A music player for the mindful, Sleevenote shuns streaming in favour of focused listening

The quest to reclaim the aura of analogue from digital domination continues, this time in the shape of a new music player devised by the musician Tom Vek. Sleevenote is a ‘mindful music player’, a compact device that is a mash-up of Walkman-style scale, mp3-driven convenience and totemic portal into the art of the album.

One of Vek’s intentions was to reclaim the mp3 file as something more akin to a physical format than an abstract, ephemeral computer file. In the streaming age, more and more people are completely disconnected from the physicality of music, removing not just the tactile quality of formats and artwork, but also the sense of connection to a musical artist.

Sleevenote wants to bring back that connectivity and make mp3s special again. A square player that’s practically all touchscreen (measuring 87mm x 87mm), it fits in the palm of your hand. Most importantly, Sleevenote is designed to only play mp3s that have been bought and downloaded.

According to Vek, who has a background in design, ‘Sleevenote was originally born to simply be the place for additional sleeve art, but the more we built the experience, the more we’ve realised how right the time is for innovation in the space of personal hi-fi.’ Very much in its experimental stage right now, the first set of players are being offered to those keen to help polish the experience, OS and ecosystem.

Vek has worked with co-founder Chris Hipgrave, a music technology developer, to create a proprietary system for disseminating the music and artwork. Artists are encouraged to flesh out their releases with imagery, information, lyrics and whatever else they need to engage with their fans. ‘[We want] to distinguish music ownership from discovery in the digital world, by giving it a physical manifestation,’ says Vek.

As a ‘single-purpose device’, Sleevenote taps into the evolving trend for digital natives to step out of the overwhelming stream of information delivered by smartphones. Just like a digital camera or even an old-school mp3 player, Sleevenote is about creating a calmer, more considered space for interacting with art, rather than treating it as an infinite scroll of content.

No streaming, no games, no distractions, just music and artwork. Instead of shuffling through millions of songs and succumbing to the algorithm, Sleevenote positively encourages the art and craft of collecting and appreciating music and the aesthetic vision of those who make it.

Pre-order the Sleevenote, Day One Edition, £249