FM3 - Buddha Machine

This is a really unique entry here and many of you may be familiar with this but I felt it belonged among the pages of You Disappear because it calls forth the type of calm I look for when I pick music for the site. The artists that created this are a ambient music duo from China called FM3. This is an album released in a way that some people considered to be more of an art piece than a musical album and I agree to a certain degree. This is sort of a bridge between a modern music instrument and an album. On this box there are nine ambient music loops that vary in length but mostly clock in under a minute in length and the idea is that these loops are played endlessly for you as soon as the box is turned on. Its simplicity comes in that there is only two controls, a volume control and a switch that will select a different loop that will play through the built in speaker or the headphone port on the top of the device.

You simply turn it on pick a loop and let it play. It’s really pretty fascinating to me and I love its approach. I was familiar with the loops in the box after enjoying a version of it which was released for the iPhone/ iPod Touch but to hear it in its proper form is really something unique to experience. The box was inspired by chanting boxes found in buddhist temples and lends itself to such an act as meditation or something to just exist in the background of your life. A subtle echo of sound to focus your mind.

Its beautiful really and I am happy to have finally found the right moment to order it and hear it for myself. The box itself is a cheaply made plastic box that is available in many colors and the built in speaker quickly distorts as you turn up the volume and all of this adds to the fascinating experience of the machine... The sounds that sing out from its tiny speaker are really unique and I would recommend anyone interested to look further into it. There is a newer version than the one I have available as well that adds a pitch bend control and nine different loops from the original.

Artist Site (where you can hear the loops and learn more about it.)

Tags: FM3