Little Boots

So according to a recent article from the BBC this is their pick for break out star of 2009, Little Boots (she takes her name from Caligula's nickname). Now I'm not too sure how sold I am on her seeing as she has every bit of two singles under her belt, but I am in love with this Tenori-on that she uses. It consists of a screen, held in the hands, of a sixteen by sixteen grid of LED switches, any of which can be activated in a number of ways to create an evolving musical soundscape. The LED switches are held within a magnesium frame, which has two built-in speakers located on the top of frame, as well as a dial and buttons that control the type of sound and beats per minute produced.

The maker of this, Japanese artist Toshio Iwai, has said "In days gone by, a musical instrument had to have a beauty, of shape as well as of sound, and had to fit the player almost organically. Modern electronic instruments don't have this inevitable relationship between the shape, the sound, and the player. What I have done is to try to bring back these elements and build them in to a true musical instrument for the digital age."

This video of Little Boots covering Hot Chip's "Ready For The Floor" is quite entertaining. Seeing this pretty blonde gal with a pleasant falsetto programming and altering on the fly while the LED's light up as the music scrolls across makes for wonderful eye candy.