XOXX Composer is a “Music Box for the Digital Era”

Axel Bluhme’s XOXX Composer is “a music box for the digital era” that uses magnets and ball bearings to produce sounds in a playful and visual manner.

The system — which consists of plug-and-play hardware and an accompanying desktop app — enables anyone to make music, from raw industrial techno to groovy ‘80s disco to dusty hip-hop beats, by simply snapping magnets in place.

XOXX features eight rotating discs, each with 16 positions that hold the small magnetic ball bearings. As the cylinder spins, the balls move around, and a sensor at the bottom of the device detects their location, triggering preset sounds. This means eight samples can be played dynamically with one another at the same time. Meanwhile, a knob and slider below the discs adjust the pitch and volume of each track.

XOXX wants to simplify the language of rhythm by exposing how hidden digital functions like sampling, looping, and sequencing relate to mechanical functions and physical interaction.

One can think of XOXX Composer like a sketchbook for digital music as it allows for quick and playful idea variations. Once a musical foundation has been born it is easy to export MIDI to whatever platform one desires.

What’s more, XOXX is MIDI-compatible, so it can be used with a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers,and software suites. Intrigued? You can read all about it on Bluhme’s page, or see it in action below.