There’s not much to go on just yet, but any new flagship product release from Teenage Engineering will garner a lot of attention and speculation. This is the new OP-XY, a compact performance sequencer, synthesizer and sampler from the Swedish masters of upmarket music gear. Taking a similar form factor to the original 2012 OP-1 and updated 2022 OP-1 Field, the OP-XY sets out to do things differently from the myriad grooveboxes and synths that are already out there.
Partly this is due to the company’s single-minded approach – the one that’s given it such a cult following – but also because TE is in the happy position of being able to experiment at scale, blending meticulous product design with quirky interfaces, beautiful build quality, leftfield musical influences and a desire to go beyond the conventional.
The OP-XY is said to draw inspiration from old school dance culture, as well as ‘pragmatic German design and engineering’ – check that Dieter Rams-style matt black finished anodized aluminium. Knobs and buttons are what TE’s equipment is all about – no touch screens here. The graphic simplicity of the device itself looks set to be carried over to the interface, and you can expect some trademark quirky input methods and myriad sound tweaking options.
At the instrument’s heart is a step sequencer, one of the earliest forms of assembling electronic music and drum patterns. Connect the OP-XY to outboard gear, as well as use the onboard synth engines and sample capture, and the workflow sees musicians stacking up their various sequences, manipulating things on the fly with effects and a clever chord progression algorithm, as well as gyroscopic control of key parameters.
TE’s cult status encourages artists of all genres to dig into their ultra-portable line-up. A vast array of sound-generating options ensures that no two users take the same path, ensuring the OP-XY will quickly become another favoured creative tool.
Teenage Engineering OP-XY, £1,899, Teenage.Engineering, @TeenageEngineering
