Bastl Kalimba

The entry barrier to electronic music is often 'clicking mice at a screen' — no tactile feel, no sense of exploration. Czech lab Bastl Instruments has a cult reputation for turning strange interactions into playable instruments. Bastl Kalimba is their latest desktop instrument, inspired by the traditional thumb piano. The core interface is its metal tines: pluck one and it triggers sound, but built-in microphones, touch sensors and an accelerometer capture every pluck, touch and shake, mapping them onto sound parameters. It returns electronic music exploration to something physical — part instrument, part sound laboratory, playable without any music theory. Launched in May 2026, it drew 2,291 backers and about €1.01 million (roughly $1.165M), around 2,247% funded.