By Rick Shithouse
Exploring the textures, sounds, emotions and flavours of 80s music is something I'm hearing more and more producers do in their work. New experiences and retellings of those kick arse 80s sounds are always welcome on Synthetix.FM and in Robert Parker's latest record we get to hear another new dimension to this great producer's work. This time Parker parks his synths on Wall St. and gets thoroughly into an 80s library mode. I've got to say; the matching of Robert Parker's talents with this oh so golden genre of 80s sounds makes for a spectacular record.
The pure 80s library sounds push the 80s-ness of music into an entirely new level, even beyond that of Italo's wondrous trappings. Some Library in its more soulless guises threatens to become muzak in some cases but in its most refined form it really captures the 80s magic in eloquently majestic ways. Robert Parker's used the thematic of 80s high finance mixed with his own soaring, inspirational sounds and layered it with a piquant air of solid Library gold to take the listener into wonderfully rich and luxurious synthscapes.
It seems like the perfect match of sounds as the emotive melodies of Robert Parker's previous work get moulded into chintzily delightful incidental music and then expanded into full, detailed stories. The selection of synth sounds is perfection, uncluttered and sharp passages peppered with zesty aural seasonings to make the flavours pop, creating an explosive sound bite you just can't resist. I find this form of 80s inspired synth music is very inspirational and provides unseen visions that accompany the stories. You just can help but see quick cuts of suited men rushing across town, hailing that cab, getting the wink from his secretary as he enters the office and then finishing on that freeze frame fist pump as he hangs up the phone on his desk and seals the deal. Just another day at the office and Robert Parker's there providing the soundtrack.
Money Talks isn't afraid to eschew the purity of upbeat library sounds in favour of more introspective explorations and cuts like 'Cosmopolitan Collection' do a great job of getting out into the fresh of air of the night on your apartment balcony after trading futures and foreign exchange deals during daylight hours. That energetic hustle and bustle of the world of high finance gets captured succinctly in 'Showtime', 'Business As Usual', 'Work It!' and the market hammering 'Negotiations' but Parker knows when to take a break and pull those red bracers down, loosen the tie and get down to some passive bonds between two highly valued properties. It's not just the prices that rise in the steamy, sweat drenched passages of 'A Head For Business, A Body For Sin', that's for sure.
Robert Parker's foray into this cut throat world of high finance ends up being something that inspires and enthrals. The excitement, pleasures and suaveness of this idealised lifestyle is sublimely captured through each piece and makes for a thoroughly complete experience. I love that in 2015 there is still so much 80s musical inspiration still laying undiscovered and when, like Robert Parker, you strike gold, you just can't deny how refreshing, entertaining and totally rockin the music is.
Robert Parker presents the Money Talks album on his Bandcamp page here in the usual array of digital formats and, unsurprisingly, it comes very, very highly recommended from Synthetix.FM.
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