The future of music technology has landed, flashing  spangly red lights, beaming laser synth sounds. This is Science fiction turned real, oh yes. When they cop a load of it, cyber-muso-geeks will be rubbing their eyes in pure astonishment, stunned.

BBC have said “it looks like something played by the alien muscians in the bar  in Star Wars.” And they’re right. It does. It probably sounds like one too.

So what is this newfangled, light-years-ahead, space gizmo? And from whence was it teleported? It is called the  Eigenharp – described by its developers as “the most expressive electronic musical instrument ever made”.  The silvery, synthesiser-horn crossbred device was the invention of musician cum electronic entrepreneur John Lambert, whose Devon based team has been working on the project for eight months.

It dazzles with a glowing switch board of buttons and runs a scale of 132 keys. Moreover, it has two strip controllers, akin to pitch benders, and two breath pipes. At the tap of a button, octaves and scales can be inverted, switched upside down, twisted, distorted. 

Frankly, its potential to imitate any known instrument is astonishing. Its big hairy synth sounds will scare the crap out of thee. While its soft, melodious clarinet function will enchant. One can even knock up a sick beat on it!

So, I hear you cry, how much is it to get ones fret beaters on an Eigenharp? The Alpha model – aimed at professional musicians – costs £3,950. There’s a smaller Pico version for £349.

I’ll have three of those, then.