German duo Mouse on Mars are launching an instrument for the iPhone. 

The tag team of Jan St Werner and Andi Toma have been pushing their esoteric brand of electronic music since the 1990s, most recently signing to Modeselektor’s Monkeytown label for a pair of albums, Parastrophics and WOW, have been using the app in both their live shows and recent studio recordings.

Named WretchUp, the group describe the instrument as “inspired by analog hardware effects, translated into something you can hold in your hand. You can use it on drums. You can use it to transform music tracks, or playing with feedback from a speaker. You can just have fun speaking or singing into it. But whatever you do, it’s designed around the handheld. In place of a complex interface, the focus is on a broad range of sound possibilities and quick exploration beneath your fingers. You can concentrate on listening and experimentation, as the app produces a range of sounds, fast.”

However, due to the app relying on a now-defunct player called RjDj, it’s not ready for the wider world to use – which is why Mouse on Mars are appealing for funds, via Indiegogo, to “build a standalone app with a richer set of functionality, and make it easy-to-use for novice and advanced users alike. For more information and to donate to the cause, click here, and for a demonstration of what WretchUp can do, watch the video below.