Saturday Synth Porn: This photo captures Michel-Lag-Chavarria and a custom circular keyboard, created for Jean Michel Jarre.
Here’s what Michel Lâg-Chavarria has to say about the unusual keyboard:
Jean-Michel Jarre asked me in 1988 to create and to realize all the stage instruments for Destination Docklands and for Paris La Défense huge concerts, MIDI circular keyboards, stage modules robots, central global synthesizers and video station, but also the big laser harp… And I did it, crazy and passionate I was…!
This is me in this picture testing and playing the first circular portable keyboard with articulated neck for pitch bend at LÂG workshop, Toulouse- Aucamville…! Many ergonomic and MIDI features were imagined and put into those amazing instruments, like hand-made conic circular keys, pitch bend, modulation, program change, after touch, and even a real time code, all that with a science-fiction look…!!!…
Believe me, that was really an amazing, fantastic, unbelievable, highly technical and great human adventure with Jean-Michel and his team, thanks for ever to Pierre Cathala and Vincent Maury for electronics and programs, and to Fred and François for their patience…!
JMJ’s laser harp – coolest instrument ever 🙂
I designed a guitar with curved keyboard. The cad and hand drawn pictures of it are on my living room wall. I looked for this type of keyboard and only found an old piano. Recently saw a surrounding kB. Sounds like this is a one off and will probably 3D print one.
Loved the laser harp. Saw one at Ripleys believe it or not. Not half as cool Jarre is playing.