So...why do I like synth so much?
I've recently found myself in the mood to blog again, so I had a good think about what I'd like to talk about. I thought it would be a good idea to explain how and why I like synth music. When I say 'synth', I mean synth in its various forms, such as synthwave (who'd have guessed?!), synthpop and other genres that tend to use it.
Before I go on, I feel as though I should say that my taste in music is actually pretty eclectic. I'll give pretty much anything a chance, as I think avoiding artists purely because of their genre is a bit unfair, and it could mean missing out on some pretty cool stuff. However, synth, and electronic music as a whole, has always held a special place in my heart. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but I hope you find my personal experience interesting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think I owe my love of synth mainly due to my dad. He had a Jean-Michel Jarre CD ('Images'; one of his compilation albums), and we'd sometimes listen to it together. That was probably my first exposure to synth music..and I haven't looked back since. I must have been no older than six at the time, but even then, it resonated with me. I think it also helped that I've been into computers since the age of 3, as I found it cool that all of the tracks were created via electronic means. The music itself was like nothing else I'd heard. In addition to that CD, he had a Human League 'Greatest Hits' tape, which would regularly be played in the car. Add that to similar artists, such as The Eurythmics and Erasure, and I think it's clear to see how my core taste in music was formed.
Around the same time, I also remember an audio visualiser I had for the ZX Spectrum (one of the most popular home computers in the UK back then). It came with a set list of tracks, including the ET theme and even some of the aforementioned Jean-Michel Jarre tracks. Pretty sure it was a freebie from one of the Spectrum magazines. I used to play around with that program quite a bit. Just a small thing I remember, but I'm sure it didn't do any harm in terms of nudging me towards the genre.
Fast-forward a bit later (...alright, maybe more than a bit..) to when the Internet made acquiring music easier, and I was able to acquire more music like that. Yellow Magic Orchesra, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream...I could go on, but we'd be here a while. Naturally, it was all very much up my street. A lot later, I also got into genres such as synthwave and vaporwave, which tied synth to my general appreciation of 80s music.
As a side, I also like 'Muzak', and anything along those lines. In the UK, it's the kind of music you'd tend to hear during 'Pages From Ceefax' (yeah, showing my age with that one), or whenever a channel had technical problems/extended breaks without ads. I really meant it when I said that I appreciate all kinds of synth. There's just something about it!
It’d be remiss of me not to mention how synth was used in a lot in late 70s/80s film soundtracks. I find it works really well to set up the overall tone of a film, or even just a particular scene. The most notable composers were probably Tangerine Dream (Risky Business, Sorcerer, Firestarter), John Carpenter (The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween - all of which he directed), and Vangelis (Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire). Synth appeared in a lot of horror films, often the perfect addition to the unsettling vibe they were going for. It has a lot of versatility, though, as it works well with anything from a moody night scene, all the way to a moment of triumph.
A common criticism I've seen is that synth music sounds 'dead' and 'lacks a soul'. I couldn't disagree more. I think synth can be very evocative. Besides the fairly obvious imagery of a futuristic city with neon lights everywhere, it can also transport me to places like a beach at sunset...or even a tranquil lake, surrounded by mountains. It can be very thought provoking for me, and often makes great 'chill out' music. I listen to synth a lot whenever I draw, and it tends to get me 'in the zone' when I'm playing online games. If music genres were somewhere you could live, I'd feel right at home on 'Synth Street'.
With all that in mind, it's really no wonder I ended up mashing up my enjoyment of synth and superhero fiction to create 'Synthwave'. Of course, I can't really get the musical element across with only drawings and comics, but I will say that that genre she was named after heavily influences the kind of feel I'm going for. For that reason, I'm not against doing some audio/visual projects with Synthwave in them...one day...maybe...we'll see...
...And hey, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up trying my hand at making my own synth music!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's a brief summary of why I like synth music so much. If there's anything else you'd like to know about that, feel free to ask. I'd also be happy to point you towards my favourite related artists. In fact, here's a little list from the entire spectrum of what I've discussed. You can assume the artists I've already mentioned are also on it.
Depeche Mode
Isao Tomita
Phaserland
Mitch Murder
Thomas Dolby
Kraftwerk
Daft Punk
Neon Indian
Imagination
Video Age
Megan McDuffee
Vektroid
Pet Shop Boys
Yazoo
Röyksopp
Beckett
TWRP
Toro y Moi ...and many more! That's just what came to mind as I was typing. I accept that some of the examples aren't exclusively 'synth' artists, but I find there's a lot of crossover with electronic music, so...
Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you got something from it! I might get around to covering some other topics that mean a lot to me, so watch this space...















