LUMI, the Smart Piano Instructor

With an illuminated keyboard and an accompanying app, ROLI's newest device helps you master the instrument your own way

LUMI teaches you to play the piano by tapping into nostalgia and memory. Using songs you know and love (their library includes pop hits and indie gems), you’re led through each note sheet with familiar, almost video game-like instructions. As the notes flow toward you, you’re instructed to hit the appropriate key as each one appears at the foot of the screen. This simple, clever …

Blood Cultures: Best For You

Blending together glitchy vocal samples and dark electronic, Blood Culture’s “Best For You” is a triumphant second single from the band’s forthcoming album, Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs. The group has been relatively absent since their 2017 debut record, Happy Birthday, but they’ve been teasing a return since the release of “Flowers For All Occasions” earlier this year. As mysterious as the band may be, …

Listen Up

Infectious post-punk, eccentric folk, luminous French house and more music this week

Michael Kiwanuka feat. Tom Misch: Money British artists Michael Kiwanuka and Tom Misch connect on an infectious track that’s heavily influenced by disco and funk. “I think I want everything,” Kiwanuka calls out at the track’s start. The tune is fun at heart, but as the breakdown begins, Kiwanuka chimes again, this time noting, “I’m spending without being ashamed / spending ’cause I’m all alone.” …