The Wind Speaker

Einar Sneve Martinussen | 11. January 2012

We have made a (kind of) music video for the musician Espen Sommer Eide / Phonophani. In this film Espen plays his new instrument the 'Wind Speaker'. We helped Espen construct this peculiar instrument, and contributed with designing and woodworking. The Wind Speaker is a digital electro-acoustic  harmonica made of birch that turns blowing into computerised singing. The sound emerges from the speakers at the front of the instrument when Espen blows into the holes in the wooden mouthpiece at the back. Through the pneumatic pressure from his own lungs Espen makes the computer-chip sing with the wonderful howl of a wooden machine.We have also had the opportunity of working with Espen in the past. He provided the brilliant soundtrack to the film 'Immaterials: Light painting WiFi', and in 2008 we made some very tricky outdoors electronics for his installation Karusell at Henie Onstad Art Centre. And by the way, Espen's band Alog have a new quadruple LP out on the Rune Grammofon label these days. It is all kinds of wonderful.