Music And Recycling Come Together In The Performances Of ELECTRONICOS FANTASTICOS!

When you think of contemporary music, jazz, hip-hop, rock, pop, etc. may come to mind. What you wouldn’t think of in your wildest dreams, however, is reincarnating old, battered electrical appliances into electromagnetic instruments that produce their own unique sounds. Pretty interesting, huh?

This band brings to life the saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” by recycling obsolete technical devices ‘that have finished their roles’ into musical instruments of all kinds- percussion, strings, brass, etc. They are creatively redefining the world of techno music by transforming home appliances such as CRT TVs, electric fans, video cameras, telephones, and even barcode scanners. Can you guess where this talent is budding and developing? Why yes, it is Japan! The project is currently functioning in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hitachi, where they are performing live to spread their unique art.

This video gives you a glimpse of what their horde of instruments look and sound like- CRTelecaste, TV drums, Telelele, Barcoder, TV O-daiko, electric fan harp, and whatnot. These are some pretty interesting sounds, wouldn’t you say?

After mastermind Ei Wada initiated this project, people from walks of life such as engineering, music, design, and management started joining him. In 2017, the group held the Electro-magnetic Bon Dance Festival to showcase their creations, and then joined forces with people internationally to perform at the Ars Electronica Festival of Austria, the largest international media arts festival. Here you can see how an old fan becomes a tool for art at the hands of an innovative musician!

What’s interesting about their work is that they actively adapt the functionalities of the original appliance to create a whole new kind of music from it; this increases the scope for experimentation by a lot. The project’s goal is to create an entire orchestra composed of multiple such recycled devices and create music that goes beyond listening and watching; it interacts with the listeners and gets them involved through the familiar instruments. ELECTRONICOS FANTASTICOS gave a stunning performance at Roppongi in Japan, and you can see the wonder in the eyes of the excited audience!