The Return Of Palm Highway Chase!

There must be something in the air as the scene seems to be witnessing the return of quite a few 80s inspired synth producers from years past are releasing wonderful new piece of classical styled synth magic. To add to this list is the return another of my favourites from the first golden age of the 80s synth revival, none other than the inimitable Palm Highway Chase.

Before we get into his new work, I thought I'd be remiss not to remind you of some of his previous work. My first experience with Palm Highway Chase was on the legendary MOTU 2 compilations, specifically the V2 edition, the track was entitled Street Hawk and it's still as totally bitchen as it was when it came out in January 2009.



The artist's previous release, 'Valet Run', was a much more Nu-Disco styled affair, and upon the release of Street Hawk and then the epic 'Escape From New York' album, Palm Highway Chase's sounds become the perfectly honed 80s synth brilliance, full of beautiful sounds and dramatic arrangements and his prolific line up of releases that followed found the artist experimenting in more varied sounds.

'Summer' from mid 2009, the two volume 'Evermore' albums and the brilliant 'Songs For Rocky' album are all must-hear 80s synth experiences. There's a visionary modern edge to the later records from this artist, and none of this is more pronounced than in the absolutely stunning Homerun track from Songs For Rocky form 2010. This is the definition of spectacular 80s synth combined with modern day magic.



And this is where we come to Palm Highway Chases' latest work. After roughly two years of silence we've been granted the enormous pleasure of sharing in a preview version of his new track: Sylvester At The Floor. Now, I'm not usually one for posting preview or teaser tracks on Synthetix outiside of Weekend Updates but I'm willing to break this rule for something as spectacular and promising as a return piece from an artists as auspicious as Palm Highway Chase.



This swirling stereo synth smorgasboard of sounds is stunning, even in it's preview form. The melodies are cut from the same vibrant cloth as previous Palm Highway Chase experiences, and the dreamlike trance we're drawn into is a sumptuous aural feast.  As new sounds and layers are introduced, blended the overpowering melodies are taken to galactic levels of presence and awareness.

Although not strictly an 80s synth track in the definitive sense this piece is definitely riding a wave of 80s magic through a kaleidoscope of glorious vintage synth sounds and the positive 80s vibe throughout is undeniable.

We can only hope this return is a sign of lots more music from Palm Highway Chase, so please make sure you give him lots of support on his soundcloud here and make sure you pick up some of his earlier releases on his Bandcamp,here.