Retro Round-up

Feeling a bit like covering a few things today.

Diamond Cut Interview

Remixes 2011 by Diamond Cut Music

Diamond Cut is a rare breed of a producer.  While his remixes are catchy enough to blend with the best producers out there today, you'd be hard pressed to find much about him besides his fantastic SoundCloud page packed with some of the best tracks you've ever heard, and his recent interview on Fear of Tiger's podcast.  I got a chance to talk with the analog specialist on his gear, his tips for creating great tracks, and his patch building philosophy.  They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but you'll find that Diamond Cut is your DJ's soul mate for a great club set.

Reader Submission - Biosynth "Primordial"

[A quick note-- there are some NSFW sounds at the end of this track (last 3 minutes)-- nothing too graphic, but I wouldn't recommend playing it in front of your boss, parents, children, or strangers...]


This one comes from Biosynth, our first reader to submit a track!

Primordial by Biosynth

From the artist:

Great Article from Moog Archives on Velocity Sensitivity

You can read a great article on the development of velocity sensitivity in synthesizers by Dr. Moog today, courtesy of the Moog Archives.  The full article scans are here, I don't want to host them completely here, that would be cheating Moog.

The article gives a nice insight into what goes into synthesizer thinking and the history of keyboards.  There's also a valid point made in the article about what we prefer our keyboards to feel like-- whether they have organ like response, or piano like response, or a mix.  My Little Phatty actually has a really great feel in the keys, no surprise there.  It's also quite cool to read an article written by the legend Bob Moog himself.  I hope that we see more great articles like these from the Moog Archive.  I find it fascinating how he talks about the other corporations in his competition.  Enjoy the article, it's a quick read and worth it if you're interested in the history of synths, or you're ever planning on building a keyboard yourself.

Lightwaves Interview

 

Lightwaves by lightwavesmusic

LIGHTWAVES is Jan Rosenfeld's newest DJ project, consisting of infectiously catchy synth hooks, thumping beats, and smooth talkbox robot vocals.  Jan formerly sang for Yes Giantess, the 80s nostalgic synth pop band that would make even Prince jealous of with their rich analog sound.  Lightwaves has recently released his first two singles (as heard above) and two dance remixes of Savoir Adore and Freelance Whales.  When he isn't producing his next big single, he's filling the dance floors in clubs around DC and NYC.  I caught up with Jan about where his sound comes from, his synth gear, and what's coming next for Lightwaves...

Weekend Links!

Hey guys,
First off, you might notice the site should load a bit faster, as I've taken all of the longer posts and put them in a "read more" format.  Now you can just click that and go to the page with the rest of the article.  Cool right?  Should making coming back more often faster.

I've recently been digging this guy's videos.  He takes Daft Punk covers and tries to recreate them on his Alesis Micron.  In this video he actually teaches you the hook to "Derezzed" as well.  He's actually a pretty good programmer and shows off that synth nicely.  Hit him up, write some nice comments.

The Guestlist 11 - Fear of Tigers in the mix by fearoftigers

Fear of Tigers put out his newest podcast (as heard above).  Another classic!  It's only him this time, no guests (no guests on the guestlist?)  If you haven't checked out his back catalog of podcasts, I STRONGLY urge you to.

Also would like to mention this track by Com Truise.  I love the subtle reference-- "Fairlight".  Haven't picked up Mr. Truise's new record yet, but I hope to soon...

Finally, there are seriously big things coming.  I don't want to spoil any of it, but you'll get your first taste Monday morning (US time), so check back, and make sure to follow the Facebook Page and Twitter!  Everybody rock until then!

Synth Update(s), Fear of Tigers Podcasts, and More

Hey everyone!
Feel a bit like I'm dusting off this blogger today.  I recently picked up a summer job fo money, and money = synths, so I'm a slave to the paper these days.  I have big things coming your way, and this blog is only just getting started.  Here's a quick update on what's going on in the keyboard world...

More below....