Kanye West is selling a $200, handheld device that he claims will enable users to “customize any song,” including changing the tempo, adding special effects and even playing a track backwards.
The cream-colored, disc-shaped gadget — called the “Donda Stem Player” — lets users change the speed of music, isolate individual instrumental parts and add effects like echo and reverb, according to its website and videos shared on social media.
The device, which costs the same amount of money as West’s recent Gap collaboration jacket, shares a name with West’s upcoming album “Donda”. Orders are open now and the device will ship to US and UK customers sometime “this summer,” according to its website.
West shared a video of the Donda Player in action on Twitter Wednesday, manipulating the device to make loops and change speed using an unreleased track called “JUNYA.”
The track, which appears to be from West’s upcoming album, celebrates Japanese designer Junya Watanabe and features rapper Playboi Carti. Its one of several songs that West has teased at a two listening sessions in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium.
Another video of the Donda Player shared on Instagram by a West fan account showed the device being used to isolate vocals from an unreleased West track, as well as speeding up and reversing Beethoven’s 5th symphony.
The Donda Player was developed in a collaboration between West’s Yeezy Tech brand and UK-based electronics startup Kano.
The gadget features four touch-sensitive lights and 8 gigabytes of storage. It supports common audio formats like MP3 and FLAC — and can play audio through an internal speaker, a headphone jack or bluetooth device, according to its site.
Kano and Yeezy did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
The Donda Player’s reveal comes as West is planning yet another Donda listening session Thursday night in his hometown of Chicago, after which he will supposedly release the album. The Chicago event will not require vaccines or negative coronavirus tests for entry — but will feature a full-size recreation of West’s childhood home.
