Disco Volante, Italian for “flying saucer,” is designer Oscar Olsson’s attempt at deconstructing the design of a turntable. The fully automatic wall-mounted record player comes from the designer’s attempt to answer a simple question: “If I would make a turntable today, how would it look like?”.
The result is a device that separates all components based on their function, aided by a stark contrast between the playful plastic main housing and the stainless-steel, minimalistic tonearm. The way the record is played, floating in the air on the metallic support, explains why the device’s called “Disco Volante.”
With Disco Volante, I wanted to utilize each material’s unique properties, and by doing so, letting them largely influence the form.
Oscar Olsson
At the same time, the bold red plastic housing is reminiscent of another classical mid-century object, the Valentine typewriter Ettore Sottsass designed for Olivetti, adding to the retro-futuristic flair of the project.
“With Disco Volante, I wanted to utilize each material’s unique properties, and by doing so, letting them largely influence the form,” says the designer. “The metal offers a rigid foundation for the turntable; meanwhile, the molded, funky plastic tonearm housing plays the main role visually. The overall proportions and composition were also well thought out to create aesthetically well-balanced architecture.”