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You can do a lot of what they are doing with what you have you just need to get good at both the device and the music part. I would suggest actually trying to finish things as this effort will (perhaps counterintuitively) make you better at improvisation. Buying a new piece of gear will actually detract from your goal.
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I’m in the same boat as you, I have a piano background and want to improvise in the moment, even when making techno. And not just sounds but patterns as well.
Try anything with an arpeggiator and a simple knob per function interface, they are great for improvisation. Model D with an external keyboard, for example. From drum machines Drumbrute Impact is very fast, though you’re paying the price with a more limited sound palette. Perkons sounds great, but to me it’s too expensive .
Sequencers require programming, which can be hard to do on the fly, especially with Elektrons where you can easily get stuck with all the options. I doubt many people fully improvise with Elektrons, you usually need to put your lab jacket on and prepare sounds and sequences for them to fully shine. Some people are super fast with them, though.
From sequencers Korg SQ-1 has been my favorite, very fast to change stuff on the fly.
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I personally find a 4×4 layout for entering sequencer steps (such as on the Erica Drum Sequncer) much easier for entering sequences on the fly (as long as you remain in the realm of 4/4).
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Interesting.
Like the SH-2 / MC-202 combo a lot 
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Christmas Live set 
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New improvised session from today 
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Just published new improv 
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And again, this time two-hour-long… Sorry for spam 
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Modular Techno with TR-1000, DFAM and ALM MCOmk2
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Looking for some suggestions. I want a synth for improvising with but I have some specific requirements. Must have sequencer and no real menu diving. Can be mono. My plan is to use it for everything but drums (I’ll be using it directly in to a looper for layering). What would you suggest and why?
DFAM/Edge is great for non-drum sounds as well - check out Frisqo for some great improv techno made with that and a looper.
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Eowave Quadrantid Swarm is a great techno synth if you like the harder experimental/ industrial side of things, like Mord Records for example. It will do more well behaved stuff as well but that’s it strength in my opinion. Constant happy accident machine, would suit a layered looper approach very well as you can never quite recreate what you’ve done before, so commit and move to next layer. This was the video that tipped me over the edge to get it some time back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwLpLXpfnBU
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+1 for DFAM or swarm as others have said. I’d also throw in the behringer Grind, it’s cheap, has sequencer and an arp, also 24 mostly great sounds
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Minilogue xd module could work quite well, it’s a nice all-around synth.
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played live on the street for los anageles art walk on a modular system
first 1/2 hour is ambient
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