Products I Love XIX

Via UPS today, I received my Buddha Machine from Forced Exposure. It's no iPod, but it is a tidy little item of technological wonderment.

Featuring nine ambient loops composed by FM3, the device could not be simpler in its design. There's an on dial that also controls the volume, an earphone jack, a DC power jack, and a toggle switch that -- if moved back and forth -- will take you through the nine loops.

The music is minimalist, as was expected, and some loops are better than others. But I was pleased that there are more urgent, driving loops -- useful when pushing through on a project -- as well as sleepy, subtle sounds.

But the highlight for me is the packaging. The Machine comes in a small box printed entirely in Chinese, and the box itself is light and inexpensive. But the real deal maker in my opinion is the cheapness of the speaker. Most loops, if you have the volume turned up at all, push the limits of the speaker's clean sound. That results in transistor radio-like static, hum, and fuzz -- which only adds to the otherwordly nature of the sounds emitted.

Providing a soundtrack from a parallel plane, the Buddha Machine is a dreamy device. I'm sure I'll burn through the included AA batteries (also printed in Chinese) in no time flat.