Ben Lee Interview: Catching up and his new record, 'Deeper Into Dream'

Ben Lee is an old favorite of mine.  I first became enamored with his sound when he released the single "Catch My Disease" back in 2005, supporting his album Awake is the New Sleep.  Awake is a quintessential feel good pop album.  Prior to that, he had released a few other albums-- my favorite being Breathing Tornados, a record of odd samples beautifully strung together-- not something you hear typically from a singer/songwriter.  Since Awake came out, Ben has also put out two other great pop records-- Ripe and The Rebirth of Venus.  While he isn't the most synth-y artist to have on the site, I was sure to snatch up an opportunity to talk to him a bit about those old records, and chat about his upcoming release.  You can hear his new single over at Spinner.

AIMES Album Review

AIMES - Every Time When I See You by Aimes

I was given the album Your Floor Is Now a Tree a couple weeks ago by newcomer AIMES. I had been meaning to review this for a couple weeks now, but kept having to push it back-- I wanted to make sure I heard the record enough to know what I like, and I figured since this is the first album review on the site, I have to do it justice.

First and foremost, I'm not really sure how to categorize this music-- regardless if you like categorization or not, it helps explain what an artist sounds like to new comers. It's certainly not a house record, as there are far too many slower jams, but it's definitely synthy and out there. Perhaps this is the "chill-wave" I hear so much about?

Pure Analog Synthpop by Synthjunk - Awesome Youtube Videos

Just came across this YouTube channel for a user named Synthjunk.  This guy has some awesome videos showing off his synth gear.  Lots of cool vintage synths-- Korg Monopoly, Roland Jupiter-6, Moog Prodigy and plenty of others.  His videos are also stylized very well, as all he lights the room with is a head lamp, which leads your eyes around the video.  Check out more videos below, or check out his channel for the complete collection.

Max Cooke Interview: Inside Ellie Goulding's Live Show

Lights - Max Gordon Remix by Interscope Records

If you've seen Ellie Goulding's live show, you know it's a great time.  Ellie's vocals sound great in a concert venue, and she's got a great backing band that deliver fantastic renditions of her hit record, Lights.  I caught Ellie's show a few months ago at the World Cafe Live (one of the best venues in Philadelphia, hands down) and was in awe-- I really loved the show.

I recently talked to Max Cooke, Ellie's live keyboardist-- and sometimes guitarist-- about what goes into a show like Ellie's.  Max is also well known for fronting the band Goodbooks a few years ago in the UK.  If you've been to Ellie's shows, looking at the stage, Max is on the right behind a Moog Voyager.  He gave me the inside scoop on all of the tech, and here's your chance to check it all out.  Read on below to see how Ellie's North American tour was built.

Chromeo - When The Night Falls [Official Video]

A couple days ago, Chromeo released their new video for "When The Night Falls" featuring Solange Knowles.  I don't normally post up videos on this site, but this one is just too good.  Also, it's got some incredible remixes... check out Breakbot's below.  Chromeo has an incredible synth collection, as seen in their appearance in Future Music a couple months ago.

 

  When The Night Falls (Breakbot Remix) by Chromeo

Zenhiser's Roland CR-78 The Machine Sample Pack Review

CR-78 The Machine - Zenhiser Sample Pack Demo by The Synth Symp

The Roland CR-78 is a classic drum machine. Whether you've heard of it or not, it greatly influenced the sounds of the 80s and is featured on many famous tracks. Some of the artists who used it include Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Blondie, Ultravox, OMD, Roxy Music, and Gary Numan. While the CR-78 lacked full programmability like the Roland TR-707 or 808, it still had enough customizability to make it a great addition to any musician's studio. Unfortunately, eBay prices for this collector's item have forced it well past the $500 USD range. If someone wanted its classic sound for a new recording, they'd have to pay out a pretty penny for it.

When I heard Zenhiser was putting together a high-quality sample pack of the famous drum machine, I'll admit, I was pretty excited. The samples I had before this pack lacked any low end and needed desperately to be tampered with in order to make them come to life at all, so much to the point that I've never gotten anything I like out of them. With this new sample pack, I would be able to enjoy the sounds of the CR-78 without tampering with them or putting a massive hole in my pocket. But would it actually live up to such a classic machine?

Bag Raiders Interview

Bag Raiders - Sunlight (feat. Dan Black) by modular people

BAG RAIDERS is an incredibly big name right now.  The Aussy duo exploded onto the scene with their track "Shooting Stars" in 2009.  Last October, they released their self titled record, which contained brilliant tracks like "Sunlight" and "Snake Charmer".  More recently, they've toured  with the phenomenal Ellie Goulding and brought their amazing sound to the, in my opinion, dance-deprived US.

"Shooting Stars" tore up the Australian charts, as well as the Hype Machine.  The track features an amazing synth hook that builds upwards and hooks the listener to a climactic explosion of dance greatness--the beat is even featured in Madeon's "Pop Culture" mix.  The music video for "Shooting Stars" features fantastic flying-on-car action.  Their record Bag Raiders follows up perfectly to this.

I chatted with the duo recently about their tour, their hit "Shooting Stars", collaborating with Dan Black, and their amazing synth collection (the one I envy most since Diamond Cut!).  Read on below to check out the inside scoop on Bag Raiders.