Music
Watch this guy rip a solo on an electric fan
by Richard Howard
October 21, 2016
Ever heard a guitar solo played on a fan? You're about to.
No, you didn’t misread that headline. As folks from his country tend to do, Japanese composer/inventor and former programmer Ei Wada puts our level of creativity to shame with his otherworldly, self-made musical instruments. From his humble beginnings tinkering with cassette tapes, Wada’s obsession has resulted becoming a master at repurposing technological waste into bonafide musical instruments. He’s gone on to form the Open Reel Ensemble – a band perhaps best known for their ability to make legit music using old vintage tape reels.
Amazing, right? And while Wada has created other equally captivating instruments (touch-sensitive cathode-ray TVs, for example) not every project is going to be a home run.
His upright fan electric guitar idea probably falls into this category. Inspired by his larger scale “Exhaust Fancillator” project, Wada has created what he calls the ‘Sempookin.’ Armed with an everyday house fan with specialised blades, a backlight and photosensitive pickup, Wada took to a gazebo in a public park to first get his Jimi Hendrix on and then have a buddy join him on a duet. The results are…interesting. Even funnier than Wada’s John Mayer faces is the elderly gentleman who rolls up at around 1:25 and is clearly thinking “these kids need to get a job.”
Watch the wonderfully weird performance below:
If that didn’t somehow make your day, here he is playing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” by pretty much popping and locking in a photosensitive shirt. And of course he brought along extra t-shirts for bystanders to join in. Love this guy.
