Archive for the ‘Minimal Synth’ tag
Robot Rock du Jour: Medio Mutante – Corre Corre (2008)
There aren’t too many young, contemporary bands that could fool me into thinking their work was good enough to be recorded 30 years ago. Medio Mutante (translation Average Mutant) is one of them. This naughty triad of vintage audio and video synthesizer maestros is putting out really thick analogue music. BTW, they’re using a Fairlight CVI video synth for the visuals. Nerd Approved!
SCHEMATIC: Cover art, release info, more vids and where to buy… Read the rest of this entry »
Party Time: Saturday Robot Party @ The Idle Hour (Baltimore, MD)
VIGR is in the house. 4+ hour rare vinyl set. Need I say more? Hope to see you there! I’ll try to keep track of the setlist…
Robot Rock du Jour: Deux – Paris / Orly (1985)
Hot Girls Singing Over Synths (HGSOS).
This French duo were really onto something with their minimal synths, stripped-down rhythm compositions and suitably cold female lyrics. This prime example of French minimal synth pop was no doubt influenced by their proximity to Germany as the cool synth-laden air traveled down from Les Alpes. Presented here is Paris / Orly the b-side from their Europe 7″ published in 1985 on André Records.
SCHEMATIC: Videos for Felicita and Game and Performance…
Robot Rock du Jour: Doris Norton – Personal Computer (1984)
OK. Check this out:
Super hot italian chick doubles as an electronic music pioneer, gets sponsored by Apple and Roland in the 1980s and eventually becomes a consultant to IBM. **sigh**
All video clips taken from the 1984 LP Personal Computer on Durium.
SCHEMATIC: Two more videos and high res studio photo…
Keyser Söze Alert: Los Autómatas – Viaje Espacial (1982?)
100% addicted to this song. Which is a serious problem, because other than this single, solitary video, I can find no trace of the band’s existence. Anywhere. Are vinyl pressings gathering dust somewhere in Argentina? A handsome reward for any information leading to my successful capture of this track on wax.
SCHEMATIC: The real story…
Keyser Söze Alert: Iko – Iko ‘83 LP (1982)
Virtually Nothing is known about this Montréal group, but I’ve deduced what is going on here:
Iko was an android trio from the future that traveled back in time to 1982 in order to learn what it meant to be human in the decades just preceding the merger of man and machine. Archetypal and powerful nerd music.
Only 500 copies of this LP sold. So if you account for DJ/radio promos, maybe 1,000 were even pressed, making this gem truly obscure. The $100+ price tag for this album is one of the deals of the century.
‘83 is presented here in its entirety, ripped from my mint copy at 24bit/96kHz and converted to MP3 at 196 kbps for optimal sound quality. I also found and posted two unreleased tracks (9 & 10) for posterity.
SCHEMATIC: MP3s, album review and cover artwork…
Robot Rock du Jour: Futurisk – Player Piano EP (1982)
Robot Rock du Jour: Severed Heads – Lamborghini/Petrol (1982/1985)
I’m HOOKED! Now this is some real Aussie nerdness! Nearly five minutes of minimal synth industrial perfection from legendary Sydney band Severed Heads. Disgustingly rare in its original wax format.
Lamborghini (Live at Metro TV, July 1982)
SCHEMATIC: Recording details, the original studio cut and a later concert version…
Keyser Söze Alert: R.E.M. – Computer Communication (1983)
No, Michael Stipe and did not dabble in Italo. Actaually, Computer Communication was the second of four releases to appear on the short-lived Xanadu label from Italy in 1983. This is a readily available and largely underrated Italo classic 12″ that you can still buy in excellent condition for around $20. They’re pretty tough to find for sale in the US, so you’ll probably have to pay international air postage from Italy if you’re dying for the track.
SCHEMATIC: Automan 11 bootleg reissue…
Robot Rock du Jour: Logic System – Unit (1981)
From the Hideki Matsutake’s album Logic released in 1981. How can you argue with a hot (french) girl singing over smooth robotic beats? Get the Japanese pressing: It is sonically superior and not expensive (yet).
Oh? What’s that? You liked that, did you? Well, there are over 130 more videos on my painstakingly assembled youtube playlist. If you want to journey even deeper, I’ve compiled two related playlists that delve into the history of and equipment used in the production of early electronica.