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Every Friday
Louder
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Prog
The Prog newsletter brings you the very best of Prog Magazine and our website, every Friday. We'll deliver you the very latest news from the Prog universe, informative features and archive material from Prog’s impressive vault.
Marsden gives the scoop on the latest gadgets.
SKOOG
“Instruments can be tricky,” says the promotional video for Skoog, and anyone who’s ever tried to get a note out of a French horn will sympathise.Skoog is a digital musical instrument, but it’s more a cross between a squeezy toy and a MIDI controller (although it doesn’t use MIDI). Working in tandem with a laptop or tablet, you can squeeze it, stroke it, twist it and shake it to create and manipulate sound. It’s been a hit in schools and with those who have disabilities, but its potential feels far greater.
UKELATION
It’s safe to say the ukulele isn’t a loud instrument. People who think it’s an infuriating toy that’s overused in TV advertising might see that as a blessing, but the uke gets a rough ride – it’s a fantastic beginners’ instrument and it gets people singing – nothing wrong with that. The Ukelation is a beautiful wooden uke with a powerful integrated speaker and effects. It’s loud, bold, highly strummable and all powered by batteries. A snip at $1,999. How much?
CASSETTE FETISHISM
It’s outside the remit of this column to recommend clothing options – not least because my grasp of fashion is feeble… pathetically feeble, like a poorly stick insect. But Tapewear’s T-shirts are beautiful objects. The site is dedicated to saluting the majesty of the cassette tape, from the functional red Maxell UR60 and the see-through 80s stylings of Memorex to the golden sheen of the TDK SA-X90. What better way to provoke nostalgia than having one of these beauties plastered across your chest?
