Brian Eno's Turntable II Is Inspired by His Experiments With Light
Slowly changing colors to form Eno’s “colorscapes.”
Brian Eno has a new turntable designed to mirror the ambient sound for which he’s known. The Turntable II is the second record player released by the musician following his debut 2022 edition.
In 2018, Eno spoke about being fascinated by light in his work as both a musician and a visual artist. His experiments using light as a medium date back to the 1960s, making the Turntable II a fitting mode to listen to his music, as well as records from other artists.
Eno, however, encourages its use even when one isn’t listening to music. “When it doesn’t have to do anything in particular, like play a record, it is a sculpture. So I like the idea of this continuity,” he says.
The turntable itself is made out of acrylic LED lights and changes color while in use, going from the orange and red shades of a sunset to a neon pink and green reminiscent of a nightclub, a process Eno refers to as “colorscapes.” The pattern of color lights, how they phase out and the speed at which they change are all programmed but they’re specifically designed to change slowly and randomly.
The Turntable II isn’t made for everyday use but rather a collector’s item, priced at $25,000 USD (£20,000 GBP). Only 150 editions of the turntable will be sold globally. The Turntable II is also currently on view at London’s Paul Stolper Gallery.
