New Generation of Synthetic Sound

I received a call from a friend the other day who was very eager to tell me something.

She began the conversation, explaining she heard about a specific type of electronic instrument that is beyond anything she has ever seen before.

Now, when I saw pictures of this device, I thought I had stumbled upon some kind of alien blueprint for the future. It looked like a scene out of some sort of warped, futuristic, paranormal movie. But, I could not take my eyes off of it.

It's called a "Reactable". Objects are placed on this synthetic, interactive tabletop surface creating various frequencies and rhythms that other electronic instruments could only aspire to create. I watched a demo performance online.



Though it is a couple years old, debuting around 2006, word did not circulate until later. This could be in part due to the ever alluring singer, Bjork. She used the Reactable during various performances, specifically an energetic performance on the Coachella tour.