Childish Gambino is using a device that takes his live album rollout experience to the next level. On July 19, Gambino is releasing Bando Stone & The New World, his fifth and final studio album. Leading up to the release, Gambino has had his most creative rollout since 2013’s Because the Internet.
He created a TikTok account where he teased his lead single “Lithonia,” came out as a surprise guest during Tyler, The Creator‘s Coachella set and premiered Gilga Radio, a mixture of parodied commercials, DJ mixes and exclusive content like music videos and unreleased songs. The album is coming along with a movie, which he previewed at the 2024 BET Awards after going on a viral rant about not having more BET awards. He’s also dressed as the main character of the movie the entire time in outfits very similar to the Because the Internet era.
Gambino performed the upcoming album at an exclusive show at Little Island in New York on July 6. In the middle of the stage was a device that resembled a beat machine. Gambino used it to perform. Fans were amazed.
I gotcha pic.twitter.com/ODgmBn1deu
— dais (@chip_nuck) July 8, 2024
The device is called a KO II. It can hold up to nine songs at a time. One song can have four groups and 12 sounds like bass, samples and kick drums, similar to an electric keyboard. Artists can also feature different sounds in real time. For example, while playing a song, one could take the drums out for a section.
The KO II is a sampler, sequencer, and composer. It can also record sounds and sequence samples and loops. According to teenage engineering, the company that sells the device, KO II enables artists to “go from idea to track faster than ever.”
At Gambino’s show, he used a custom KO II designed by Wolf+Rothstein’s Muhozi Nintunze.
designed this custom K.O. II in collaboration with @jugendingenieur for @donaldglover 🧵 pic.twitter.com/78PlIHESh4
— muhozi (@muhozimuhozi) July 13, 2024
