The best gear of the year

The bittersweet process of lusting after inanimate music related objects you can’t afford showed no sign of going out of fashion this year. While the world of DJ equipment stayed largely static, and let’s face it, it is going to be hard to knock iconic stapes like the Pioneer CDJ, Technics 1210 and Sennheiser HD25s off their perch, the world of synthesis continued to expand. Of course, if you’re a modular freak, you can always rely on the modular cottage industry of envelope pushers to come up with a steady stream of ear twisters bedecked with fabulously daft titles like ‘Crazy Chicken Favourite Avocado Toast.’ Synthesisers however have lagged behind, content to plough ahead with the hardware classic revivalist boom, repackaging familiar ideas like FM or classics like the Prophet 600, but maybe with a USB port in a unit half the size. But there’s been shining lights. In 2023 game changers like the ‘Nina’ or ‘Osmose’ have offered genuinely new ways of twisting the space on its head. And with new machines, inevitably comes new music. Let’s see where all these innovations take us in 2024. The game is still very much afoot! For now, here’s a rundown of the best music tech released in 2023.