reacTable

I'm sure a lot of people saw Bjork on Jools Holland tonight, saw the weird and very cool-looking electronic instrument her keyboard/computer guy was using and went "Wow! What the fuck is that???!!!", quickly followed by "Want one, want one!" A few minutes googling revealed that it's called a reacTable, it's been around for a year or so, it was invented by a bunch of academics in Barcelona and there are a bunch of vids on youtube demonstrating it. Cool. Very. The kind of instrument Mr Spock would play. And all the comments are "Wow, want one!". Actually, that's going to be tough because there are apparently only two in the world and everyone's favourite Icelander has blagged the use of one of them for her tour.

But then the doubts started to creep in. Yes, it looks utterly stunning and there's no doubt it's a very organic alternative to knobs and switches but, but, doesn't it sound rather like, err... a twenty year old analogue synth? That you can pick up cheap on eBay? And then there's the little matter of how you, err... play a tune? Very old school, I know, the tune, but a popular concept to this day and showing no sign of being on the way out.

It's hyped as "multi-user" because you can get your mate to stand across from you and help you twiddle the little Lego blocks, but how many people are going to want that? Bjork's guy doesn't seem to. A piano is "multi-user" - we've all seen two people sit down at the same keyboard and play a duet but it's always a gimmick. It has, apparently, a "tangible user interface". A bit like a guitar, then. Or a keyboard. Or (you get the point).

And I still get these gripes about it. It's a good idea (as far as it goes) and it looks cool (this year at least, until people start to go "Oh yeah, another reacTable band, that's so 2007") but it's been implemented with the wrong technology. It's a string and ceiling wax creation of video cameras and projectors - too much to go wrong! Wait until a roadie trips over it and the projector goes out of register. And the Lego blocks (sorry, they're called "tangibles") - how long are they going to last on tour? "Sorry man, I stepped on your tangible." "Hey, let's make a bong out of Dave's tangible". It should, of course, be built using Jeff Han style technology (search Jeff Han on youtube). Maybe it will if they ever go into production. Which is doubtful if the attitude of the designers is anything to go by, which seems to be "What, you're a musician? You want to have one of these yourself? To own? I'm sorry, this is serious academic research. You may apply to borrow one for three days if you are a museum. Or an international rockstar who can provide us with the publicity to support our application for a research grant. Now fuck off."

Anyone remember Jean Michel Jarre?