IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS FIRST BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO.
One of only two functional units left, this instrument appeared on just a handful of recordings before it vanished in 1979. This brief demo is of what musicologists now consider to be the world's rarest manufactured instrument - the impossible to find Birotron - playing worn out mixed tapes of string section, brass, violas, choir, and flutes across the keyboard. The musician is Chris Dale who very kindly let us do the video.

Chris is literally the only person on the planet who has been working hard and making personal and professional sacrifices from 2006 to the present in restoring the Birotron instrument, damaged parts, master tapes, and creating a digital sound archive so that one day the world might hear it as it was originally intended: An arduous 'Save The Birotron' project is underway at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
You can also listen to an in-depth interview with Chris about the Birotron on the Yes Music Podcast here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/kev...
The interview starts exactly at 4:37.
This video features privately owned music and is not here for sampling. It serves music education purposes only. As this is (sadly) the only Birotron video (and children, therapy users, vulnerable members of society, students, academic researchers etc. regularly need to visit here), we kindly request that you hold yourselves to a higher standard of humanity, honour, and class when visiting this page.

Life is short. The Birotron is in danger of disappearing and both positive vibes and hard work are now required to save it. 'Trolls' harassing anyone, 'internet beggars' demanding free sounds, 'sound poachers/criminals' sampling this video to exploit it, and pushers of any political agendas will be:
a) Permanently banned from this page / other related Birotron pages.
b) Permanently blacklisted from buying, owning or using these sounds if and when they become available commercially.
c) Prosecuted for any crimes or offenses committed in relation to the above. (This page is being monitored by a Private Investigation Agency 24/7)
Protecting this instrument, and all of you visiting here deeply matters to us, especially when this is your only source for it.
All Birotron music, sound(s), and intellectual property are legally 'sui generis', https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuter...) and fall under private ownership, are copyright protected, and may not be sampled or used without prior written consent. All rights reserved and legally enforced. Birotrons were never released to the public for sale, and have never been in public domain.
This shows you what a Birotron sounds like with damaged sounds because properly functioning / undamaged tapes do not exist anymore. Work is ongoing to correct this unfortunate situation.

Educational Facts:
-The Birotron is rarest commercially produced, factory made instrument to appear on albums, tours, and a hit single. It's the only manufactured instrument in it's own class of technology - an endless tape loop keyboard.
- In 1976 it received over 1000 advance orders from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Chicago, The Beach Boys, Elton John, Roger Whittaker, Gary Wright, etc. (totaling over a million dollars in sales) Sadly, none of them received a Birotron. Production was abruptly cancelled and the remaining instruments destroyed.
-Yes, Tangerine Dream, and Earthstar became the only bands to use a Birotron in both albums and concerts. To enlarge their soundscapes, these bands used it 'in the mix' unaware that what they had, had suddenly become very special and impossibly rare. Sadly, none of these bands recorded it in isolation.
- With only 100 hours of use and no tech support, the 8 track cartridges in their Birotrons soon wore out. Not even Rick Wakeman, (the Birotron's principal financier) could get replacement tapes. The impossibility to get replacement tapes rendered all Birotron cartridge tapes worn out from original overuse by 1983. The surviving mixed, random tapes in this video only offer a tiny glimmer of what it sounded like. It's actual 'true' / 'original' sound remains unknown.
Not even the Birotronics USA sales manager ever saw or heard a Birotron (except from this video 45 years later). This video is dedicated to Rick Wakeman, Peter Robinson, Tony Merrill, Roger Rodgers, and Alan Shepherd - the unsung hardworking men who co-invented and developed the Birotron B-90, did all the work from 1975-1978, never got the credit, and almost brought it to fruition. Chris Dale now continues their work, with Birotronics CEO Peter Robinson's support, blessings, and occasional help. Birotron® is a registered trademark of Chris Dale. All Rights Reserved. For more info please visit: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Thanks for watching.