A new sex toy has been compared to the feeling of being in a club and putting your hand on a sound system – that deep, carnal pounding that hits your chest as your hand touches the metal grate, the sound reverberating across your outstretched limb, through the skin, and into you. Remove the crowd, cut the strobes, and amplify the sensation – and you’ve got Groove Thing, the sex toy that creates a “concert inside your body”. 

Who would want that, you might ask? Well, it turns out, a lot of people. The latest venture from Michael Weiss-Malik and Elizabeth Dell, Groove Thing is already causing a buzz in the sextech sphere. The product’s Kickstarter reached its goal in just ten minutes and, to date, has raised over £320,000, becoming the highest-funded insertable pleasure toy in the platform’s history. Unlike existing sound-responsive toys that simply vibrate to beats, Groove Thing directly translates sound waves into movement. “You actually feel a difference between high notes and low notes and the textural differences between guitar, piano and violin,” explain the co-founders. “In a way, it unlocks a third ear in your body that you didn’t realise that you had.”

The link between music and pleasure is long established – but Weiss Malik and Dell are transforming that emotional connection into full-body physicality. Users also receive a curated demo playlist with the device, with a growing tracklist. “Anything with a bassline works extremely well. The resonator puck responds to the bottom half of a piano – middle C and below is where it sings,” they explain. So far, standout artists include Nine Inch Nails, Madonna and Billie Eilish – who, Weiss says, “may as well be writing songs for this device.”

Below, we talk to the co-founders about the genesis of Groove Thing and how music can be more than just something you hear.

How does Groove Thing actually work?

Michael Weiss-Malik: We like to say music shouldn’t just be heard, it should be felt. Groove Thing has multiple components: a speaker base that looks like a regular wireless Bluetooth speaker, and a resonator. The resonator connects to the speaker and has two parts: a bottom part that vibrates and resonator shapes called ‘resonator pucks’ that attach via a twist lock.

The resonator brings tactile sensation and physically recreates music in your body with enough fidelity that you actually feel a difference between high notes, low notes and the textural differences between guitar, piano and violin. In a way, it unlocks a third ear in your body that you didn’t realise that you had, since the body parts it touches are highly sensitive to vibration, similar to how ears respond to air vibrations. When the vibrations in your ears match those in your body, something magical happens. We even found a Harvard study backing this up.

How is this different from existing technology?

Michael Weiss-Malik: One key thing: this is not a vibrator. Vibrators use a high-speed motor that spins with an offset weight, creating a buzzing. There are sound-responsive vibrators that just buzz in time to music beats, but this is different. Groove Thing plays music as touch, allowing distinct responses to different notes and textures.

Elizabeth Dell: Most pleasure products are tools, like hammers, to get a task done – usually orgasm, quickly. Groove Thing is an experience, a concert inside your body. You don’t go to a concert just for the finale; you enjoy the whole journey, the playlist. You can use Groove Thing to create a personal journey with your favourite music, riding emotional waves, or just feel the nuances of your favourite artists like never before.

Did you expect such a big turnout for the target?

Elizabeth Dell: We knew we had a core group of advocates – people who experienced this and whose bodies respond so strongly to it – that would follow us anywhere to get it. But we also knew this was something literally never done before in the world. It’s hard to convince strangers to try something when you just say, ‘We swear it’s totally different.’ It’s one thing to have someone feel it, then believe us. We were unsure if we could convince anyone outside that core group or their friends to trust the vision and roll the dice with us. So it’s been wildly exciting.

Have you come up with any recommended songs or playlists, or is it more individual?

Michael Weiss Malik: We’ve created large playlists with songs that have strong bass, since the resonator responds to the bottom half of a piano keyboard – middle C and below. Billie Eilish is amazing for this device because her music and producers use heavy low-frequency bass. A surprise hit is Taylor Swift – her catchy pop works really well and often surprises people during demos. Classic artists like Madonna, from her old to new stuff, are great, and Nine Inch Nails bring interesting texture and sound that we love. Zoe Keating, a cellist, with her slow, drawn-out low notes, also makes for a really interesting experience. So, we have recommended playlists, but it’s also about individual taste.

Are any songs intentionally created for Groove Thing?

Michael Weiss Malik: Some amateur musicians in our beta testing have expressed interest in composing specifically for Groove Thing as a new outlet to connect with listeners. Just this week, a fan sent an AI-generated song designed for Groove Thing, it was a fun, dancing track with hilarious lyrics. We expect some artists, especially those tuned into pleasure and sex-positive themes, will create original content for this new category.