Ponytrap

Music

Ponytrap performs industrial music on classical instruments with a robotic drum. MAX, the robot drummer, is a massive battery powered, Arduino driven monster machine that has to be seen to be believed.

Quentin Thomas-Oliver

Quentin Thomas-Oliver is a classical musician by training and a maker by accident. His maker journey began with a simple need: to find a drummer that would join him in his band Ponytrap, playing industrial music on viola. After years of failing to find the right person, Quentin decided to build one! It's been a decade since the first prototype, and the machine has grown in size and complexity, but now they tour together, along with Hilary Thomas-Oliver on cello, making exactly the kind of music they always hoped to.

Hilary Thomas-Oliver

Hilary Thomas-Oliver is a professional writer specializing in education and training. But she is also a musician and a maker! Working with her partner, Quentin, she's spent years helping build and refine their robot drummer, MAX. Hilary plays cello in their band Ponytrap and tours the continent performing events and inspiring others to get started on their own weird vision.

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More Project Info

http://www.ponytrapmusic.com/

What inspired you to make this project?
Necessity is the mother of invention... We didn't really intend to become Makers. We just needed a drummer that wanted to play the same kind of weird music that we do. When we couldn't find the right person, we built a robot instead!