Wondering if the Tenori-On is a real instrument or just a toy?

Norman Fairbanks has released the first album created entirely on the Tenori-On, 7 Days Microsleep, and it is available for free download.

7 Days Microsleep is a collection of down-tempo soundscapes that showcase the Tenori-on. You can preview the album below.

“I borrowed a Tenori-on since I didn’t manage to get one through the limited UK sales, so I had a two week window with Tenori-on… and I had no plan to make an album. Initially the sound seemed to be more like a sketch, a drawing, very minimal and almost a bit simple. But it’s exactly this simplicity that’s the key,” explains Fairbanks.

“I haven’t actually bought any music hardware for 10 years now. I’m completely software-based, simply because nothing in the hardware domain has really attracted me. But then Tenori-On appeared.”

“To be honest it’s hard work programming all the ‘regular’ interfaces that come with a single knob and a few sliders – they simply don’t fit the way I work. But Tenori-on is exactly the opposite. The design is well thought out, making it very straightforward to use – everything is always right at your fingertips. Anyone can start to create complex sound structures immediately, and without any formal music training.”

“I’ve recently put out some music dominated by field recordings and sampling, so I thought it would be a good experience for me to focus on just one instrument as the centre of my production world. With Tenori-on small melodies quickly turn into absorbing musical structures that set a completely new energy level within my music. It’s wonderful – I don’t miss my laptop and all the effects and other tools for even a single second.”

via Audio Lemon