for those of you unfamiliar with this classic, was a wonderful late-60s invention and a high-water mark for electronic instrument simplicity. Run a stylus across a simple metal keyboard, get sound. It’s a no-brainer to bring this to Apple mobiles, with their touch and sonic capabilities. And while the Stylophone was used on many, many songs, I anticipate quite a few “Pocket Calculator” covers showing up on YouTube in the days after release. Now we just need a good effects program on the platform, and you can have one person playing Stylophone while someone adjusts effects on their machine.

Lots more pictures here, and yes, they’re pulling out all the stops, with classic, bass, and treble versions:

iStylophone 2008 Gallery

Incidentally, the Stylophone itself has returned in a remaked form. (You can also buy used originals, which some people prefer – link originally swapped; thanks, Michael Moncur, for the catch.) I’m curious if anyone has used the remakes? I have to admit, fun as the iPhone idea is, I wouldn’t mind holding a replica of the actual object.