Make music with the actual sounds from retro 8-bit games, or sample FM radio to add local flavor to your beats. Swedish design and technology company Teenage Engineering packs off-the-wall features like these into portable, powerful gear for music making and listening that looks and feels good.
In this episode, Co-founder /VP David Möllerstedt explores Teenage Engineering’s origin story and the inspiration behind the playful things they make: tiny, inexpensive Pocket Operators, the candy-like, highly functional OP-1 synthesizer, wild collaborations with Cheap Monday, IKEA, and Baidu, and more. Dig into the design philosophy that makes Teenage Engineering’s products attractive, innovative, and functional. What makes Stockholm such a creative hub for music gear and software? Which up and coming innovations are getting David excited for the future of music making? Listen for a chance to talk back and win one of host Dmitri Vietze’s favorite books!
Listen wherever you pod your casts:
Shout outs from this episode:
Tobias von Hoftsen's electrifying demo of Teenage Engineering devices at our NAMM event.
Pocket Operators, TE's inexpensive, pocket sized music machines (including collaborations with denim brand Cheap Monday and 8-bit game giant Capcom).
OP-1, TE's first product, a portable, powerful synthesizer with FM radio sampling and a candy-like, tactile design.
OD-11, TE's wireless stereo speaker
OP-Z, TE's Multimedia synthesizer and sequencer, a
OB-4, The "Magic Radio" that uses endless looping to let you rewind the radio ( and it's a portable high fidelity loudspeaker).
Frekvens - the modular "disco at home" collection designed by TE with IKEA
Raven H, the colorful smart speaker designed with Chinese electronics maker Baidu
R, the "world's first emotional 6-axis life form," an upcoming robotics project.
Let us know what you think! Tweet @MusicTectonics, find us on Facebook and Instagram, or connect with podcast host Dmitri Vietze on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Weekly episodes include interviews with music tech movers & shakers, deep dives into seismic shifts, and more.