Polyphon

[hirez]

Now that was fun.

I have: a growing army of robot henchmen, several new exhibits for the hangover collection, laid several demons to rest, muddy strides after doing daft things for a bet.





The thing bottom-left is called a Polyphon, I think. It lives here, which is one of the better places on the planet. For me, it's not much of a leap from a drum machine back to an Aeolian Wossname. There used to be a long running joke on UPG, back when it was funny, about Captain Madrigal. This is the sort of kit he would have used on tour.

I was hoping that some of the mechanical devices might have had new control discs/reels cut - it seems obvious to me that both 'The Model' and 'Ever fallen in love?' would sound completely splendid when rendered mechanically. But maybe it's just me...

Comments

Remarkable

[liz-lowlife.livejournal.com]

That avatar is a striking likeness!


Are you hunting for specific signs?
I'll keep my eye out if you want...

[quercus.livejournal.com]

A likeness ? I think it's an over-reaction to the recent Cyrano de Hirez thread. Why don't these icons have noses ? IMHO, it looks more like one of the characters from Lemmings, wearing a mullet.

[liz-lowlife.livejournal.com]

Cyrano de Hirez

[FX explosions of gravelly giggles]

Re: Remarkable

[hirez.livejournal.com]

It's dead strange - there's a fairly limited set of options on the thing, but it does manage to convey that aura of 'grimly determined to be happy-go-lucky' that I like to think I have.

Signs? Only of the End Times...

I'm not sure. I guess I'm trying to collect the parts of the jigsaw that when complete will be a map of some alternate reality. Or they're keys or gateways or places where unreality is leaking through.

Somewhat like a more pretentious list of entrances to hell. (http://www.entrances2hell.co.uk/)

[glitchdrei.livejournal.com]

In London we only have 'Caution! Wet Floor' signs with pictures of angry-looking fish on them.

Boring.

[fross.livejournal.com]

( >_< )<

[glitchdrei.livejournal.com]

Yes Fross, that is what I'd look like were I a sea-dwelling monster ;)

It had teeth. I was going to take a photo but it was in the main HSBC building and I was getting glared at by a guard so I thought it best to continue pretending I was a business person rather than someone who is amused by indignant fish.

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

Jolly good fun all round, hoorah!

Given that a Polyphon == a Mechanical Soundtracker, it follows that it should be possible to rig the levers up to a sampler, and have the gadget bark German at you.

Then, all the goths will want one. :-)

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Abso-bloody-lutely. A blinder and no mistake.

I'm sort of vaguely inspired by a set of things - a recital of handbell ringing many years ago (sounds daft in isolation, somewhat like being partial to the accordion, but a good dozen people giving it some welly in a confined space... It was like Test Dept playing traditional tunes for a laugh.) which I was reminded about when a chum started improvising Nirvana using the handbell patch on his DX7. Then there's the splendid 'Lumini(t)za' CD where the Balanescu Quartet play Kraftwerk and the other CD of 'punk classics' played by the 'London punkharmonic orchestra'...

... Bolt these things together and you'll see why I want to learn how to cut discs for the 'Ariston' and have it play Dead Kennedys, Stone Roses or Swarf. Think of them as anachrotech ringtones.

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

Think of them as anachrotech ringtones

For some time now, I've wanted to put a mobile's guts into a candlestick phone. Wonder if there's room for a musical thingamjig, too....

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Sir probably would be desirous of taking a shufty at http://www.pokia.com/

[neilh.livejournal.com]

I discovered a German made polyphon hiding at the back of a chopstick shop in Ginza, it had been smuggled out of Germany at the begining of the war to the safety of Japan, and never quite made it home.