Teenage Engineering’s new $300 groovebox has no business being this cute. That’s the whole point.
The EP-133 KOII (we’ll just call it Knock Out II) is a combination drum machine, synthesizer and sampler. It’s an oversized, pint-sized upgrade of the Teenage Engineer PO-33 KOwhich offers many of the same features for a fraction of the price.
The atmosphere of Knock Out II is definitely bigger 1980s drum calculator than modern Roland Groovebox. The fader’s buttons, knobs, and sole seem almost oversized on the thin device. I’m not sure exactly how to work it, but that doesn’t make me any less tempted to go over the money.
Whether you consider Teenage Engineering’s audio equipment to be overdesigned, overpriced, or just right, I’m glad you did Launch with VC support does things that evoke an emotional response. It’s refreshing to see a hardware company get weird with this. Most seem too busy chasing Apple down the minimalist rabbit hole.
It’s weird about that Teenage Engineering is everything. The Swedish company creates wireless speakers, grooveboxes and hypebeasty accessories for listeners and musicians. Their gadgets often feature Lego-style tactile buttons and knobs, with a design language that blurs the distinct aesthetic — think: cassette futurism brutalism meets KB games.
Teenage Engineering built a following through its extremely affordable (and in my experience, frustratingly fragile) pocket operator sequencers, but in recent years the company has devoted more attention to higher-end equipment. This left some of his fans out of the fun. Knock Out II’s pricing occupies a tempting middle ground. It’s not a stocking stuffer, but it’s also not two big ones.
Mastering a drum machine and sequencer takes time, and Teenage Engineering’s products are often so feature-packed and distinctive that they come with a learning curve. However, the design of the Knock Out II makes it look affordable. It seems to claim – perhaps misleadingly, if you’re not willing to put in the hours – that “you could totally learn this!” For now, I will do my best to resist the siren song.
