Midweek EP Double Shot

It's a smorgasbord of sumptuous synth releases this week and in a vain attempt to try and keep up with what's hot I present the Midweek EP Double Shot. Today I'm covering new releases from Alpha Boy and Droid Bishop so get ready to rock in the blast radius of ultra neon on Synthetix.FM


DROID BISHOP  -  ELECTRIC LOVE

The debut EP from Droid Bishop has arrived and has thoroughly impressed me with it's depth of sounds and emotions. Across the lengths and breadth of the six tracks contained in Electric Love Droid Bishop presents his own vision of 80s synth with a sound that feels very developed and true.



The Droid Bishop experience walks a jagged line through soundtrack, synth wave and synth romance styles in his work, taking on new ideas and expanding upon them in the right manner to befit them. The opening track 'Color & Data' personifies this in it's stunning main melody that is arranged around a more ethereal soundscape and then coerced into format that evolves with modern predilections. With second chapter of 'Electric Love',  'Moon Runner', the atmosphere loses gravity and begins to float in to ambient refrains of dizzying synth melodies.

During these opening chapters it becomes very apparent that Droid Bishop genuinely understands how to create a beautifully high quality synthscape. Sounds are balanced and advance and withdraw with a perfect balance that is smooth as synth silk. As the third track, 'Nightland', moves into view the orbital distance undulates with an echoing of space synth pulses. The slower pace of this track, and 'Moonrunner', allows Droid Bishop to explore the melodies with great intricacy, questioning each note and detail with a profound intimacy.

The title track is listed as an interlude, but in all honesty this piece stands alone as more crisply refreshing sounds encircle the listener with sparkling synth melodies telling stories from the other sides of the universe in a language understood by all. This moves into 'Lost In System 7' which adds some new directions to the soundscape. This is by far the most modernly arranged piece on the EP with it's much more pronounced fades and builds but the instrumentation stays dutifully true to Droid Bishop's aesthetic.

'Electric Love' finishes with the very uplifting 'Into The Darkness'. Melodically epic in scope and arranged with a deep story in mind this is the perfect end to the EP. This producer really puts out a message in his music, it's full of affecting and inspirational melodies that are given a perfect context to come to life in.

The Electric Love EP is presented on Droid Bishop's Bandcamp page here and is fully the wonder and excitement of 80s inspired synth magic, for a first release this is very, very impressive and I'll be sure to give Droid Bishop more love on Synthetix.FM in the future.



ALPHA BOY  -  DIGITAL DAWN

I've noted before on here that I've noticed a great deal of growth and development in Alpha Boy's sounds over the last six months. Since his work with JF Conrad on the Simplicity Lab Alpha Boy has redefined his direction and allowed his imagination to expand in wonderful new directions. The Digital Dawn EP is a very aptly named release, it feels like a new day and a new phase for the Alpha Boy experience and each track opens new doors and possibilities for the future of this producer's art.


Beginning with the title track it becomes very clear that Alpha Boy has become a great deal more reflective and deep in his melodies. The resonance of 'Digital Dawn' is powerful and vibrant, drawn from a palette of classic Alpha Boy sounds but executed with new techniques. This piece is very inspirational and opens the EP exceptionally well.

The second track, 'Home Computer' is something of an epiphany I believe. This piece is quite honestly the ultimate story and context for Alpha Boys flourishing melodies. The dual sax and synth melodies are resplendent in their tones and the whole early days of emerging computer technology in the 80s is distilled into the perfect musical representation. The Bill Cosby sample from a Texas Instruments commercial is the cherry on top of the delightfully sweet synth sundae.

'MCP Funk' takes Alpha Boys dual melodies into funkier movements, while retaining his inquisitive melodies. The uncomplicated nature of Alpha Boy's music is often what makes it so refreshing and this piece with it's hooky bassline and myriad of echoing melodic flourishes takes on a wonderful new life like a digital birdsong in the 'Digital Dawn'.

The last track on 'Digital Dawn' finds Alpha Boy bringing in some beautifully soft and rounded 70s synth sounds in a single instrument piece which is thoroughly engaging. The warmth of the sound in 'Walk On Circuit Board' is absolutely invigorating really emphasising the Alpha Boy sound in a way I've never experienced before. By the end of this piece one can really feel the spirit of Alpha Boy in a very intimate way.

I see this EP as a new chapter in the Alpha Boy journey, and I can't wait to see where we'll be stopping at next time. The 'Digital Dawn' EP  is presented on Alpha Boy's Bandcamp here and I encourage everyone to take this first step into brave new worlds, designed and imagined by Alpha Boy.