One of our favorite duo groups from across the pond - Paris, France - Jupiter posted this wonderful eletro-funk track with a great interlude. This track dishes the beat with some distorted - robotic vocals.
Mad love!
This is my newest jam as of late. I first remember hearing Edwin's wonderful Listomania cover - but his tracks have such an interesting and groovy sound. Great work from one of U.K.'s finest - oh and you can download it for free if you want!
Hey Synth music world! Today, L.A.'s Goldroom released his newest single since his smashing hit "Fifteen" (which is a lovely piece of sunshine). His jam "Sweetness Alive" - about which I initially thought the title was a little bit cheesy - has a great warm bass and brilliant stabs throughout a great disco beat. Not to mention the excelent vocals, guitar, percussion and mixing ~
Hey guys! In case you missed our Australian friends', the Bag Raiders, new November mix. It has a great intro and features a track from Justin Faust! Groove to this one~
Intrigued by the Elektron Analog Four, but not sure what to make of it? Above, we have what seems to be the first video of it in action. Again, very similar to the other Elektron devices in the programming workflow, but the Analog Four is showing itself off as a fantastic live device. The effects and sequencing just sound so cool live, and the amount of knobs and buttons really keep control quick. Overall, it just screams fun to me.
Queen of Hearts has just released a new video for her single "Warrior". The video has great production values (looks just about ready for MTV-- if MTV played anything decent!) and the track seems to be transcending obscure, with that right amount of greater pop appeal while still retaining its creative edge. The Queen of Hearts back catalog is all fantastic as well.
Don't forget, this one is also produced by the legendary Diamond Cut.
Be sure to grab the single "Warrior" on December 2nd. You can preorder now.
Been in Kristine withdrawal lately? We have too. A true time machine artist, Kristine has released a new EP that would have topped the charts in the days of Cyndi Lauper and Phil Collins. Kristine's voice is the perfect soundtrack to those nights, cruising around town in your Delorean and searching for that Ally Sheedy look alike to ask out. Yeah, you should get it, it's really retro. Just how we like it on the Synth Symp. Catchy hooks, great beats, the whole 10 yards.
The full EP has remixes not listed here as well. Be sure to grab it on iTunes.
Patrick Baker has teamed up with Hot Hot Hawk for an incredible track with a big kick and italo bass. Baker's vocals keep it modern, and offer up a fantastic contrast of new and old. Plenty of fancy synth work to be heard as well.
Check out this 70s funky remix of Dcup's recent single, "I'm Corrupt." Its moody, Moogy, bassline makes the groove of this jam pure nu-disco fantasy. Alfa - a great part of Binary Entertainment - kills it with this remix!
We're a big fan of mixing styles and trying out a new jam. This one is definitely an interesting blend of bass and hip-hop (some great claps too!). If you really like the track you can get it for free!
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Finally, the full details of the Analog Four are officially out. I've copied and pasted the tech specs, but you can get a full rundown of the new beast here,. There's also a variety of sound demos on Elektron's official Soundcloud (heard above). In case you're wondering, the price is $1149. They will start shipping on December 3rd.
Early impressions: The control voltage and sequencer are the real winners here. As I mentioned in the previous post, Elektron have become experts with sequencing through hardware with their other devices, so there are some really exciting possibilities with 4 analog voice tracks and an effects track. Above, the sequences sound pretty awesome. Lots of squelchiness and warmth. The control voltage will please the modular lovers, and those of you who've recently picked up the MiniBrute will be able to interface it with the A4 quite easily. The effects will be a nice touch and make this stand out to live performers.
Time will tell how this stands up against the other products on the market-- the closest in functionality to it is the Tetra, but the Analog Four seems to have it beat on sequencing. The additional $300 dollars might put it at a disadvantage, but I'm guessing the Analog Four won't appeal to your standard synth fan-- it seems like a tool for those of you who are really into mastering one piece of gear.
Poolside, the calming daytime-disco group from L.A., announced yesterday that they are giving out their song "Take Me Home" for free! We've been following Poolside from their first few jams - this one is an oldie but a goodie. This song can also be found on Aeroplane's "In Flight Entertainment" compilation ~
Also - Check out their Fall/Winter mixtape that they posted a few days ago!
via Matrixsynth, Filter Env
You can finally get a good look at the new Elektron Analog Four. Below are some early (unofficial, but very likely) specs for the new beast, which is said to start shipping on December 3rd. While some of you may initially say this looks similar to the DSI Tetra, it certainly seems to have its own set of extra features (which also makes me think it will hover right around the other Elektron price points at $1100-$1200). Some of Four's unique features include 2 filters per voice, "hi-quality" effects, and an easy to use sequencer.
Looking at the image closely, we can see knobs that are lettered (my guess is these can be mapped), the step sequencer across the bottom, 303-key like buttons on the right side, with synth parameters above them (Osc 1 and 2, LFO, etc). Below the screen seems to be 4 directional buttons for navigating the software, with Stop, Play, and Record below that.
From what I can tell so far, the Analog Four seems to fit perfectly with what we expect from Elektron-- the black box, buttons, screen, and colors all remind me of the Octatrack. Elektron products are known to have complex software abilities under the hood, so be on the lookout for that as well. I'm really hoping that the software controls on this synth make it an instant classic. It's fallen nicely into my "analog renaissance" prediction, too!
Keep updated by checking Tradition and Future Website, or Elektron's website. Also, check back here for non-official information, previews, and more.
"Specifications:
4 synth voices. 2 Analog oscillators per voice. 2 Analog filters per voice. 1 Analog overdrive circuit per voice. Multiple LFOs and envelopes per voice. Elektron step sequencer with parameter locks. Kit and Sound storage. All new hi-quality effects. 2x dual CV/Gate outputs. Dedicated CV/Gate and FX sequencer tracks. 2x External inputs. 2x Main outputs. 1x Headphones output. Analog Four
After hearing some of the amazing french touch producer Lifelike has been making recently (or making always), I thought a collaboration with A-Trak would be something to play out!
Frankmusik's been hiding out quite a bit from the spotlight since the release of Do It In The AM, producing for others instead, but he's finally stepped out to the spotlight again with his new track "Fast As I Can", which he released a couple weeks back. Yesterday, he premiered his new video for the track. I think this song is a true return to form for FM, and it reminds me of the Complete Me days a bit-- and that's my favorite Frankmusik. The video features FM running around to meet a woman on a beach, and in true American fashion, he grabs what seems to be a Big Mac out of her hand. Not kidding here, folks. Check out the awesome video, and be sure to grab the track on iTunes.
Let Em Riot's new EP via Electronic Rumors is pretty dang cool-- tons of 80s influence here (those 80s bells! always a favorite), and maybe some pop action from the past 10 years slipping in via the vocals. Really nicely produced to top it off. Dig it.
Elektron has released a new video to promote their new synthesizer, the Analog Four. While it's always great to hear about a new piece of analog gear, unfortunately the video shows us nothing about the product, its features, or its sounds-- unless you're assuming the soundtrack of the video is from it. This video seems more like what Sony does with their Playstation ads-- show off everything but the product, and try to tell a creative story. Judging by the comments on YouTube, many fans don't seem to be entertained-- they think the money for the ad would have been better spent on tech support for their previous projects.
I commend the effort to take a gamble on a cool ad for musicians, but I hope this doesn't turn into an overhyped analog box. All the Elektron reviews I've read have been nothing but positive, but the comments on this video really indicate that there are a number of unsatisfied customers-- one even says "Will be released in 2013, will work properly in 2015." Let's hope that's not the real case, and it's just a vocal group of YouTube outliers.
I'll post more as I find out about it-- let's hope the price is reasonable and its features are as inspired as this ad.
For more info and to join the Elektron mailing list for the Analog Four, click here.
EDIT:
Whoops, looks like there are some sounds on the web. Pretty awesome from what I can tell-- excuse my quick dismissal earlier...
In celebreation of 7,000 soundcloud followers, the House of Disco - a London based record label - released this track by Sixth Avenue Express. The song, Take You Up, has a classic house beat with great stabs and rhythm. Check out House of Disco Records for more! - download here -
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This track highlights some nice space between chords and emphasizes a great bass line. Congrats to Cosmonaut for such a bumpin' "version" of a great Blue Satellite track. You can download this song for free - headphones suggested because of some great vocal stereo panning!
Hello great piano in a dance track! It's always nice to find a good piano jam in the middle of a groove. Don't agree? Well play it out and download it! Chordashian delivers a beautiful mix that takes funky elements to a new level. As always FOLLOW US ON TWITTER for more amazing music.
If you're a producer who's looking for a great drum plugin/controller combo, or if you've been eying up Arturia's Spark hardware and software combo, you're in luck for the next 2 months. Arturia has announced that they're lowering the price of Spark (which includes the software and controller) from the usual $599 down to $399. This is a pretty hefty sale (1/3 off!) and it's a great chance to get your hands on this tool. Spark has gotten pretty good reviews around the web (though I haven't tried the original Spark or its controller), and I was personally a huge fan of the Vintage Drum Machine version, which works with the included controller. So if you've been looking at Spark, or want to get hands on with your drum creation, take advantage of this sale-- it lasts until December 31st.
