Teenage Engineering and Sean Ono Lennon have joined forces to design a new limited edition version of the OB-4 speaker, with John Lennon's Mind Games album preloaded in disc mode.
Between technology, design, and music, ideas are constantly flourishing. And in this case, it's Teenage Engineering, founded in 2007 in Stockholm, that we should look. For nearly twenty years, this Swedish electronic instrument manufacturer has been crafting a new legacy of sustainable technologies for sound and music lovers. This collective of engineers and programmers collaborates with brands and artists on innovative and far-reaching designs. The OB-4 Mind Games speaker is a perfect example. The company partnered with the multifaceted musician, songwriter, and producer Sean Ono Lennon, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, for a new edition of this original portable model.
IMMERSIVE LISTENING EXPERIENCE
The OB-4 offers a creative approach to listening on the go, delivering high-fidelity stereo sound with a 72-hour battery life. It boasts numerous features, such as loop playback and fast forward/rewind in direct audio, whether from the radio, Bluetooth, or line input.
This special edition incorporates John Lennon's 1973 album Mind Games, while also drawing inspiration from its album cover design. For Sean Ono Lennon, it's not only his "favorite song" in terms of "musical compositions," but also a "jewel in his father's solo career." He shared these sentiments in a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone magazine (US), which in 2008 ranked John Lennon in the top 5 of its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."
For users, the idea is to play with the original album while having the option to modify it in Ambient mode. The device contains six new versions of Mind Games, remixed and expanded, nine meditation mixes, nine mantras, several bonus tracks, and an exclusive metronome.
REINVENTING MUSICAL CREATION
This limited release coincides with the reissue last July of this iconic album in a new box set, The Ultimate Collection, which includes all these different listening experiences.
The concept thus presents itself as a wonderful opportunity to (re)discover John Lennon's work in a new light. This is an approach that Teenage Engineering had already explored with Virgil Abloh (1980-2021) with the Off-White OB-4. This version used traditional gyil music, an African percussion instrument, by Ghanaian artist SK Kakraba in the OB-4's disc mode.
The Swedish company continues to revolutionize music composition by integrating creativity into everyday life. This product joins its long line of offerings, such as the all-in-one OP-1 portable synthesizer, the ultra-portable Pocket Operators devices, and the PO-80 Record Factory, designed with artist and sound designer Yuri Suzuki, which allows users to cut their own vinyl records.
TEENAGE ENGINEERING
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