Toshi Iwai, a madia artist from Japan and the creator of the Electroplankton, has collaborated with Yahama to product a completely new instrument: the Tenori-On. Toshio Iwai says the Tenori-On was developed with “particular attention being given to the beauty of the light & sounds, the ease of performance, and as a musical instrument of the future.”
The Tenori-On features a 16×16 LED button matrix. There are six modes of performance and sound/light: Score Mode, Random Mode, Draw Mode, Bounce Mode, Push Mode, and Solo Mode. Compositions are made of “Layers” and “Blocks”, where sounds made in each layer will be played in order of the position of the button pushed.
The Tenori-On was offered in a limited test market in the UK for £599.00 (about $1,200 USD). Artist like Bjork have used the Tenori-On during live performances.