Based Upon, a leading creative house producing beautiful and highly desirable luxury artworks has hit a sweet note with its revolutionary new contemporary instrument, Twist/D.
Created from scratch, Twist/D offers a unique twist on the conventional piano. This very innovative instrument crosses art with functionality and experience. A truly pioneering work of art, it sets out to challenge our orthodox perception of the piano. The piece is a meticulously assembled conglomeration of the touch, sound and feel of a world-class grand piano.
Twist/D is the eagerly awaited successor to the studio’s previous, hugely inventive pianos. The Baby was a sellout collection of five baby grands, which are now housed in some of the world’s most significant private collections. The Manhattan and The London were conceived in partnership with Steinway & Sons. Meanwhile, Digi-Baby was an iconic, experimental digital series.
Twist/D, Based Upon’s first autonomous piano, is a tightly curated amalgamation of sculpture, experiential technical features, and the touch, feel and sound of a fine grand piano.
The minimalist silhouette of Twist/D, the studio’s first autonomous piano, is based on the perfect proportions of the geometric Golden Spiral. Its surface is decorated with a combination of a gradated blue and white patina and Tramazite, Based Upon’s proprietary material.
The sound design of Twist/D is equally extraordinary. The instrument employs the tone of 12 computer-modelled Steinways and Bechsteins from different times in history. These furnish the player with an astonishing range of acoustic characteristics. The strings, the position of the hammers, the cabinet resonance and the pedal mechanisms of these timeless pianos have all been exactly duplicated in a manner aimed at delighting the ear.
There is more. Players of Twist/D are able to choose the sound of a particular instrument, shape it digitally and then select an environmental setting in which to perform it. Reverb, attack and tuning dials provide players with a terrific level of interactivity. Based on the idea of vintage synthesisers and allowing maximum tactility, the analogue controls let the player convert the piano into a one-off performance tool. Twist/D comes with a ready-made library of music, too. Players can draw on this as they experiment with their bespoke dials.
Inspired by vintage synthesisers and designed for optimum tactility, the analogue controls allow the player to transform the piano into a unique performance tool.
The instrument also features a setting called “Surrender”, an idea that Based Upon’s creations often employ. The thinking is that the player hands over creative control and the instrument’s software takes charge. The attack and reverb settings are randomised, creating a soundscape that the player could never have consciously built.
This exceptional piano is a very harmonious concept, perfectly executed. It would surely strike the right chord in any upscale collection.
Author: James Rampton
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