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Sonos Play:5 Beastie Boys Edition Brings on the Ill Communication

10.25.18 | By
Sonos Play:5 Beastie Boys Edition Brings on the Ill Communication

In its original monochromatic matte black or white iterations, the Sonos Play:5 was designed to live within the home with a minimalist and understated presence. The limited edition Sonos Play:5 Beastie Boys Edition is something entirely different, landing with a bolder and graphic refresh by way of San Francisco-based artist, Barry McGee.

Renowned for his visual bouillabaisse of West Coast graffiti, typography, and found object mix media installments, artist Barry McGee takes a simpler and graphic approach with the Play:5, using the speaker grille as a blank canvas for a bespoke linear typeface created just for the Beastie Boys. McGee’s past work shows a similar affinity for red lines.

All proceeds from sales of this limited edition will be donated to support Peace Sisters and Little Kids Rock in the name of the Adam Yauch Foundation.

Beastie Boys always adapted their style to each moment, and the albums get better with time. I wanted to use graphics in the same spirit – something abrasive that rewards a closer look. The speaker has a pretty contemporary and clean design, so I used a pattern that disrupts the front of the speaker, but still complements it.

– Barry McGee/Artist

Past work from Barry McGee’s catalog, like this untitled piece from 2015, show similar geometric line work and typographic styling adorning the Sonos Play:5 Beastie Boys Edition. Image: Ratio 3 Gallery

The Sonos Play:5 Beastie Boys Edition debuts in conjunction with the upcoming Beastie Boys Book: Live & Direct tour, kicking off in New York City on Monday, Oct. 29, with following shows in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London, UK (the limited edition speaker becomes publicly available for purchase on December 2018). Sonos is also handling the sound at each book event, giving away special signed versions of the speaker to a lucky few.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.