Synthetix Sundays

Marko's rockin up a big batch of the favourite flavours we all love with another sweet, fresh out of the oven episode of Synthetix Sundays!

This week Marko's interviewing Secret Destroyers, Ben Businovski as well as getting into the nitty gritty with 20SIX Hundred about his spectacular new record.

Regular courses with Paul Dress2Kill Daly, Quality Time With Shithouse and Synthetix Spotlight will be on hand to sate your appetites too.

Marko's also got a entire repast of download codes to give away from Future City Records, 20SIX Hundred and Droid Sector Decay.

There'll also be an exclusive premier of a brand new Secret Destroyers track so make sure you reserve a seat at the table in advance!

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:

Kenji Runs Unto The End

One of the most underrated artists in the 80s inspired synth scene is Kenji Run. I've been a fan of this producer for at least year and a half now (going back to May 2012 on Synthetix.FM here)  and there is something about the emotional connection this man has to his music that I find incredibly raw to listen to. Every song Kenji Run creates is fraught with fragile longing and passionate soliloquies of love both requited and unrequited.

The soundscape Kenji Run creates is a direct homage to early 80s synth music with a modern splicing of subtle ideas. The robotic voice of Kenji Run is one of the most dominant aspects of the production as the the lyrics are intimated in machinelike tones that add an even more tragic layer to the context of melodies. Kenji Run has also begun incorporating layers of sometimes solemn and sometimes jubilant choirs into the synthscape which adds even more humanity to the experience and individualises the aesthetic of 'Unto The End' even further. The combinations of sounds are alluring and welcoming, like a conversation with a close friend, each piece of music on 'Unto The End' feels important and valuable, due in great part to the emotional investment felt through every composition.


Throughout this album, helpfully attributed by the cover art as well, there is a feeling of this experience being a eulogy of some description. A remembrance of lost love, a putting to rest of pain and the embracing of those who've left our lives into our fondest memories. The depth can be severe, cutting to the quick and opening scars once thought healed but it's this involvement the listener can experience with this album that makes it so special.

The simply titled 'Romance' initiates Unto The End and brings in the Kenji Run colour palette of deep grays stained with neon into clear view. The happiness and upbeat nature of 'Romance' sets itself into o the most joyous chapter on the record, the refrains are glowing with the thrills of passion and elation of the moment. The music beats with a heart of radiant 80s love and it's passages reinforce the vocal performance beautifully.

The opening idea of 'Romance' is continued in 'Midnight Kiss' although fault lines and cracks are beginning to appear in the once perfect facade of the first track. The melodies are robust with direction and spirited in delivery, while ghostly elements begin to creep into the atmosphere as things begin to turn from happiness to longing despair. The cold night allows the darker side of love to become the dominant force, while the yearning heart is plunged deeper into darkness.

With the rains come a cleansing of the palette, but the new day is hidden from the warmth of the sun and the forlorn heart grows cold in it's solitude. The tragedy of the moment is uttered by the mechanised voice of betrayal, climbing melodies scramble for understanding but gain little ground as the heaviness of the atmosphere begins to collapse with each repeated refrain. This becomes an obsessive mantra on the path to further despair, 'Together Until I Die' is a state of mind that only exists as a fantasy.

'Our Life As Meteorite' takes the obsession to the next level as the twist of the knife stabs with the melodies as the memories are skewed into a painfully hopeless place. This is the Kenji Run magic running at full speed, head long into ultimate emotional torture. The repeated refrain, the rising choirs, the mocking percussion, it's a symphony of servility falling on unfeeling ears and we can but watch the spiral continue downwards into hell.

This heavy atmosphere is taken on a beautifully poetic side story in 'Submarine' as the need is finally recognised to escape from the current situation. The fantasy of losing the pain of reality through a dimension under the sea gives a twinge of hope. The music is buoyant and the warm melodies are welcoming, but is this a safe harbour or another falsehood? The imagination is given to a flight of fancy before reality washes in with a dose of harsh, cold reality.

The music is so powerful throughout this album as the pieces are written with such emotional conviction that the vocals become inexorably linked to them. In the title track this is absolutely apparent. 'Unto The End' begins in the twilight of lost love and works into a psychological drama of rejection that is unable to be comprehended. Synths are crushing in their presence, loaded with ill intents and the constant refrain brings the madness ever closer. This piece is stunning in it's emotional power, and the feeling of Kenji Run's soul being laid bare is intimated with much beauty.

As the emotional walls fall down in a slow motion collapse the memories of the past offer slight comfort amidst the anguish in 'She Is My Only'. In this piece in particular the lyrics are conveyed on the teetering point of the precipice that threatens to end all rational and cohesive thought. Beautiful melodies attempt to lighten the mood and rekindle the romance but they only manage to sharpen the painful recollections further.

The pleading is unrelenting in 'One Last Chance' as the air of finality begins to take it's shape. Synthual comforts are no longer working and the oblivious vocal track implores some kind of reconciliation. Intermittent breakdowns and melodic explorations search for fragments of happiness amid the emotional carnage, alas with no success.

The eulogy of passion is completed with 'I Regret'. The despondency and bitterness is a driving force that conjures choirs and percussion in equal measures as final goodbyes are torn and ripped through clenched fists and grinding teeth. The end offers little solace, the pain is never going go away and the eternal threatening solitude opens it's arms wide, offering a final resting place for the eternally broken heart.

Kenji Run manages to keep the focus on Unto To End completely in a negative space without suffocating the listener over the course of the album. His ability to make the music just light enough to offer some brightness to the void like darkness of the lyrical content is what makes the experience incredibly intimate. The emotional rollercoaster is a terrifying ride into our own weaknesses and the heartfelt beauty uttered in every syllable of every lyric is exceptionally well executed.

Kenji Run's Unto The End is presented by Foulharmonic Records on iTunes, Amazon and Juno Download. This record is such an intimate window into this producer's personal life that a voyeuristic element is sometimes present. We get to experience this relationship breakdown first hand and we're taken with him into the darkest depths of emotional fallout and the vain attempt to pick up the pieces. This is truly a Synthetix Reference Experience in every way, the songwriting is impeccable with each chapter allowing the vocal and melodies to describe the entire painful story and I, most certainly, felt every moment of heartbreak, betrayal, hopelessness and delusion. Telling a story is one thing, but feeling that story is something very special indeed.

Synthetix Weekend Update

The rockin keeps on rollin with another week full of hits and classics in the 80s inspired synth scene. Lots of new tunes, new artists and new experiences to be had, so without further delay lets get down to the raddest business in the universe with this week's Weekend Update on Synthetix.FM!

A new Rain Sword track showing up always means a red letter day and his latest piece is no exception. In 'Break Point' we find Rain Sword exploring his inner Steve Winwood with deliciously sumptuous results. Rain Sword really 'gets' the 80s melodic structure and you can feel this passion in each element contained in 'Break Point'.




LA Dreams is an unstoppable natural force of 80s power and demonstrates this to the nth degree in his new track 'Steam'. The atmosphere is electric with passionate feelings and a yearning the spans the decades in seconds. The less is more approach in this track's construction allows the ideas to be beautifully detailed and explored. A wondrous story that is drenched in all of the 80s love one could envisage.




Kubinski's adventures into the mystical realms of ninja synth continues with his shuriken sharp new track 'Yamabushi'. Setting the scene with swirling melodies shrouded in the rising mists. The hypnotic meditations upon eastern prophecy and the powers of earths elements resonate throughout the piece.




Dance With The Dead have delayed their debut album until an undisclosed time in September but still keep teasing new tracks with a regulated precision. The demo for 'Zombie Night' shows, once again, why these guys are just so rockin to the max. Their combination of 80s horror soundtrack elements with modern elements while, most importantly, keep the balance absolutely perfect is just awesome. Especially when you consider how many times they've managed to pull this off over the course of 2013 already.




The Alpha Boy hit machine has been thrust into high gear of late and each new experience from this producer seems to be developing in new and exciting ways. His latest single 'Blinds' is full of smooth synth sax layered over a delightfully bubbly lead melody with super slick production that adds an extra layer of gloss to the soundscape.




Vector Hold has unleashed a rockin new OutRun track that is creating it's own slipstream as it over takes the competition. 'Victory Road' is charged with a high octane fuel that thunders across the asphalt at death defying speeds while a ChipTune influenced lead gives the action a warm video game soundtrack quality. The lead hook is so catchy you'll be reaching top speed in no time.




A new PH Groove track always means funky times are about to rock and this is certainly case with his new italo themed track 'Nighthawk Fever'. The italo basslines lead the way for layers of disco guitars and synths that bend space and time with their cosmic power. This track is currently available for FREE download through the link in the player also.




From out of nowhere SuperVox has just released possibly the most k-rad italo track of 2013 with his incredibly authentic new track 'Victory'. I had to double check to make sure this wasn't actually an original italo track that has been re-released but rest assured this is all new music. The instrumentations, melodies and emotions are absolutely jaw dropping in their authenticity.  The entire production is breathtaking from beginning to end.




It's been more than a year since I've covered Les Chic Voltage's synth delights on Synthetix.FM but I'll rectify that right now with his superb new exploration 'Club Adriatico'. This track tells a wonderfully deep story with it's heavily effected vocals and a synthscape that changes and evolves with great beauty. The seaside experience is tactile and refreshing as the melodies resonate with a deliberate purpose. Currently available for FREE download, so get on it and take a coastal vacation courtesy of Les Chic Voltage as soon as possible.




Taking a similar mood, but with a darker thematic is the new experience from Kenji Run. I'm a huge fan of this producer and his music always grabs my attention and captures my imagination. In 'One Last Chance' Kenji Run explores the dark places of broken romance and pleads for his love to return. There's an air of malevolent desperation about this piece that is both disturbing and intriguing, something I've not experienced so succinctly since Collins' Animal Magnetism record.




Cougar Synth are, without a doubt, one the most rockin 80s inspired synth acts of 2013 and each new track is a new adventure that I just can't wait to experience. In 'Zhax-RX' we find the duo taking a more experimental approach with their unconstrained lead melody creating a dimensional mirage that the other parts of the track attempt to contain. This creates a beautiful synthscape that adds a delightful abstraction to the Cougar Synth experience. Currently available for FREE download, but not for long!



Out now on Future City Records is the hot new EP from Miles Prower: Outatime. The Miles Prower experience is a pastiche of vintage and modern sounds but doesn't particular set himself any stylistic focus based on era and instead creates his own worlds of sound. Throughout this five track EP Miles explores a vast amount of territory but each track retains a glowing 80s soul within. In the opening track we find much more modern instrumentations blended into 80s emotions but this is then taken into a more 90s melange in the second chapter 'Outatime'. This title track features the vocals of Colleen Quinn and the atmosphere reminds me a great deal of Ladytron's work with the harder electronic edge of the synths contrasted by the smoothly flowing vocal track.

'Summer Song 2.1' finds Miles back in the 80s with heavily drawn neon colours and dancing retro melodies. The music is bright and warm with a slight ChipTune air to the atmosphere which serves to make the colours even more vivid. The summer sun disappears by the fourth act 'Devices'. Melodically bright but atmospherically darker this piece walks the contrast of dark and light beautifully. The captivating lead refrain is explored with great dexterity as the piece unfolds with defined reverence.



The final chapter of Outatime is the very engaging 'Data Stream (Into The Ocean)' featuring the vocals of Coralie Kate. This piece takes the delicate female vocal and opposes it with a melange of 90s and ChipTune sounds to create something fresh. The vocal feels frail in the face of the regimented music and this contrast gives the piece a very engaging quality and finishes the EP on an all together new note.

The Outatime EP is presented by Future City Records on their Bandcamp page here. Although not strictly an 80s inspired synth release this EP displays the 'next-level' of the Miles Prower experience and it's one I encourage you to explore as the variations and ideas expressed work together in very exciting ways.


A rockin new italo space odyssey was unleashed by Android Automatic this week under the name of 'Lazer Love'. This cosmic disco adventure is full of catchy melodies and pumping rhythms that are sure to get you moving towards the heavens. The swirling space breakdown midway serves as the perfect launch pad for the final act's interstellar joyride. Currently available for FREE download.




Like Mowrey was found exploring his darker side this past week and the results have proven to be spectacular. 'ZebraA' is an epic adventure into the realms of darkness and horror but not without the infectious synth melodies of Like Mowrey to guide us through the turbulence. The piece is steeped in darker elements but the onyx void is set ablaze by bright and verdant passages of great distinction.




A new rocker on the scene is Thailand's Niky Nine and his latest track 'Road' is a hugely impressive debut. It wasn't until the lead melody kicked in at 1.32 that felt the Niky Nine magic but once this point was reached I was in it it's entrancing grasp for the track's duration. The synthscape is full of drama but but never despairs and proceeds to a level of glorious jubilation. Many thanks to Neros77 for enlightening me to this producer.




Our final piece for this week's Weekend Update signals the triumphant return of Flash Arnold with his guitar synth saga 'Unlimited'. Flash Arnold's preponderance for creating totally kick arse synth with guitars being used as a major player is brought to all new levels of radness in this track. 'Unlimited' by name and unlimited by nature, this is one amazing thrill ride through 80s sounds and emotions and is absolutely k-rad to the max. Get this superb piece from one of the scene's leading producers for FREE while you can.




That does us for another Weekend Update on Synthetix.FM. I hope you've had some rockin good times on here and I'll be back with more totally tubular experiences in 80s inspired synth next week.

'Till then, stay 80s and keep on rockin.

Weekend Update Blockbuster Part 1

As there's been so much beautiful music released in my absence I'm doing a two part Weekend Update to get things to where they should be. Coming up next week is a bunch of great new sounds too and coming up to the beginning of February there'll be even more surprises on Synthetix.

Let's hit the turbos and go straight into high gear with part 1 of the blockbuster Weekend Update on Synthetix!

Saint Remy's new song Opportunity Makes Ur Future has a production unlike almost anything else, the spatial nature of the sounds is contrasted by chemically sharpened knife edge vocals and crisply bright percussion is very engaging. The chaotic nature of this experience and it's underlying messages make this a total powerhouse of sound.




Eschewing the agressiveness of Saint Remy we have a beautifully sedate new experience in soundtrack synth from Mulperi. His Hero (Instrumental) is a languidly relaxing piece of green and blue coloured atmosphere. Pan flutes bring in even more of a calming enviorn while the delicate synth leads are balanced delightfully with the emotive saxophone. Majestically arranged music that definitely works perfectly as an instrumental.




Arc Neon's new concept EP has been taking form with a couple of new pieces from the experience shared recentyl. The Le Porte Dell'Inferno EP is taking shape as a dark soundtrack synth excursion, there's a definite air of dread in both tracks currently available, but the final form of this nightmare is currently devoid of a release date. Let's hope the demons don't take Arc Neon before the work is completed!




A new track from Miles Prower really caught my attention recently. Although specified as Eletro House, and the first part of the experience is most certainly coloured with much modernity, there's a dominant 80s spirit the soars through the soundscape and takes on a truly retro vibe. It ends up being a very clean mix of old and new that is beautiful in execution and arrangement. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this twin-tailed devotee of quality synth sounds.



Another recent discovery is PowercuT. This rocker is creating some massively kick arse sounds on his soundcloud, I'm not sure sure how much is original work and how much is sample loops but to be honest I don't think it matters when the tunes are so rock hard. I'm reminded a little of Vektroid and Laserdisc Visions, with a bit of Camille R throughout his music, which is most definitely a good thing. Give PowercuT's other tracks a listen and feel the love.




Jowie Schulner's certainly going back to his love of 80s synth in his recent track, which will always bring rapturous applause from yours truly. His latest labour of love, Road To Happiness, is another magically woven structure of soaring synths and emotional melodies. This producer is building up a substantial amount of similarly themed tunes, so let hope a release is impending.




Although not set to be released any time soon, I really wanted to give some love to Kenj Run's latest track Midnight Kiss. I've loved the evolution of Kenji Run's sound over 2012 and this track is yet another step in the Kenji Run journey. A more modern arrangement belies beautfiully executed 80s synth sounds the feel like they're eminating from the heavens themselves. Even in this demo form it's well worth downloading, just in case we don't get another chance to visit Midnight Kiss in the future.




Denovomutans has unleashed some of the blackest dark synth I've had the terror of experiencing with his amazing new track Wasteland. Every sound feels like it's either on fire, or is a charred remnant recently extinguished but still able to burn with much ferocity. The Wasteland becomes almost industrialized as it takes on new forms, but beneath it's pounding black heart the soul of classic 80s synth terror remains it's driving force. Download it if you DARE!




Our final piece of part one of this Blockbuster Weekend Update is a teaser video for the new release from Collins. Due out on Telefuture Records in the coming weeks, Animal Magnetism promises to be another kick arse release from this dark electro synth pop producer. Synthetix is champing at the bit to explore the dark but sweetly perfumed back alley ways of Collins' musical world.



Collins "Animal Magnetism" Teaser from Telefuture on Vimeo.




I'll be back tomorrow with the second part of the Blockbuster Weekend Update, so keep on rockin and keep the 80s dream alive!

Synthetix Weekend Update

It's Weekend Update Time on Synthetix! This will be the second last traditional Weekend Update for 2012 but the Weekend Update that would normally be posted the week after next will be replaced with the Synthetix Best Of 2012. This will be the last post on here for 2012 and will be my personal Top Tens in all the 80s inspired synth genres. 2012 continues to be the best year thus far for the 80s revival in synth music, so without any further delay lets get rockin Weekend Update style!


We've had some excellent homages over the last month or so to classic 80s cartoons and 1985 continues the love with his fantasy creation inspired by Silverhawks. Super catchy with lots of great samples this is absolutely tons of fun.




80s Stallone has continued his monstrously high work rate through 2012 and released yet another killer piece of atmospheric synth pop. Expanding upon the vocal work in his recent full length album, Hotline, Ducati is sublime in it's mood and delivery. The minimalistic soundscape is beautifully engineered for maximum emotion.




A new experience in the magic of Pilotpriest came out this week under the dangerous title Switchblade. The style of this artist continues to evolve, Switchblade provides a more haunting, but less ambient adventure that takes his sounds into exciting new directions.




Smoothing the surface to a glassy chrome reflection is Mitch Murder's new track Nocturne. Taking a much more languid and relaxed energy Nocturne is beautiful to behold. This has a vast spatial quality and is hypnoticly arranged. This style is a side to Mitch Murder I most definitely enjoy immensely.




Kenji Run! continues to be one of my favourite new producers of 2012. His sounds always seem to try and push new directions and expand his horizons. Submarine does this beautifully with a supremely catchy melody combined with an even catchier vocal refrain. Totally killer work throughout.




Box Of Wolves are back with their great mix of modern and classic sounds in the song No Kisses. The staccato arrangement throughout this piece is full of swirling synth energy, creating an atmosphere all it's own. No Kisses is a massively engaging track that grabs you and never lets go.




A great new piece of high energy action soundtrack synth was unleashed by Python Blue this week that totally rocks. 'What Is Love?' is full of pounding beats, mesmerizing synths and drama that balances on the blade of a knife. Superbly arranged for maximum tension and extended car chase scenes.




Someone doing thrilling new experiences in the world of 80s inspired synth is Chaconne.  His track from a few months back (Romance and Revolution) is absolutely stunning and his new work Fighting is Finished is another digital feather in his neon cap. Moody and epic combining many classic sounds and showing Chaconne is definitely an artist Synthetix will be paying very close attention to in the future. 




I hope you've enjoyed this week's Weekend Update on Synthetix and I look forward to sharing more experiences from the 80s synth zone next week. Till then, stay 80s and keep on rockin!

Synthetix Weekend Update

As we move closer towards the end of the 2012 I'm beginning to try to forumulate my Top 10 of 2012. There has been a lot of truly beautiful music this year to draw from, but with each progressive week the list keeps getting longer. As evidenced in this week's Weekend Update: the music just doesn't stop rockin!

First up is the always inspiring 80s Stallone. His new single Page Me is a killer italo adventure, full of hi energy percussion and bounding synths. Yet another track where the hi-hats absolutely make the experience.




Spacious Sweep is back with a stunning new track Pankala. This is a most certainly spacious piece with much lightness and brightness. The slowly evolving melodies are a beautiful to behold, moving with a freeform airiness that is full of wonder.




The highlight from LA Dreams this week comes in the form of Masters Of Skylight. Taking his sounds in a slightly new direction that feels a tad more soundtrack oriented than his hallmark synth romance style. The guitars are a perfect accompaniment to the sweet synths, a trend I hope he continues with.




Kenji Run! blasted back onto the scene this week with no less than three new tracks, my favourite of which is a demo of I Regret. This giallo disco themed affair is dark and brooding but full of synth energy with a driving drum track that gives the atmosphere an air of panic. A fortuitous return for Kenji Run! indeed.




Sgreyes is becoming a force to be reckoned with, I believe this was originally planned to be a side project from Quasars, but is now becoming very prolific and establishing his own sound. The promo cut of Miami Heat is smoother than silk and hotter than Mercury, a steaming erotisynth slice of forbidden heaven.




A new artist discovered through the Synthetix community this week was Cosmic Sand. His track Wreckage of 2085 of his EP Route 375 is a delectable portion of synthesized 80s love. The EP is definitely worth spending some time with. A producer I'll be definitely keeping tabs on.



A new impending release from the Electronic Rumors stable has been another gem this week. Let Em Riot's The Revenant from this SlashWave EP is full of 80s love with some modern elements included for good measure. There's a lovely air of despondance in this song, which is laced throughout the EP that I find quite endearing.




Garth Knight continues his Transformer's inspired work with his War For Cybertron track. This is another gem, full of massive melodies and precision arrangments. One can't help be feel a bit of the classic Rocky IV soundtrack through this piece, which is always something I enjoy greatly.




Rain Sword staged a huge return to the scene this week with two killer tracks in Sarah's Quest and Cardboard Kings. I do love Sarah's Quest but the electro rock synth gold of Cardboard Kings pipped it at the post to make the Weekend Update. Sublime energy and a beautiful simplicity to this track make it thoroughly rockin.




The final musical adventure in this week's Weekend Update is a totally killer new song from Hot Hot Hawk and featuring the dulcet tones of none other than the teenage dreamboat himself: Patrick Baker. I can't help but think of Tesla Boy when I hear this, and that's one of the biggest compliments I can give any maker of 80s inspired synth music. Truly k-rad to the max.




I hope this week's Weekend Update added some neon colour and uplifting atmosphere to your weekend and I look forward to sharing more moving experiences with over the next week.
Till then stay 80s and keep on rockin!

Synthetix Weekend Update

This week's Weekend Update is brought to you by the letters R, O, C and K. So get your raddest high tops on and make sure the batteries in your boombox are fully charged and let's get on it!

No better place to start a Weekend Update than with a Mitch Murder track, and with his latest entitled Saturdays, well it's just poetry in motion. This bouncy and uplifting piece it positively glowing with Mitch Murder Magic and from beginning to end it warms the listener's heart. The bass run at the end is the icing on a cake already almost too delicious to eat.




Let's get spooky now. MurderOne, of Full Blast Recordz fame, released a totally rockin demo this week of his new track Heatbeat. A slashing and gnashing work of dark synth horror soundtrack that pumps up the drama with massively emotive melodies. This is going to slay!

 


Keeping with the synth demo drama lets have a listen to Kenji Run!'s new work in progress Say Anything. Inspired by the classic John Cusack movie this piece tells a torturous story of unrequited love and unrelenting passion. There's a delightfully dark edge to the entire song, something akin to Collins' Secret Admirer, and it works exceptionally well.




So many big tracks released this week, and amongst the cream of the crop is the new collaboration between Perturbator and Arcade High. With the glorious title of Deviance this proves to be a raucous homage to 80s excess. The rhythms and arrangements scream Perturbator in exasperating excitement and the complimentary leads and details from Arcade High are energising exclamations of electronic elegy.




More excitement is on the horizon with a new upcoming EP from Synthezman courtesy of Lasergum/Datarocket. This two track affair sports some magnificently emotive music from the teaser. Baikal is smooth and sensual synth work while 3D people is a more esoteric adventure. This is definitely going the rock!




Magic Sword released two amazing tracks this week, one I'll be including here, another I'll be covering next week. Discover is a dramatic and action packed journey into realms of fantasy. Magic Sword always does an excellent job of combining ancient fantasy with future science fiction, definitely THE track this week to be listening to while practicing your broadsword techniques in the desert.




The final installment in this week's Weekend Update is something I'll be doing more of, when occassion sees fit and that's the Synthetix Reference Experience. A spot where I'll be putting in a personal favourite piece of music I believe to be an extra special experience that I may have discovered during the week, or re-experienced from the 80s, or from one of the modern masters, as a final exclamation point on the week's music coverage.

The inaugural Synthetix Reference Experience goes to SelloRekT/LA Dreams' masterpiece Impact Body Motion. This is an utterly astounding piece of music, it happens every so often that an 80s synth track comes out that sounds like it's speaking to me personally and this is one of those tracks. The main driving melody, the piano details, the guitars the mind alteringly brilliant chorus, it's all just an explosion of 80s magic. Breathtaking in every respect and I believe well deserving of the first Synthetix Reference Experience.




That does us for another week on Synthetix, I'm on vacation next week so I'll be back with a Weekend Update in a week's time that will be packed with all the hot rockin action from the 80s synth scene and we'll be back to regular posting the week beginning July 30. Till then keep the 80s dreams alive, rockers.

Synthetix Weekend Update

It's a cold and wet weekend here in Australia, but I hope this week's Weekend Update brings some warm neon glow and sparkling light to wherever you are on planet Earth.

Kenji Run! has published a beautifully emotive piece of 80s synth passion entitled Together Until I Die. This demo version already feels super polished and allows the highly emotive melodies to shine. Excellent atmosphere and execution.

 


Another demo track surfaced this week from one of the scene's most prolific producers 80s Stallone. Radioactive feels like a more introspective piece, uncomplicated but still highly entertaining. The basslines are really something special in Radioactive, very entrancing.

 


Something a bit different now from Alloapm. This song called Face To Face To Phaze caught my attention and has something about that I find very delightful. Although not a strictly 80s synth song, it has copious amounts of 80s soul burning within. The vocal track is incredible too, one of the best I've of this style since M83's classic 0078h.

 


NeonFlashDrive has released an awesome cover of the theme song to the 80s inspired video game classic GTA Vice City. His reworking of this conjures many wonderful memories playing this game. His new original track Dark City will be featured on the blog next week.




80s synth scene legend Lost Years furnished us with yet another opus of musical adventure with Beneath The Surface. I think Lost Years recent foray into more Italo sounds has left a wonderful mark, or lets say beauty spot, on his sounds. This track is a total work of art in combining melodies and sounds. Incredible.




Cut Slack shared a phenmonal preview to their new work this week and it's a disco powered synth funk adventure. I'm assuming this will be a full album release from this group and I hope it's going to be out soon. Solid gold rockin action.




Lastly this week we have a short teaser video for a new release from Garth Knight. I've been an ardent fan of this producers work and the promise of a new release is always very exciting. As always, I'll cover this on Synthetix as soon as it's out.




That does us for another Weekend Update on Synthetix, I hope you enjoyed the music on offer this week and I look forward to sharing more 80s inspired magic with you next week.

Synthetix Weekend Update

It's been a massive week in the 80s synth scene and we've got a bumper Weekend Update to cover the brightest stars that shined over the past seven days.

Let's open things up with a massive new track from DigitalNativeDance. Rise Up is an anthemic powerhouse of pure 80s synth gold. This artist is maintaining a very high standard with each successive release and Rise Up elevates his sounds even further.




On the more experiemental Dreamwave tip the most bitchenly named Puffernutter released Dream World. A swirling and reverberating ride through new dimensions of synthesized delirium. Puffernutter's really nailing the sounds and moods here, brilliant work.




One of my favourite new artists Kenji Run published a demo of his newest work entitled There's Rain Outside. I adore the pace of this track, it gallops along and creates an ambience of total excitement. Once it's been completed I can see this being one of his strongest songs thus far.




Newcomer Delenda Est has only two tracks up on his soundcloud, but this piece entitled June 3rd is a beautiful example of total 80s synth love. I'm hoping this producer keeps at it as he's definitely got the feel and for what this music is all about.




FlashBoy (formerly Horror Machine) has released a preview of his latest work Summertime. This preview promises a beautiful example of classic 80s/French Touch that he does so very well. I'm imagining this is going to be an epic summer time anthem by the time it's done and could well prove to be FlashBoy's breakout track.




Garth Knight keeps raising the bar higher and higher with each new release and Vigilante Part 1 finds him dabbling in a more soundtrack style atmosphere. He's developing his own style and allowing his pieces to really evolve. A really superb example of creating drama towards the back end too, magical!!




Russia's Bluezz Vylez has been experimenting with a 80s synthwave sounds for a while, but his latest piece entitled Ocean Console really makes for an exceptionally radical experience. I love the timing of this track and the layers of synths compliment eachother perfectly.




Last, but most certainly not least, we have another collaborative composition from Perturbator, this time with Starforce and what these talents have combined to create is absoloutely gorgeous. Retrofuture's is an anthemic soundtrack of dimension defying proportions. This must be listened to numerous times to pick up all the magic weaved throughout it's near six and a half minutes. So delicate in delivery, but powerful in atmosphere and mood. A true work of genius from both producers.




I hope you've enjoyed this week's Weekend Update on Synthetix and I look forward to sharing more discoveries in the world of the 80s inspired synth scene next week.

Kenji Run Has Absolute Power

Someone who totally gets what making 80s style synth music is all about is Kenji Run. This gentleman from the UK is making glorious music that draws influences from all the classics, while adding a dimension of his own.



Citing the immortal Kraftwerk as a major influence Kenji Run's music feels very 1983. On the cusp of the mid 80s synth scene, but still in it's primordial stage, akin to the sounds of music produced by the likes of Italy's Monuments. A time when this genre was transitioning from the experimental minimalist electro style into something more detailed and layered as the technology progressed. Kenji Run is a time capsule of these sounds, with a modern touch that enhances the experience even further.

Support Kenji Run on his soundcloud here and his Facebook page here and be sure to buy his Wish of Lovers EP on iTunes here. I'll be sure to follow the future developments of this new artist earnestly and look foreard to sharing more of his music on Synthetix in the future.