My mind can barely begin to conceptualise what I’m seeing, the sheer genius and maybe madness of folk-electronic band Wintergatan in producing a modern-musical-artefact that’s as highly prized today as it will be in the future. Composed and built by Martin Molin of Wintergatan, there’s an imagery to his work that strikes of Mozart – discovering a hidden world of music – all to be composed at his fingertips. But here, you only need two thousand marbles and sixteen months to produce a conveyor belt of sound that has an inkling of the Victorian music-man – for he can play everything with just a pull of the levers.
Marble machines are an ever evolving art form, having been around for decades, but it’s no exaggeration to say Wintergatan’s version has wiped the board clean and set a new range of markers to be reached. Using Lego plugs, cardboard, conveyor belts, wood, rubber tubes, and funnels; the marbles cascade onto a vibraphone, cymbal, makeshift drum-kits, bass and much more, producing a sound that could easily sit next to any iconic composition.
The marble-machine’s sound system has a programmable 32-bar-loop that can even allow for a key change, and with greater plans for the future, it’ll be exciting to see where the next level of their kinetic art form will take them.
Wintergatan’s sound is easily identifiable and yet hard to describe, combining instrumental-Norwegian-folk, to experimental-electronic-pop; a merge of old and new, something borrowed but never blue. Somehow it’s the candy-covered cakes of a Wes Anderson meets Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, especially in their song Biking is Better which includes an accordion to the striking keys of a typewriter. Whatever’s to be expected next? Who knows, and that’s delightful.
Other songs by Wintergatan we love:
- Biking is Better (2013 – Wintergatan)
- Starmachine2000 (2013 – single)
- Sommarfågel (2013 – single)
Other artists you might like:
- Detektivbyrån
- Jim Guthrie
- Melodysheep
