Dragon Suplex

I'm loving my international submissions coming in these days.  Here's a duo from Zürich, Switzerland calling themselves Dragon Suplex.  Great tracks to put on with some great 80s/ nu-disco flair to them.  I'm particularly fond of the above track, "You're The One" which features those classic DX electric pianos and that funk bass.  It also helps that the video is some sort of Fox television screen capture complete with dancing roller skaters.  Rock on.

Daroc - Pyschodio

Want some swirling synths for your Friday night?  French producer Daroc has sent me over a video for his track "Pyschodio" which is covered in tasty arpeggiated bass lines and swirling pads.  Warning: if you're under the influence, this video might make you fall out of your seat.  Enjoy!

Futurecop! Release New "Starworshipper" Video and EP

Futurecop's "Starworshipper" has been floating around on the interwebs for some time now, but finally the track has gotten a proper EP and video release, the EP coming on April 24th.  You can currently get a free download of the Mitch Murder remix to satisfy your appetite until the full EP is released.  I learned today that the track is actually a Diamond Cut production, which helps explains some of it's magical effect on my ears.  Be sure to check out the video above for a night out with two 80's influenced gals.

Amazing Machines MIDITRIBE I/O Review

The MIDITRIBE by Amazing Machines

I received an interesting piece of gear courtesy of the folks at Amazing Machines, a small company based out of Brazil.  It's the MIDITRIBE I/O, and it's a mod for the Korg Monotribe to give it MIDI In and Out.  The installation doesn't require any soldering, just opening up the Monotribe, screwing in the board, plugging in a small plastic clip to the Monotribe board, and looping in the MIDI In and Out cables through the back cover of the Monotribe (it's worth noting, this mod will void the warranty on your Monotribe immediately).  The MIDI ports themselves are high quality and metal, so they won't crack or break.  There are a few different ways to have the MIDI cables attached; I have the way recommended for quickest use by Amazing Machines which has the MIDI cables coming out of the battery compartment.  I haven't been able to shut the battery compartment due to the cables, but the batteries stay in well enough where I don't need it for now.  If you have the wall adaptor for the Monotribe, you don't need to worry about this.  You could, of course, drill small holes in the side of your Monotribe to let the wires hang out and close the battery compartment, or even create proper MIDI ports right in the side of the Monotribe.  It's up to you, but the very basic setup is easy and only requires a medium size and smaller screwdrivers.

Waldorf and Rolf Wöhrmann create new iPad Synthesizer

Waldorf and Rolf Wöhrmann of Tempo Rubato have joined together to create a new wavetable synthesizer for the iPad.  The new synth uses a similar layout to the Animoog, although this sports a very cool and unique use of the display which the user can manipulate.  The synth will work with all standard MIDI devices as well.  Read the full press release below!

"Waldorf and Rolf Wöhrmann design pioneering new iPad synthesizer

A long tradition of wavetable synthesis – from first PPG synthesizers to the latest developments in terms of Blofeld and Largo – and Rolf Wöhrmann’s (TempoRubatos) vast experience with the iPad synthesis made it only natural to come up with a wavetable concept for the iPad, which, as a mobile platform, is becoming increasingly more significant to professional and semi-professional musicians and producers.

Thanks to intelligent gesture recognition and plenty of available graphic performance the iPad is perfect for bringing wavetable synthesis to a new level. For the first time it will be possible to plunge into the depths of wavetables and to make their sound content visible with advanced 3-D technology.

The cooperation between Waldorf and TempoRubato, also known for their product line NLog Synth, doesn’t stop here: The application will also offer new possibilities for sound manipulation based on Waldorf’s very latest spectral research.

Completely new and unheard sounds

An innovative approach to wavetable synthesis allows for the transposition of the spectrum and the balance of periodic and sound spectra entirely independent from a wave’s position. The existing wavetable technology is thereby extended by two new dimensions, and it allows for formant shifts as well as numerous other unheard sounds. Also, unlike with typical wavetable instruments, the number and length of waves in a wavetable will no longer be restricted. It’s the era of wavetable synthesis V2.0!

This app will support a huge number of hardware MIDI interfaces, e. g. all Core MIDI compatible interfaces by IK Multimedia, iConnectMIDI, MIDI Mobilizer II by Line6, ioDock or the Camera Connection Kit by Apple, as well as proprietary interfaces such as the SynthStation by Akai.

App collaboration standards like Sonoma‘s Audio Copy/Paste, Intua‘s Audio Pasteboard and Virtual Core MIDI will also be supported like the upcoming AudioBus standard and KORG’s WIST synchronization technology.

Joachim Flor, executive manager at Waldorf Music GmbH is pleased: “We are truly excited about our collaboration with Rolf Wöhrmann from TempoRubato. Considering his great experience with the iPad synthesis we are planning to release this excellent synthesiser this summer. Then it will be available at the Apple App Store. It’s going to be an exciting time!“

Rolf Wöhrmann is also looking forward to the challenge: “The cooperation with Waldorf Music and the Waldorf developers is a great honour. Waldorf‘s long history in wave table synthesis and the new and innovative possibilities of the iPad will create an astonishing synthesizer for musicians, sound designers and producers.”

Further information at www.waldorfmusic.de"

Tom Oberheim announces new Two Voice Pro Synthesizer

Coming this June from Tom Oberheim is his latest re-release, this time of the classic SEM 2 Voice Synthesizer.  Everyone is pretty familiar with his other classics SEM synths-- the 1 and 4 voice-- but this one sits firmly in between with a price tag somewhere in the middle as well.  While it's always nice to see more analogs from a classic maker on the market, this one will probably be reserved for the professionals and die-hards with its 3500 dollar price tag.  Of course, the new features and incredible sound are well worth the money if you can afford it.  This might be the Moog Voyager's new competition in that price range.

"Features:

• Mini-Sequencer is enhanced - you still generate a sequence with the knobs ( up to 16 positions ) but you can store sequences from the knobs into flash memory (up to 99 sequences stored)
• Two sequences can be played simultaneously (or play one sequence while also playing on the keyboard, like the old one)
• After sequences are stored in flash memory, you can edit them to add 2-way, 3-way or 4-way ratcheting and you can program the gate length from zero (like a rest) up to almost the complete step length
• Sequences can be chained into songs, and each step in a song can be programmed for sequence number, transpose amount and number of repeats
• Sequencer syncs to Midi Clock
• Keyboard outputs velocity and pressure
• Each module (both SEMs, Mini-Sequencer, Keyboard Control) has mini-jack patch points (over 50 patchpoints)
• Pitch and Modulation wheels
• Pan pots
• Headphone output
• Separate Vibrato LFO

The U.S. price of the new Two Voice Pro is $3495"


You can expect it to sound like its smaller counterpart, seen below.  For more information and how to order, check out Tom Oberheim's Site.

Alphabeat Interview: "Vacation" and the New Record

Alphabeat's new single "Vacation" launched a week ago today, and with great pleasure, I had the chance to chat with the band about their new single and record only days later.  Alphabeat's self titled debut in 2007 showed the world their pop craftsmanship with the tracks "Fascination" and "What Is Happening".  Their track "Boyfriend", which was re-produced as a new, more synth laden song, emerged as the new direction of the band.  2009 saw the release of The Spell, which marked a new era for Alphabeat-- a style more congruent with Ace of Base than modern pop-rock.  With their ever-evolving sound, the past 3 years have left fans wondering what form they would return in for their follow up record, and with the release of "Vacation", it seems to indicate a bright and fun 70s/80s pop influence.

I feel quite lucky these days getting a chance to interview some more of my absolute favorite musicians.  Alphabeat seem to be just as cool and bubbly as their stage presence suggests.  It also makes life easier when a group is willing to speak English for an interview (their native tongue is Danish)-- and for that, Alphabeat, I thank you.  Read on for some insight into the new Alphabeat record.