The Return of Lite-Brite as an Electronic Beat Box- Meet Tenori-On

When I was reading the hot new gadgets listed in Forbes, I ran across the Tenori-On........and this brought back flashbacks of one of my favorite childhood toys. I remember sitting in my room totally in the dark being entertained for hours humped over my Lite-Brite and plugging in those colored pegs to create my masterpiece designs.

So the Tenori-On, designed and created by Toshio Iwai and Yu Nishibori, is the hot sampling/sequencing instrument on the market. It’s a sixteen by sixteen grid of LED switches, any of which can be activated in a number of ways to create unique musical sounds. 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. There is also an LCD screen on the bottom edge of the frame. Using the connection function, it is possible to play a synchronized session, or to send and receive songs between two of the devices.

I believe this gadget came out in late 2008 and I would love to hear how this electronic musical instrument measures up….especially compared to my Lite-Brite days.

Peace,
Kayachi