In 1981, Roland released the TB-303, a bass synthesizer that failed in the market before some kids in Chicago would twist and tweak until it wailed out a deep and neurologically resonant squelchy sound.
That same year, fellow Japanese music company Suzuki released the Omnichord, an electronic autoharp shaped sort of like a melted guitar. For a time, the Omnichord was even better known than the 303. Nobody ever perverted an Omnichord like Phuture did the 303, but its ringing and otherworldly electronic strings would captivate inventive musicians for decades. (Here’s an online version.)
Suzuki announced in late 2023 that they would be relaunching the Omnichord. This is partly due to fan interest and I think at least a little due to actual musicians who want to see what they can make it do. The Omnichord has been having a moment, you see, most notably for its use in the Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood” track (which used an Omnichord preset) and as the title and inspiration for Meshell Ndegeocello’s album The Omnichord Real Book which won the first ever Grammy for Best Alternative Jazz Album.
Ndegeocello used the Omnichord extensively on the album to get away from computer screens. “The Omnichord gave me a way to work out melodies and ideas,” she said. “I’ve been working on computers since my fourth record. I wanted to stop looking at the music and just play and hear the music.”
No question there are many who miss the tactile sensation of playing real things — with more and more of life taking place inside our electronic boxes, we find ourselves in our free time yearning to touch the world outside of them. Due to the era in which they were made, Omnichords are very sense-oriented objects: you push the buttons, turn the knobs and swipe your fingers along a strip called “sonic strings” and which sort of act like them.
The new edition of Omnichord (model number OM-108) was showcased at NAMM this January and is expected to be released to stores in July 2024.
