Kevin Parker's Telepathic Instruments Launches 'Orchid Drop 3'

Telepathic Instruments – the company co-founded by Tame Impala star Kevin Parker – has unveiled the global launch of its landmark songwriting instrument, the Orchid Drop 3.

Described as a music technology company that’s there for artists, Telepathic Instruments was founded by Parker, Ignacio Germade, Charl Laubscher, Chris Adams, Sophie Parker, and Tom Cosm.

To celebrate the release of Orchid Drop 3, Telepathic Instruments has shared an instructional video starring comedians Matt Berry and Jemaine Clement. Together, the pair channel the eccentric nature of ‘90s synth DVDs, offering a tutorial and a comedy sketch simultaneously. You can check out the video below.

Orchid isn’t just a highly anticipated new instrument, but it’s also already been used by the likes of Kid Cudi and Don Toliver, while other artists have used the company’s “ideas machine,” such as Janelle Monáe, Diplo, Ryan Tedder, Fred again.., Mark Hoppus, Gracie Abrams, and more.

Orchid Drop 3 will be available for purchase exclusively via the Telepathic Instruments website on Friday, 10 October, at 10:00 am am local time in its key markets of Australasia, the Americas (PST), and Europe/UK (CET). Early access will be available for The Garden members on Patreon.

Parker conceived the idea of the Orchid more than a decade ago, envisioning it as a personal songwriting tool. From its beginnings as Parker’s sketchpad, it has since been designed to help songwriters, producers, and artists, and has evolved into a refined instrument.

As a press release notes, while Orchid looks like a synth with its key features of a keyboard and buttons, it’s not just any synthesiser. It operates as an ideas machine, with exclusive pre-programmed beats by Kevin Parker, a frequency filter, loops locked on time, the ability to save your sounds, rhythmic controls, and ten new sounds designed by Parker.

Last year, it was revealed that the Orchid range employs a “unique chord logic system” that’s blended with many ways to “alter the chords” to maximise creative musical expression.

The Orchid contains a “lush and powerful 16-voice polyphonic synth engine” and “onboard ambience and modulation FX, plus a separate bass synth engine” built solely to get that groovy bottom end.

With Tame Impala, Parker is preparing to release the project’s first album in five years, Deadbeat. Does the Orchid Drop 3 feature appear on the record? We’ll have to wait and listen to the album when it’s released on Friday, 17 October.

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