Stylophone Beatbox

As seem on Something For The Weekend

Question: What do you get when you combine 1960s cheesy sound with a 21st century human beatboxer?  Answer:  A Beatbox Stylophone of course! 

Re-launched a couple of years ago, the Original Stylohpone is a divine combination of 1970s design and 2007 technology.  All you did is touch the metal "keyboard" with the stylus and a note is made. Now the original electronic pocket organ synthesizer has been reinvented again with three all new exclusive sounds - beatbox, percussion and steel drums.

Completely remodelled, it features a circular keyboard with 13 metal sound pads that will play a different percussion sound, created by human beatboxer MC Zani.  Who is he you ask?  Only the winner of the 2008 Vauxhall UK Beatbox championships! Top it off with steel drums and you have a stylophone with real attitude. Just imagine how "Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" would have sounded if ole Rolf Harris had this little musical innovation - or perhaps not!

Also new is the record and scratch functions that allow you to playback loops of your own creation. Another feature is the tempo adjust switch for beat pitch control during loop playback. The MP3 input feature means it is also possible to syncopate your scratches along with your favourite tracks. Plug in your device and lay down some dope style to your favourites.

Stylophone Beatbox Features

• Three new sounds: Beatbox, Percussion and Steel Drums
• Record Loop and Playback function
• Tempo Adjust
• Volume control
• MP3 function - play along to any music - includes two way adapter

Product Details

• For ages 7+
• Requires 3x AA batteries - not supplied
• Original features
• Product Dimensions (approx): Width: 15.5cm(W) x Depth: 10cm(D) x Height 4cm

The Stylophone

The Dubreq Stylophone was a runaway success in the '70s, not so much within musical circles (although they have been used by such luminaries as David Bowie, Kraftwerk and Pulp) but as a gimmick, a toy, a marketing success story.

Dubreq was founded in 1967 by three British workmates: Brian Jarvis (inventor of the Stylophone), his brother Ted and Burt Coleman. They worked in the Broadcast / Film industry, dubbing and recording film sound.

The company brought in jovial Australian entertainer Rolf Harris to help promote the Stylophone. Rolf was a popular kid's TV presenter at the time and his almost shameless propensity for jolllity and self-promotion made the Stylophone a huge success to the point where most people thought that Rolf actually invented the thing himself... he did not - he was merely a well-known face used to promote it.

But he did a great job (and was quite a virtuoso on it) and the Stylophone was a huge commercial success in its short life!

Marketed as a 'pocket electronic organ' that anyone could play with no musical training, it used a stylus to play the notes - you touched the metal 'keyboard' with the stylus to complete a circut and a note was triggered. There were two settings: a 'straight' sound and a vibrato sound selectable from a slider switch to the left of the 'keyboard'.