It´s been wowing UK punters for months now, and now Yamaha´s unique Tenori-on is set for release in the USA.
For the benefit of those who haven´t yet heard about it, we should explain that the Tenori-on fuses light, touch and sound. It has its own built-in sounds, can host samples and works as a controller for other devices. It was developed by Toshio Iwai, who worked in collaboration with Yamaha to bring the product to market.
As in the UK, the Tenori-on will have what Yamaha is calling a ‘selective´ launch in the US, which basically means that, rather than shipping thousands of boxes to stores, they´ll educate people about the product and then see what the demand is.
Two launch events have been arranged: the first is at Southpaw in Brooklyn on April 16; the second will take place at 1015 Folsom in San Francisco on April 18. Toshio Iwai will be presenting at both, and there will also be demos by electronic artists who´ve already started to use the Tenori-on in their live shows.
The events are free, but if you want to go along, you´ll need to register at the dedicated Tenori-on On Tour website.