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Michael Kotzen Cajon Drums website

Michael Kotzen — Cajon Drums

michaelkotzen.com

Michael Kotzen is an artist, craftsman, and cajon builder whose hand-built percussion instruments end up in galleries, museums, and the hands of serious musicians. He needed a site that could represent his work as both art object and functional instrument — something that felt as considered and handmade as the pieces themselves.

We built the site on NextJS with Sanity.io as the CMS, so Michael can add new pieces himself without touching code. TailwindCSS keeps the visual presentation tight and consistent across the whole catalog.

The standout feature is the QR code system. When Michael puts a piece on display at a museum or gallery, the site auto-generates a unique QR code for that piece. Print it, stick it on the placard, and visitors can scan it to get the full story: materials, construction details, the artist's notes. It bridges the physical and digital in a way that actually makes sense for the work.

What We Built

  • Custom CMS with Sanity.io — Michael adds and edits pieces directly, no developer needed
  • Auto-generated QR codes per piece, designed for museum and gallery placards
  • Individual piece detail pages with full specs, materials, and artist notes
  • NextJS for fast, static-first rendering with dynamic CMS content
  • TailwindCSS for a clean, minimal design that keeps focus on the work
  • Mobile-optimized for gallery visitors scanning QR codes on their phones