Synthetix Sundays

Synthetix Sundays is finally back!! After some horrnendous failures with technology we're able to present a new show! Please bear in mind this is a couple of weeks old now, but no less relevant and we hope entertaining, only on Radio Pure Gently!

Marko's rockin and extended interview with Arcade Summer this show as well as the regular segments with Paul Dress2Kill Daly, Dallas's Synthetix Spotlight and Quality Time With Shithouse.

There's oodles of hot tracks and download code giveaways so be sure to tune in for a great time.

Tune in to Synthetix Sundays LIVE on Radio Pure Gently here, at 10pm Perth, Australia time. Please click here to find out when this is in your part of the world. As always the fully downloadable show will be posted here on Monday along with the featured tracks from Quality Time With Shithouse.



Quality Time With Shithouse Feature Tracks:

As mentioned in the show Synthetix.FM is partnering with Boombox Magazine. If you're a producer who'd like to have their music used in the magazine's video features please visit the site here and hook up with them on Facebook here.

The 4th Annual Synthetix.FM Rhythm Vivisection Halloween Mixtape!

As of now I'm also taking submissions for the next community mixtape. The Halloween Mixtape's become a bit of a favourite for many now and I'm hoping 2016's is rockin to the max. The stipulations are few: the music must be towards the darker end of the synth spectrums (horror synth/slasherwave/dark synth/giallo disco/etc) and have been created in the last 12 months. It doesn't have to be exclusive or unreleased, as long as it's been made since the last Rhythm Vivisection Mixtape it's all rockin.

All music MUST be sent via email to synthetix.fm@gmail.com with Halloween Mixtape in the subject and the files must be MP3's (preferably 320kbps) and tagged/titled correctly with producer name and song title. Only one track per producer. Tracks must be original work, no covers, no remixes.

The cut off for submissions is Monday the 17th of October, which gives you a month to get something rockin if you don't already have something in mind.

All tracks that meet the criteria will be included in the mixtape, so please be 100% happy with your track before sending it through.

I'll be posting updates in the Synthetix Music Facebook Group so keep up with the developments there or if you have any questions please comment to this pinned post in there. And if you're new to this thing be sure to check out last year's Rhythm Vivisection Halloween Mixtape here.

Beckett Ascends Into Retrograde

By Rick Shithouse


One of my most favourite things in hearing new music is being surprised. Being actually taken by surprise of what a producer has created is something that happens infrequently but when it does it's a very exciting time. Beckett has surprised me immensely with this new album Retrograde. Beckett is no newcomer to the scene and I really enjoyed his Search Of 34 album from 2014 but I was in no way, shape or form prepared for what Beckett was gonna rock with his new album.

The blending of 80s motifs has been a fantastic exercise to witness in 2015, the evolution of styles and taking of disparate vintage elements and combining them into something altogether new and cohesive has been a hallmark of much of the music I've really enjoyed this year. And once again, in this album, it's the 80s Library influence that combines with a well honed pop flavour and all manner of other 80s styles into an album that is absolutely rockin to the max from beginning to end.



It's all well and good taking tonnes of different influences and styles and making specific singular experiences but Beckett has managed to make an entire album that flows from chapter to chapter with grace and ease and blends the elements and ideas in a way that sounds completely natural. The opening track, 'Air Games '84' was the lead-in pre release that came out a few weeks ago and instantly grabbed my attention. The 80s Library sports theme aesthetic is about as true as you're going to get outside of a KPM Music release from 1986. The triumphant melodies and energising guitars make for something very special indeed. The production is rich and clean with a warmth in the synths that goes a long way to complement the superb guitar work. Beckett's understanding of creating a Library piece in such an authentic manner really shines in 'Air Games '84', and it marks for a wonderful opening-ceremony of sorts to the Retrograde experience.

Things move into less energetic but no less exciting climes in the title track which follows. Opting for a much more guitar driven atmosphere, in both bass and lead, Beckett summons brass, synths and even some bongos into the sweetly warm night air and rocks a jam your sure to feel deep.  The dialogue between all the instruments feels so true and natural, genuinely effortless and the high polish of the production just magnifies the experience. 'Retrograde' has a beautifully written narrative that moves from scene to scene in the most rewarding fashion. Chic, romantic, enticing and full of gorgeous 80s colours.

Beckett begins flexing his pop muscles next and transitions into a bright bubblegum gem accompanied by the powerful vocals of Rachael Jones. The melodies of 'Better' are pop perfection, primary colours burst into sonic candy that you'll be unable to resist. The chorus, with its climbing bridges and highly frenetic bassline, just puts that sweet cherry right on top.  The tightness of all the instruments allows Rachael Jones' vocals to break the boundaries of the timings; adding a soulful and human element while retaining perfect 80s phrasing. It's pure pop bliss and you'll have it looping in your mind long after the track's stopped.

Continuing down the pop path, but opting for a distinct AOR flavour instead of bubblegum this time Beckett rocks like there's no tomorrow on 'Talk Talk'. The smoothly dramatic music sits dutifully in the background to the totally kick arse lead vocal performance from Beckett himself.  The yearning vocal is full of grand 80s nuance, sitting somewhere between Corey Hart and Jon Waite and rockin every lyric with a gloriously vintage melodrama. The songwriting throughout the album really shines brightly in every track, but these songs with vocals performances definitely have a lustre all their own.

Sauve night time instrumentals return with 'Hustle' as Beckett jams a groove full of vibrant energy that would do Steve Winwood proud and brings to mind colours and emotions I usually reserve for Rainsword's music. The swagger is unmistakable and Beckett really rides a musical swell that bobs and weaves with ease around the moonlit shoreline. Crisp, clear melodies get worked into jazz aesthetics that increase their potency tenfold.

Speeding off into oblivion rocks 'Motorcade' next. Sharp, decisive, powerful and then the vocals kick in. Once again Beckett's most manly of the manliest vocals turn a high energy synth instrumental into an epic vocally driven experience that goes beyond the danger zone. The female back up vocals add a pop flavour while the guitars bring out the essence of high energy emotions; rockin to the max at every turn and blasting into oncoming traffic without a care for the consequences.

Switching gears entirely Beckett breaks off into the realms of gauzy synth romance as the freneticism abates but the passions bring on a different kind of heat. 'Beach Central' has one of the most uplifting hooks on the entire album in a chorus that is incredibly profound and develops its gorgeous magical essence with each refrain. This is the embodiment of happiness into music and is inescapably wonderful to listen to.

The love-interest scene fades out into a smear of tail lights against a sprawling nocturnal urban landscape and the pace accelerates into adventure. These faster paced tracks really add a lovely element of 'colour commentary' to the Retrograde experience; always high on thrills and bustling with riffs and solos, trading blows in a dangerous asphalt duel. 'Chase 'Em Down' does everything right with this style of 80s inspired synth and it's, once again, the spectacular songwriting and deep narrative that powers the entire affair.

The elements of 80s Library Music are implemented so cleverly throughout the record that it surprises me often as traditionally written 80s inspired synth progressions get a smattering of Library love that really elevates them to new levels. The subtlety in which these flavours are introduced through the synths and guitars in 'Runner' really impresses. The audaciousness of the leads; complete with brass backing them up always feels completely together with the other elements. There isn't a single idea that ever feels tacked on simply for the sake of it and that feeling of purpose is one of the most inspiring aspects of Beckett's music.

Retrograde goes out on a bright, happy note with the delightfully bouncy 'Recall 1983'. The leads drive the music almost exclusively through the opening chapters before moving into a totally rockin bridge and chorus that sing their synth magic to the heavens. It must have been a seriously hard task for Beckett to decide which tracks on Retrograde were to be instrumentals and which ones were to have an accompanying vocal. Each instrumental is so well put together that I often thought I vocal could work on them but especially in tracks like 'Recall 1983' the instruments are given ample voice to fill the soundscape with beautifully formed stories.

That's really what drives the Retrograde album: detailed stories; full of 80s wonder and excitement with equal amounts of bright colours and exploring emotions emblazoned across the synthscape. Beckett has made a very special album in Retrograde and it's definitely one of my favourite experiences of 2015.

Beckett's Retrograde is presented on his Bandcamp here in the usual array of digitally downloadable formats. This album is without any shadow of a doubt a Synthetix Reference Experience.

Beckett Begins The Search Of 34

By Rick Shithouse

Although I don't go into much of my personal interests on Synthetix.FM that are outside of the music it's opportunities to experience music like Beckett's new album that allows for a delightful crossover. When it comes to videogames the 16bit era was one of my favourites, I was in my late adolescence/early adulthood during this age and was heavily into the major systems of the time. It was at this point I began importing games and my purchase of a Super Famicom in early 1991 that brings forth many fond memories of classic gaming experiences; ones I love going back to relive over and over. My love of the music from this period has been forever in my heart as a piece of music from Super Castlevania IV is still my favourite piece of instrumental music of all time.

This classic generation of gaming is what drove Beckett's imagination to create Search Of 34; a soundtrack to a Super Nintendo game that doesn't exist outside of his own mind but one he brings to life through rousing synth anthems of refined pedigree. The synthscape employed by Beckett is a mix of 'real' instruments that are then accented with 16bit era details that create a blend of sounds which is wholly enticing. Much like Arcade High's implementation of 8bit and early arcade game sounds in symbiosis with more real world sounds Beckett does things in a similar manner using the next generation of sounds. The blend of both worlds is smooth and never jarring as much thought has been given to specific elements to make the combination as coherent as possible.



One just needs to take in the verdant synth vistas of the opening title track that rocks along like an anthem from the likes of F-Zero or Axelay as energetic, high speed action is coloured by totally kick arse passages of pure melodic 80s delight. The synths are drenched in a 16bit aura that then ignites into maelstrom of dramatic twists and turns and Beckett plays off some great percussive details against and an eternally ascending bassline.

The intensity of the opening title subsides into a more atmospheric tone with 'Navigator'. A lilting lead melody rises above the chattering intrigue that busies itself at ground level while a huge drum track marches on obliviously. There is underlying fears and questions being asked amid the synthscape's elements but this is only the beginning of the story and Beckett knows how to give the listener just enough details to keep them enthralled.

The quieter periods of the Search Of 34 let Beckett really shine in his creation of structures and story telling ability and like in 'Path Finder' often take us on a surprising journey. The soundtrack turns more adventure-based and deliberate in a mix stealthy surveillance and nocturnal secrets. The moon rises with new passion, moving into definite night time moods with the emotionally delicate 'Legacy' as Beckett displays some absolutely wondrous Synth Romance stylings.

'Turbo' takes things back out into the skies as a warmly rounded 16bit bassline powers into the stratosphere with much vigour. As a sequel to the opening piece this track delivers high speed thrills and non stop action, this time feeling a tad more HyperZone than F-Zero but definitely rockin to the max from beginning to end. Opting for a funkier punch Beckett brings on the guitars and works the bassline like a melonfarmer in 'Miami Dawn'. The synths sparkle and dance amid a gyrating bassline and guitar flourishes giving a very sweet Library ambience to the proceedings.

Drama comes back with the majestic, driving refrain of 'Lock Target'. The story is detailed with lovingly implemented subtleties in a way that never breaks the mood of the piece. Beckett does this time and time again on this album and his way of weaving the elements into a brightly coloured coherent piece of music that explores the subject matter with such clarity and never loses focus or his way amid the set pieces.

The passion for these soundtrack oriented atmospheric pieces is examined deeper in the ethereal 'Left To Rest' as finely reverent synths sing in pained unison to the heavens. Delicate and laid emotionally bare the sleight and weakened voices join as one triumphantly. As the scene fades to black in a final act of respect, then the engines roar back up into high gear and accelerate into the horizon with 'Run For Home'. A slightly eastern flavour adds an extra layer of zest to this track that gains momentum and positivity through every rockin passage.

'Fortune Favours' brings the experience to a close with another track steeped in emotional context as the time is taken to look back over the adventure we've had; reflecting on the losses and basking in the conquests. An air of melancholy permeates the positivity just enough to be felt and looking out across the vast wasteland once more, we wonder who's left and what kind of future there is for all of us.

Beckett presents the Search Of 34 album on his Bandcamp page here and it comes very, very highly recommended from Synthetix.FM. The way Beckett tells his story and invites you into his world is a truly wonderful experience. The delightful homage to the classic 16bit soundtracks that many of us remember fondly is the perfect accompaniment to structures Beckett details and illustrates throughout the Search Of 34. Now we just need someone to come along and make the actual game...