Often music lovers never pick up an instrument for fear of the commitment involved in learning – no one wants to be a beginner. One such music lover is Per Holmquist, a student at Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm who has created Beat Blox, an Arduino-powered installation that allows for creative expression without any prior musical know-how.

To create beats, users simply put wooden blocks on one of three turntables. Five distance sensors in each turntable measure the distance between the blocks, prompting the Arduino to make a certain sound. The three turntables spin at the same speed so that when blocks are placed on each, an interesting mix of bongos, bass and snare drums play in time.

The idea of simplifying music production whilst adding an abstract visual twist seems to appeal to the 'maker' musician.  Color Play, looks like a record player, but plays music from a colour wheel, rather than a vinyl disc.  Each colour matches a pitch, and each width a specific rhythm. The wedges can be mixed and matched, and ‘records’ can be spun at different speeds.