These Days Are Just Packed #8

It’s blindingly obvious at this point I’m sure but I’m a sucker for schtick, and given Teenage Engineering’s kick drum-esque command of the modular scene’s beat it’s no great shock that I’ve been a fanboy of theirs for years. I first found them when they released the OP-1, a portable synth that looked like the kind of thing you believe is going to make you jamie XX and instead just makes you unable to pay rent, but as it turns out reports indicate it’s as amazing as I imagined it might be and it remains firmly towards the top of my home studio wishlist behind only the fabled Ableton Push 3.

Another of their laboratory freaks I’ve fallen in love with through the 3 inch thick glass of the internet is their OD-11 speaker. It’s compatible with everything and usable basically anywhere, and its guts were pulled from the stomach of Stig Carlsson’s body of work in home audio in 70’s Sweden. You’d be hard pressed to find someone in bell bottoms who cared more about how you listened to music at home than Larsson did, and it wouldn’t be unfair to say TE’s creation here operates as both a breath of home audio fresh air as well as a memetic triumph for both the discipline and the form. It’s been out since 2013 I think, but I still haven’t bought one yet because $999 still feels like a lot to me to spend on a speaker. I have a feeling I’m gonna cave and get one soon, though, and I wanted to put it on your radar in case you’re looking for something special for your home or office.