Zombie Nation's Akai MPC4000 auctioned for charity

Zombie Nation with his MPC: look out - there's a car coming!
Zombie Nation with his MPC: look out - there's a car coming!

Zombie Nation (AKA Florian Senfter) recently decided to retire his trusty Akai MPC4000 workstation, but rather than try to make a fast buck on it, he's decided to auction it for charity.

"This MPC has travelled with me to many countries and seen quite a lot of clubs. It's also the machine I made my last album, Zombielicious on," he told our friends at Future Music magazine.

Commenting on the machine's specs, he says: "It's modded with an DOM 4GB disk and comes with an additional hard disk, CD-ROM and the eight-output option. It's still covered in my gig stickers including one that says 'HD up', which means 'head up, don't look on the display like a nerd!"

Although he's clearly fond of the unit, Senfter explains: "I switched to the MPC1000 recently, simply because it weighs 12 kilos less, which makes my life a lot easier! But this 4000 works great and is the most advanced hardware sampler ever built."

"I wanted it to go to someone who appreciates the story of this machine which gave me a lot of great moments. The final auction price will be donated to the WWF for rainforest conservation project in memory of Daniel Hansson - founder of Elektron Music Machines - who was a big supporter of the WWF. Remember: paper has two sides so print double-sided!"

"The highest bidder will receive a copy of the proof of donation of the full amount as well as a signed photo of me and the MPC plus a list of all the dates and clubs this MPC travelled with me."

The Zombie Nation MPC4000 eBay auction is now live, with the current bid standing at €457. We suspect it'll rise fairly quickly, though…

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.