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DeCap Robot Band

Introduction

I love street organs and other music automatons! They're a very early use of binary code and a predecessor to modern animatronics, some even include simple figures that we'd recognize as automatons today.

The Decap dance organ Robot Bands were made in the 1950's and 60's, reportedly only 10 exist. These consist of 7 92 key instruments and 3 105 keys. Most of the stages have three robot musicians: a drummer, a saxophone player, and an accordion player, but there is some varriation. The largest stage features two accordions on the wall of the organ itself, and the accordion playing robot replaced with a smaller horn.

If a catalogue of the different sizes, locations, and makeup of these organs exists, it isn't searchable on the English internet, since these organs were created in Belgium. Below is what I've able to piece together from a few hours of googling and learning to recognize each band, since from what I can tell each is a completely unique creation. The nicknames below are unofficial, save for "De Blauwe Engel", and are just made up by me to keep track in my head.

DeCap & other Organs

DeCap @ The Volo Museum

June 2026, I got to go to the Volo Museum in Illinois! You can learn more about my trip here. They have two DeCap organs on display.

This is a 72 key Decap dance organ (not the exact organ, but the same model). I didn't get photos because I was too busy drooling over the visible punchcard book and its mechanism:

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"We play for tips"

History

This notable larger model has two horn players and no accordionist, with the accordions as part of the organ facade instead. A small stationary robot stands on the left, and a small sign saying "We play for tips" is sometimes seen in its recent homes. It was originally installed at the Hotel Eemland in Soest, Netherlands. It then played for Turners Musical Merry-go-round soon after their opening in 1983, until an unknown date before or at the attraction's closing in 2004. It resided in the private collection of Henri Krijnen in Oosterhout, Netherlands until being sold in auction in 2022 for $350,550 to Ozzie Bilotta in Florida. The Bilotta Collection is a museum of toys and animatronics Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

  • Size: 105 Key
  • Last known location: Bilotta Collection, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (Public, by appointment)
  • Band members (L to R): Saxophone, Drums, Horn
  • Backdrop: Black curtain, visible chimes
  • Robot cosmetics: Shiny silver, no decals on the hands or chests

Previous

Turners Musical Merry-go-round

Henri Krijnen

Auction & Bilotta Collection

"De Blauwe Engel" (The Blue Angel)

History

Originally from the dance cafe of the same name in Belgium. It was owned for a few years by Graham Whitehead and was presented at his Ashorne Hall establishment. After his death, it was moved to the Krughoff collection. After another death of the organ's owner, its current location is unknown.

  • Size: 105 Key
  • Last known location: Krughoff collection, United States. (Private?)
  • Band members (L to R): Drums, Saxophone, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Black curtain, "De Blauwe Engel" is written on the top of the procenium
  • Robot cosmetics: Blue

"Big Pipes”

History

The last 105 key, built in 2005 by DeCap to match the '50s models. It was comissioned by Cris van Laarhoven and Anthony (Toon) Heesbeen for the Museum Dansant in Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands, in the museum's dance hall. It still lived there as of 2009. In 2013, it was taken back to the DeCap factory at one point to be fitted with additional pipes, visible behind the players. As of 2018, this band now resides in the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht, Netherlands. Since it has performed in two public spaces, there are more recordings of this one.

  • Size: 105 Key
  • Last known location: Museum Speelklok, Utrecht, Netherlands. (Public)
  • Band members (L to R): Drums, Saxophone, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Black curtain, visible chimes and pipes (after revamp)
  • Robot cosmetics: Grey bodies, red accents

Museum Dansant:

IMG: The Museum Dansant dance floor, surrounded by dance organs.

Museum Speelklok:

See IMG

"My Son"

History

Has a miniature accordion player down front. The uploader of the third video - swissmusicbox, says the band is for sale but the link in the description is no longer active :,(.

  • Size: 92 Key
  • Last known location: Kessler Collection, Zurich, Switzerland - now dispersed? (Private?)
  • Band members (L to R): Drums, Saxophone, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Black curtain with multi-colored space themed cutouts like stars, rockets, planets
  • Robot cosmetics: Shiny silver including accents, with red, yellow, and green detailing. Drummer has a blue sticker or plate on their chest

"Fairground Follies"

History
  • Size: 92 Key
  • Last known location: Fairground Follies, Bowral, Australia (Public)
  • Band members (L to R): Drums, Saxophone, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Shiny gold curtain
  • Robot cosmetics: Dark green bodies with gold accents, no detailing

"Middle Drummer"

History
  • Size: 92 Key
  • Last known location: Arnold Chase collection, 2018 (Private?)
  • Band members (L to R): Saxophone, Drums, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Black curtain
  • Robot cosmetics: Black and red, light blue pants

"Starry Blue"

History

This band performs at the Deutsches Automaten Museum in Epselkamp, Germany, where it moved in 2023. Previous videos show it in an alcove with a curtain in front, but I have not discovered its previous location. The virtual tour of the Deutsches Automaten Museum shows a different DeCap organ in its place, but the photos were taken in 2022. A TikTok from the museum itself shows the robot band being moved into place in 2023.

  • Size: 92 Key
  • Last known location: Deutsches Automaten Museum in Epselkamp, Germany (2023) (Public)
  • Band members (L to R): Drums, Saxophone, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Dark blue curtain with stars
  • Robot cosmetics: Silver and light blue

"Eemland"

History

Built for the café-restaurant Eemland, Soestdijk (1961-1967). It's rumored this was the one that was destroyed in a fire, though I have found no confirmation besides my lack of modern footage in my research.

  • Size: 92 Key
  • Last known location: unknown
  • Band members (L to R): Drums, Saxophone, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Black with scattered stars
  • Robot cosmetics: Silver, simplified "starbursts" on their chests

"Starry Black"

History

Video was taken at the Music Museum Linz, Germany. At some point, the band was moved to the Klangsmaschinen Museum, Durnten, Switzerland.

  • Size: 92 Key
  • Last known location: Klangsmaschinen Museum, Durnten, Switzerland (Public)
  • Band members (L to R): Drums, Saxophone, Accordion
  • Backdrop: Black with scattered stars, now black with large stars
  • Robot cosmetics: Silver with light blue decals

"Moony Beam and the Shooting Stars"

History

A completely different look, but an official DeCap organ! Moony Beam and the Shooting Stars are squat, square, and considerably cuter than the standard band. They even have a "k8", a reference to Dr Who's k9. This band lives at Watermouth Castle.

There are a lot more videos of these guys, I could spend a lot longer searching!

  • Size: 92 Key
  • Last known location: Watermouth Castle in Ilfracombe, Devon, England (Public)
  • Band members (L to R): Saxophone, Drums, Trumpet
  • Backdrop: Pipes, two accordions
  • Robot cosmetics: Unique! Little boxy guys with duct arms

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Norman Kendall DeCap replica

History

Notably, the only band to include a piano! This organ was built by Norman Kendall and uses modern tech. These bots are grey and red, with tan heads. There is also sometimes an accompanying smaller bot named "Robert the Robot" separate to the trailer that houses the band.

Les Robots' Music: 1958

History:

Robots' Music bears the most resemblace to the DeCap bands - most clearly in the shapes of the legs and hands of the players. They were created by Edouard R. Diomgar. They were last recorded in the Museum fuer Kommunikation, Berlin, in 2007. They have CD releases!

Unlike the DeCap band, these players have names! Oskar plays the accordion, Ernest the drums (with a real smoking cigarette between his metal lips), and Anatole is on the alto saxophone.

The Trio Fantastique: 1954

History:

Built by a Belgian engineer named Zenon Specht. Another band with names! Wink is on guitar, Blink on drums, and Nod on alto saxophone. They were built for Specht's vanue, the Antwerp’s Robot Club.

Mr. 2021 / Dionn Roblox recreations

History

Mr. 2021 / Dionn collects audios of the DeCap robot bands on their channel, unfortunately the audios are set over different images of bands, and I have no way of knowing if they are being played by the band pictured, or even played by arobot band and not another DeCap. Regardless, their Roblox project to re-create many of the well known bands is really cool! I am linking a variety of their videos, but there are many more on their channel.

From these, I can imagine a full 3D programmable simulator like the ones made for Rockafire and Chuck-E-Cheese animatronics.

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