Hip-hop figure Afrika Bambaataa has died at 68Founding hip-hop figure Afrika Bambaataa has died aged 68 due to complications from cancer. In the later years of his career, the rapper, DJ, and producer was accused of child sexual abuse and trafficking, which he denied.
Bambaataa, born Lance Taylor, grew up in the Bronx borough of New York City during the black liberation movement. In 1973, he co-founded the Universal Zulu Nation, an international hip‑hop awareness group.
His 1982 hit Planet Rock garnered global recognition and was certified Gold by the RIAA in the US. Across his career, he worked with a number of musicians across varying genres. In 1985, he helped make the anti-apartheid album Sun City along with Run-DMC, The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, Bono, Ringo Starr and many others.
As per the BBC, Bambaataa led Universal Zulu Nation until 2016, when he stepped down after allegations of sexual abuse surfaced from the 1980s and 1990s. He denied the accusations, describing them as “baseless”. In 2025, he lost a civil case in which he was accused of child sexual abuse and trafficking after failing to show up in court.
The Hip Hop Alliance shared a statement regarding Bambaataa’s death. It reads, “Today, we acknowledge the transition of a foundational architect of Hip Hop culture, Afrika Bambaataa… His vision transformed the Bronx into the birthplace of a culture that now reaches every corner of the world.”
The statement also acknowledges “that his legacy is complex and has been the subject of serious conversations within our community”, and goes on to conclude: “Today, we extend our condolences to all who were impacted by his life, his work, and his presence… Rest in Power Bam.”
You can read the full statement, posted to Instagram, below:

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Save 90% on IK Multimedia’s TOTAL Guitar MAX at Plugin Boutique
You can now save 89% on IK Multimedia’s TOTAL Guitar MAX as part of a limited-time deal at Plugin Boutique. It’s been quite a while now since IK Multimedia’s 2025 Group Buy promotion, and I still think about it every time the developer’s name comes up. It’s the closest we’ll ever get to playing a [...]
View post: Save 90% on IK Multimedia’s TOTAL Guitar MAX at Plugin Boutique

Sonuscore releases LUX Orchestral Strings Elements, a FREE library for Kontakt Player
Sonuscore has released LUX Orchestral Strings Elements, a free orchestral strings instrument for the free Kontakt Player. The amount of high-quality orchestral content available for free nowadays is something I still find hard to believe. Even ten years ago, getting your hands on an in-depth orchestral string library without spending serious money was pretty much [...]
View post: Sonuscore releases LUX Orchestral Strings Elements, a FREE library for Kontakt Player

MeldaProduction MLimiterX is 90% OFF for BPB readers (only €10)
MeldaProduction is offering BPB readers an exclusive 90% discount on MLimiterX, its brickwall limiter plugin. Use the coupon code BPBMLX90 at checkout to bring the price down from €99 to just €10. The offer runs until April 19th. MLimiterX is a mastering-grade brickwall limiter built on MeldaProduction’s MDynamics kernel. The whole idea here is to [...]
View post: MeldaProduction MLimiterX is 90% OFF for BPB readers (only €10)

Yamaha launch the DXR/DXS & CXR/CXS Mk3 Yamaha have just refreshed four of their hugely popular PA speaker ranges, delivering significant improvements to their acoustic performance, functionality and power.

Ex-SEC, Coinbase staffer becomes Securitize presidentNewly appointed company president Brett Redfearn briefly worked as Coinbase’s head of capital markets and served for more than three years at the SEC.

ChatGPT finally offers $100/month Pro planOpenAI announced on Thursday something that power users have been asking for: a $100/month plan. Previously subscriptions jumped from $20 to $200 per month.

Upgrading a MacBook Neo Using a 1 TB iPhone NAND FlashThe nekkid Flash footprint with unused pads perimeter. (Credit: dosdude1, YouTube)
For some reason the newly introduced MacBook Neo appears to be the subject of a lot of modding, though a recent mod by [dosdude1] leans into the fact that this laptop has been assembled using what are effectively iPhone 16 parts inside a laptop case. This consequently means that there’s an overlap with certain iPhone 16 components, such as the NAND Flash. Incidentally storage on the Neo is limited to 512 GB when you purchase it from Apple, which is weird since the same SoC in the iPhone 16 Pro happily uses 1 TB.
Even if it was just a price point thing that Apple went for, there’s seemingly nothing standing between a Neo owner with a hot air gun and sheer determination. As long as you’re comfortable soldering a fine-pitched BGA NAND Flash package, natch.
Of course, there was always the possibility that Apple used a different NAND Flash package footprint, but the installed 256 GB model chip that comes installed matches the replacement 1 TB model K8A5 chip as hoped. This just left disassembly and preparing the PCB for a storage replacement. Removal of the BGA underfill and desoldering the old chip without taking out surrounding SMD parts is definitely the hardest part, but handled in the video with the equivalent of an IC spatula and a temporary removal of some capacitors.
Interestingly, the uncovered IC footprint shows a whole perimeter of unused pads that might target other NAND Flash packages. Regardless, the new chip installed fine, giving the Neo 1 TB of storage and a slightly faster read/write performance.

Shy Audio introduce EQT-1M Their latest offering is decidedly less crunchy-sounding than their 90s-inspired releases, and shifts the focus from purposeful ‘character’ to uncompromising audio quality.

Wire Grind BlizzVerb 2BlizzVerb 2 is a high-quality algorithmic reverb plugin. It features an "Acoustic Model" for realistic reverb, and "Artistic Controls" for everything else. Other controls provide for classic sounds, tonal coloration, and reverb-based echo. There are also three freeze modes, most notably a mode that does "freeze and replace" which can be saved. Highlights: Realistic sounding reverberation. Echo Fluttering. Self-refreshing "Freeze and Replace" mode. Auto predelay mode. Virtually seamless parameter changes. Acoustic Model: The "Acoustical Wetness" slider works by rebalancing the acoustic model. It improves realism compared to knobs labels "mix," "dry," and "wet". Frequency damping is modeled on measured acoustical data. Dual stereo models for headphones and speakers. Room Size adjustment. Artistic Controls: Three freeze modes including a new and fully savable "freeze and replace" mode. Echo fluttering: Makes the reverb sound periodic and repetitious. Can also be tempo synced. Tone mode: an alternate mode for hi/lo frequency decay. It provides stronger coloration than default "room" mode. Predelay adjustment with "auto" mode. Can also be tempo synced. Classic Dyr/Wet adjustment for vintage and creative reverb sounds. Other Features: Highly automatable: Parameter adjustments are very smooth. Hyperwidth: Stereo rendering up to 200% (Physics sets a soft limit around 100%). Undo / redo. A / B settings toggle. Factory presets. Read More

UVI launches Vintage Casio Legacy – with six software versions of classic Casio synthsUVI has unveiled its new VST suite Vintage Casio Legacy, offering software versions of six classic Casio synthesizers.
As UVI explains, in the landscape of the early ’80s, many synths on the market boasted premium price tags, putting them out of reach of many would-be players. “Casio took a different path,” the brand says, specialising in more affordable digital synths, like the now-iconic CZ range.
Now, with UVI’s new Vintage Casio Legacy pack, producers can access the early digital synths that inspired a wave of burgeoning electronic music makers some four decades ago.

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The package includes software versions of six classic Casio machines, and, of course, is Casio approved.
As such, in developing the plugins, UVI had access to the original Casio hardware and recorded them in multiple sessions to capture their unique characteristics, like tonal variations, voicing, and signal path colour, on top of the faithful sound.
Here is the lineup of synths included in the package:

CZ, which is based on the flagship CZ-1 that’s known for its phase distortion.
FZ, the popular 16-bit sampler.
VZ, the interactive phase distortion.
HZ, based on the spectrum dynamic synthesis of the HZ-600.
CTK, modelled after the Integrated Cross-Sound Architecture (iXA) from the rare CTK-1000.
RZ drum engine, inspired by the RZ-1, and also featuring additional Casio-sourced material.

On top of the individual machines, all six of them can be combined with Multi mode into one workstation. Plus, UVI has added contemporary features to the old school machines via sound-shaping tools, performance controls, and hundreds of presets.

Vintage Casio Legacy is available now, priced at €199. Head to UVI to learn more.
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Audiotool is hosting a “hackathon series” to teach people how to make virtual instruments, plugins and music education toolsAudiotool, a free multiplayer music studio, is launching a new initiative to get more people making virtual instruments, music-related games, and music education tools, without any need for coding skills.
The initiative, called Let’s Build!, partners with organisations and educational institutions around the world, and will run from 11 May – 6 July this year. This “hackathon series” will bring together students, musicians, music lovers, and developers to make apps and DAW extensions using AI-powered coding and NEXUS, Audiotool’s SDK.

READ MORE: Reason 14 is coming, with a new track panel, sequencer upgrades, and more 

Events will happen online on Audiotool’s Dev Discord, as well as in real life at partnering organisations. The resulting projects will go before a panel of judges, including Manon Dave, Head of Future World Design at BBC Research & Development and award-winning music producer who has worked on projects for will.i.am and Idris Elba.
Along with top music schools, such as Berklee and NYU, Audiotool will collaborate with some of its long-standing supporters, including the Esports World Cup, Esports Nations Cup, and the WHO Youth Council. Let’s Build! is also supported by OpenAI, Base44, and ElevenLabs, among others.
Audiotool says that Let’s Build! is “the first step in what promises to be the complete transformation of music into a flexible world where everyone can play thanks to AI code assistants”. Andreas Jacobi, its co-founder and CEO, says its core ethos is to be “community-first”.
Jacobi says, “We have worked for years to remove barriers to collaboration, creativity, and exploration, and now technology is allowing us to tear down yet another – the technical barrier between a cool idea and an amazing new piece of software. If you can describe it, you can now build it. We can’t wait to see what community members, music-loving developers, artists, really anyone who’s excited about coding, come up with.”
Manon Dave adds, “I’m super excited to be invited to judge the Let’s Build! hackathon. I started out making tunes in my bedroom and hacking away on software similar to Audiotool, trying to find a unique sound for my music, so I know how powerful it is when you’re given the chance to get under the hood and bring your ideas to life.
“What Audiotool is doing here is opening that up even further, bringing creativity and coding together so people can build entirely new ways of making music. I’m excited to see what people create when you have the space to experiment.”
Find out more or sign up for free via Audiotool.
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This bright-pink Rhodes piano is inspired by marshmallows – and it’s a serious piece of eye candyRhodes Music has unveiled a very dreamy and very pink piano known as the MK8 Marshmallow.
The new piano forms part of its Custom Shop series, which offers a limited-run of unique MK8 pianos, each shaped by a distinct visual concept. Hand-built in Leeds, UK, by Rhodes Master Builders, each instrument is made to order, individually numbered, and will not be reissued once the order window closes.

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Rhodes says its aesthetic is inspired by the “pillowy forms” and, er, “nostalgic tones” of “classic marshmallows” – think soft sounds that channel their sweet and foamy insides, perhaps.
All of this is of course expressed through its soft pastel pink aesthetic, including a pastel pink hood and matching hood strip, as well as a pink tolex base and cheekblocks. Additional details include a matching front panel with rose pink preamp and FX inlays, custom rose pink dial caps, and silver-on-rose-pink logo plates, and it even has a colour-matched sustain pedal and footplate.
Aside from its good looks, the MK8 Marshmallow offers a 73-note Kluge Klaviaturen keyboard (Steinway Group), onboard custom stereo analogue FX, including compressor, phaser, chorus, and delay (true bypass). Its analogue preamp also comes with parametric EQ, drive, envelope, wah, and vari-pan.
Take a closer look at the model in the images below:
Credit: Rhodes
Credit: Rhodes
Credit: Rhodes
Credit: Rhodes
Back in March, Rhodes also expanded its lineup of virtual pianos and keyboard instruments with Pianology, a collection of three “timeless pianos”: a concert grand, acoustic upright and vintage electric grand.
The collection offers producers and composers access to instruments which are “rare and seldom encountered outside renowned studios, concert halls and private collections”. Its three software instruments were sampled by Rhodes’ engineering and sound design teams “with a focus on instant playability”.
The Marshmallow is available exclusively through the Rhodes Custom Shop from 9 April to 23 April 2026, with optional MIDI for an additional £1299. Pricing without MIDI stands at £11,995 (+VAT) / €13,995 (+ local taxes) / USD: $15,995.
Find out more or buy now via Rhodes Music.
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Conceptual Machines releases MAGDA, a FREE AI-assisted DAW
MAGDA is a free and open-source DAW built on JUCE and Tracktion Engine, and Conceptual Machines has just released version 0.4.0. It’s very early days for MAGDA, so updates might come with significant additions, but before we get into what the latest version has to offer, let’s take a broader overview. Although it’s early days, [...]
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TuneCore partners with RoyFi to offer royalty advances to indie artistsArtists can secure direct cash advances without giving up equity or transferring ownership of copyrights.
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