A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included.

This is kinda different. This gamelan played by robotics specifically crafted for gamelan.

They will be in Handmade Music in Brooklyn, Plus Online Stream, today.

Fatamorgana (Indonesian for Mirage), a composition by Aaron Taylor Kuffner (Zemi17) played by the worlds first and only pair of Robotic Balinese Gender Wayang (10 key bronze xylophones with resonators) from the world’s first and only fully robotic Indonesian styled gamelan orchestra, The GamelaTron. GamelaTron is a collaboration between The League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR) and the composer Zemi17.

Aaron Taylor Kuffner have formal education in Institut Seni Indonesia in Yogyakarta Karawitan Department (2004 – 2005) and he was Cultural Diplomat / Ethnomusicologist at Indonesian Foriegn Minestry.

LEMUR is a Brooklyn-based group of artists and technologists who create robotic musical instruments. Founded in 2000 by musician and engineer Eric Singer, LEMUR creates exotic, sculptural musical instruments which integrate robotic technology. LEMUR’s philosophy is to build robots that are new types of musical instruments, as opposed to animatronic robots that play existing instruments.

Is there any Indonesian involved in this project?

This a great project to introduced Indonesia culture, especially our music to the world. This will maintain the continuity of our culture. Indonesian should do this more, so other people can’t claim it’s theirs.

[Inspired by Make:]