Beijing-based duo Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian, aka FM3, have produced version two of their Buddha Machine, with nine new loops, three new colours and pitch bend control.
For those who haven’t experienced the pleasure of the original, the Buddha Machine is essentially a small plastic box that plays ambient loops, inspired by the Buddhist prayer boxes found at temples around Asia.
Blurring the line between music box and musical instrument, the Buddha Machine 2.0 is an interactive album that lets users customise their listening experience.
Apparently FM3 have also produced a limited edition version with a casing moulded from Pu’er tea and experimented with a ceramic version.
While the sound is lo-fi, the ethereal droning nature of FM3’s compositions are heightened by their existence as an actual physical object. In a time where music no longer has a place of material inhabitance, the ability to touch and hold an object whose sole purpose is to make a self-generative sound is almost a luxury. And in the age of media on demand, the restriction of having to listen to the same nine loops for hundreds of hours gives the mind discipline and focus.