PN.26.020. Product. Studio project, 2026.
Deadwax
A music player where you flip through a crate of sleeves and drag a real tonearm to seek. It plays the studio's own EP.
The brief
Design a music or entertainment interface with a working prototype.
The idea
Streaming removed the pleasant friction of choosing a record. Deadwax puts it back: a crate, a platter and a tonearm that really is the transport. Etched in the run-out groove of each record is a small hidden message, as cutting engineers have always done.
Decisions
- The tonearm angle maps exactly to playback position, and dragging it seeks.
- Each sleeve has its own graphic idea taken from the track.
- Mustard, burnt orange and walnut brown come from 1970s hi-fi catalogues.
- Arrow keys work throughout, and the tonearm is a proper slider.
How it came together
- Drew five sleeves as generative SVG.
- Built a crate with CSS 3D, and tied the tonearm to the audio clock.
- Confirmed by test that the real MP3 plays and seeks.
How it works
An HTML audio element drives everything. The waveform comes from peak data saved when each track was rendered, and the tonearm angle is a function of playback position.
Want something like this?
Tell us what you are making. A few lines is enough to start.
Hanging nearby
PlainsongA personal finance app with almost no charts. Your money is told in sentences, and any number in red can be dragged to ask what if.PN.26.021. Interactive prototype.
LungfulA breath training app built around one soft shape and one colour per phase, with a real timer, sound and history.PN.26.022. Interactive prototype.
UnderstudyAn assistant designed like a stage manager's desk. It prepares every action and stands by, and nothing happens until you call Go.PN.26.023. Interactive prototype.