Synthwave LA Gets Encrypted At The Echoplex

By Jerry Herrera

When I first began writing about synthwave, the retro revival, or however you’d like to characterize it, I honestly did not see it going further than being a small but beloved subgenre of EDM that only the biggest nostalgia nerds listened to. That was fine with me honestly. The community was made up of producers and artists who were also fans of each other so there never really felt like anyone was “above” anyone else, so to speak. But as the fan base grew and word started getting around, different producers started getting recognition on blogs, in mixtapes, getting featured in video games, movies of all budgets, and while I wouldn’t say the “scene blew up,” it was apparent that we were all aboard a train that was gaining momentum.

One thing that was a bit tough to nail down, however, were live performances. Sure we saw an odd DJ set pop up here and there but these were guys and girls creating in their bedrooms and basements, fans of the ‘80s look and sound that were deeply talented, but perhaps not performers or set up to perform. Also, the music itself was more stylistic and thematic, telling a story moreso than getting people moving. Not that there weren’t some danceable pop and italo disco homages, but I daresay the music was fueled by film and artwork, not club sweat.

Still, I think we all as fans and producers wondered at the possibility of live shows. Either for the glory of wearing sunglasses at night and making vintage synths wail, or just so we would be able to gather together for a common interest, many people began putting plans into motion.

Enter Synthwave LA. Originally another group of like minded retro freaks and artists on Facebook, it began the way many other groups did, as a space for artists and fans alike to connect and share music.  It was founded by Ernest Mancia and Julie Chang, whom you might also know as Future Holotape. This talented duo not only sought to produce their own music, but to promote their local music scene, as well as further the popularity of our beloved genre in general. 

It’s difficult for any artist to promote themselves, let alone an entire style of music, on their own. While I believe the synthwave community to be incredibly supportive of each other, getting Synthwave LA off the ground wasn’t easy. Ernest and Julie have done a lot of legwork promoting themselves and other artists, spending money out of their own pockets and playing small shows as much as possible. Their persistence and perseverance paid off when they met with Spaceland, a company that promotes and presents LA artists at a number of venues. Having a precise vision of what they wanted to do, they proved that they were ready for something a bit bigger in scale. The venue they’d be playing at was The Echoplex, a staple in the LA music scene. It would be oversimplifying to say that “everything fell into place” after this, but it did start a chain reaction. Ernest and Julie still had to do much of the promotion work on their own through Synthwave LA, with huge assists from Drive Radio and New Retro Wave to spread the word.

They reached out to their friends, Dance With The Dead and Protector 101 to do the show with them. Protector 101 then put them in touch with Syntax, and he was brought on board as well. Syntax then brought Joe Seifert in to do the visuals, and even though there were still a million things to nail down, the foundation for the night had been built. 

Syntax

Where do I factor in all of this? I was merely a face in the crowd, a witness to the evening. The Echoplex is on Sunset Boulevard in a neighborhood called Echo Park. Over the past few years Echo Park has become a beacon for artists of every kind, partiers, drinkers, misfits and outcasts while still maintaining a bohemian harmony. It was the perfect place for this show. It was very clear the moment I walked in that synthwave appeals to all kinds of people. I have never seen a more eclectic bunch gathered together. It was oddly heartwarming to see goth cyber punks rubbing elbows with shy music nerds who were drinking with Miami Vice wannabes, who in turn were hanging out with neighborhood hipsters who were in the mood for something different.

Future Holotape

The performances themselves were more than I could have ever hoped for. Syntax perfectly crafted a retro vision with hints of modern dreamwave, drum n bass and IDM and his performance alone was worth the price of admission. Future Holotape not only sounded the part but look the part as well, facing each other but rocking the whole crowd with their impressive array of synths, denim and shades. I should mention that Ernest was performing with a slightly slipped disc, but you would have never guessed. Both Protector 101 and DWTD absolutely electrified the crowd. I spent more time looking at the faces of awe than I did the artists.

One paragraph won’t do the night justice but there is plenty of video and photographic evidence, thanks to Allan Zepeda. Apparently the night would not have been at all possible without Manny Montiel, who did everything from loading and unloading gear, setting up and running the merch table, and DJ Codexx who kept things going in between sets. Another thing that was apparent was just how much people love the music. After each performance, every artist that came offstage and went to grab a well deserved beer was met with handshakes and praise, and they themselves were excited to see the other performances. It was a personal high water mark for me personally, to be able to meet the people I’ve written about, who I’ve come to admire, who are actually great drinking buddies.

Protector 10

April 22nd, 2016 really was a monumental night. It was our night. The talent was there, the people were there, the overall mood was full of positivity, and we showed the city and the people that said yes to Ernest and Julie that this is only the beginning. Indeed, Ernest and Julie are working on launching their own label, Room Robot Records. Not stopping there, they hope that the momentum from the Echoplex show will lead to more shows, and more money to bring out other synthwave acts.  Julie jokingly wants to have a synth festival (jamboree?) but I don’t see why not someday. One thing she said is for sure, LA is ready for synthwave.

Dance With The Dead

I’d like to thank Ernest and Julie for all their hard work and James, Jake, Tony and Justin for mind blowing performances. Oh, and shoutout to Street Cleaner for actually being a cool dude who reigned in his urge for vigilante justice long enough to hang out with me. Of course, all of this would not have been possible without Synthetix and every other like minded writer, producer, blogger and fan out there who has a passion for synthwave. I can’t wait to see what we achieve next.

Keep up with all the most rockin happenings with Synthwave LA on their Facebook page here.

Transmitting Energy into Endeavour: A Focused Look at Syntax's Transmissions

By Michael CA L

Syntax is a producer that's got his act together, and he got it together fast. Around this time last year, San Diego's James Mann was only just becoming a familiar name to those with their finger on the retro-electronic pulse through the release of his Sunrise EP on 30th Floor Records. This seven song EP gave synth-heads and electronic music aficionados a potent dose of ambient, cinematic, retro-futuristic compositions that contained within each of them the unique capacity to both sooth and energize the listener (a rare and complex feat), and at the same time delivered a poignant example of how to make the most of each second of soundspace by creating dense, beautifully atmospheric exercises in synthesis that are memorable and emotionally stirring.

Before being encouraged to get his music out into the open by TFR label boss Mike George, James was composing music casually while at the same time working full time in Southern California's highly-demanding television industry and, no-doubt, balancing his work responsibilities with a plethora of other time-consuming endeavours. The thing is, James Mann is perhaps one of the busiest, hardest-working personalities both within the retro-synth scene and in life outside of it. There's rarely a moment when he's not focused on one project or another, and if he's not busy composing richly-textured synth tracks or performing them live, he's working longs days and nights with camera in hand, dedicating quality time to the people in his life, or, just for the fun of it, accepting a challenging and labour-intensive contract in a teaching position that focuses on his work in media. Somehow he gets it all done, and perhaps the most shocking thing is that he gets it all done with a smile on his face, energy to spare, and an eagerness for more.

Since those fateful, initial communiqués with Mike George and the subsequent release of the Sunrise EP (remember, this was just a year ago), Syntax has gone on to release the full-length Island Universe album (with guest appearances by Droid Bishop and Tape Loader), started performing live sets at various venues around Southern California, remixed tracks by artists such as Hide and Sequence, contributed songs to a handful of compilations albums, and has now released his much-anticipated Transmissions album. With this new release, Syntax continues to explore that sweet spot between intensity and calm; that indefinable place where electricity and atmosphere intermingle. It's a place where many seek to go but are rarely able to express in a manner as finely and succinctly balanced. The result is a powerhouse of an album that contains all of the atmosphere and densely-textured elements that Syntax's listeners have come to value, but does so in a manner that, true to the life of James Mann, is always densely occupied, always progressive, and always building upon itself.



From the opening seconds until its final moments, the album's first track "Intro" contains within it a powerfully resonating arpeggio, expressive chimes and expansive, densely textured synthwork that each contribute to a powerful, cumulative effect and let the listener know that they're in for a deep exploration of sound and the space between it. It's a potent collage and one that, inside its brief but poignant one minute and twenty-seven second microcosm, introduces listeners to many elements that they will hear again (albeit in various shapes, forms and contexts) as they move through the album and experience the nuanced variety of Syntax's sonic world.

Songs like "Tangents", "Sernride" and "Transmissions (featuring STARFORCE)" are lush and atmospheric, with haunting pads that push all the right buttons on brains such as my own that are tuned towards the atmospheric side of synthwave. Each of these tracks makes full use of stereophonic treatment, meticulous production, and precise mixing and mastering courtesy of ToneBox. Using his evident understanding of how to express organic, human statements through the use of digital technology, Syntax creates a headphone dream in tracks such as these. It's a dream that is emotional, symbolic, heartfelt and brilliantly subtle, reaffirming the concept of less is more in an often deceptively complex manner. "Transmissions (feat. STARFORCE)" in particular is a powerful achievement and quite honestly one of the great collaborations within the retro-synth genre. It's a song that is deeply unique and utterly memorable, and yet perhaps has its distant roots planted in the works of legendary synth masters such as Vangelis and Tangerine Dream. It's a radiant highlight within the continuous shimmer of the Transmissions whole, which says much about the consistency and power of this collection of music.

On the more forceful, up-tempo and storm-driven end of the Transmissions spectrum are tracks like "Parsec," "Transit," "Moonraker," "Catigern," and "Vermillion." Through their use of intense rhythms, pacing and quick-fire melodic changes, these tracks contain all of the irresistible incursion, kinetic energy, density and pressure of a tempestuous weather system rolling in from the beyond. "Vermillion" was the first track heard by most listeners when it came to their introduction to Syntax's new album. Released via Syntax's Soundcloud page, the listener was given an enticing morsel of rhythmic and rolling Syntactic energy to savour until the time when the album was released. In a manner that is distinctly Syntaxian, arpeggios and dense layers of rhythm collide with swirling ambience on this track. Merging with pads and synth stabs that criss-cross the frequency spectrum, all these aspects blend to create a unique display of sound in which space and a tight focus contrast each other with all the ebb, flow and collision of a tempest releasing its energy on the home-shores of Syntax's Pacific coast.

Among the album's mid-tempo tracks are "Sonar," "Lillium (feat. Droid Bishop)," "Startseite," "Yuriko," "Stratus (feat. HOME)" and "Polaris." "Yuriko" starts out in a deceptively gentle manner but morphs into a fast-paced rollick that has distinctive drum and bass influences. Approaching the listener out of the black like a dark omen being carried by all the weight and relentlessness of a black-cloud nightmare, "Polarius" is a brooding track that enters the ears sounding like the aural representation of impending doom. "Stratus (feat. HOME)" is a track that lies somewhere between the realm of the down and mid-tempo. It's one that carries a heaviness and dark intensity and yet was pieced together with an obvious respect for subtlety and the delicate. This collaboration of ideas from Syntax and HOME is incredibly effective, and the song impressively highlights the ability of both artists to capture the aforementioned elements together in one potent composition.

Transmissions encompasses so very much within its hour-long runtime. It's an album that contains a beautiful balance between the heavy-hitting, high-tempo and utterly danceable tracks and the lush, smouldering tracks that slow-burn their way through the body's conductor mediums and into the brain. When one takes a look at the life and times of James Mann, the super-charged creator of the Syntax project, it's not too hard to understand how such a powerful, superbly executed procedure in the harnessing, distillation, transfer and transmission of energy could come to be. James Mann is a man who gets things done. It's impossible to say for sure, but perhaps he's one of the hardest working people within the synthwave community. Whatever the case, his music is a genuine reflection of his world - one where energy is never wasted, only shaped and directed towards one remarkable endeavour or another, and one where there's a constant forward momentum. Until his next creative burst of energy provides us with a new example of retro-inspired excellence, I can only say that Syntax's latest release Transmissions comes very, very highly recommended from Synthetix.FM.

Transmissions is available here through 30th Floor Records' Bandcamp page.

Synthetix Sundays

Marko's back with another killer edition of Synthetix Sundays this weekend, only on Radio Pure Gently!

This week Marko sits down with dark synth icons Dance With The Dead in a extended interview that will be sure to thrill and chill! He'll also be premiering an exclusive track from the Synth Love Affair compilation due out this Tuesday the 26th. 'Tis the season of love and passion so get your groove grinding and explore those warm (and sometimes wet) 80s feelings in the deepest way possible.

Quality Time With Shithouse returns along with regular segments from Paul Dress-2-Kill Daly and Dallas with Synthetix Spotlight.

There'll be heaps of download codes to giveaway as usual and a synthtastic playlist you'll be thoroughly entertained by.

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 Featured Tracks:

AIRBORNE

Plaisance - Leaving Room

By Rick Shithouse




Plaisance has returned with another EP, this one is titled Leaving Room, which finds the producer in a more mellow and contemplative mood, dedicating this release to the loss of a close friend. The Plaisance style has always been an intense experience, be they the high speed adventure of Havasu, the sweltering sensual explosion of Thunder In Paradise or his earlier coastal themed work. The bright and sparkling Plaisance aesthetic is foregone in this release for moodier tones and and muted synthscapes. A more mechanical feel manifests in the tracks through grayer shades. Even that unbridled quintessence of the Plaisance saxophone is given a more solemn tone.

This is a very welcome change of pace and pallet from this producer as it channels new emotional inspirations that whilst being less intense in presence and colour are no less rich in personal investment. The tracks become more and more deliberately melancholy as each track goes deeper into the Leaving Room aesthetic. 'June 79' plays out like a fondly remembered memory that now takes on a saddened reflection, 'Questions' has a feeling of hopelessness in the situation while 'Empty Spaces' delivers exactly that; quiet passages of thoughtful recollections.

It's a very intriguing side of Plaisance that exposes a deeper and soulful side to his sounds. As a devoted fan of Plaisance's work I found this very rewarding to listen to and encourage you to check this out as an interesting diversion from the usual avenues explored in 80s inspired synth music. There's much reward to be experienced amid the three suites. Pick up a copy of Leaving Room on Plaisance's Bandcamp page here.




Syntax - Sunrise

By Jason Taylor




James Mann could be described as a enigma, but there in lies the appeal in not knowing too much about the man behind Syntax. His debut 'Sunrise' falls easily under the standard genres of ambient and chill electronica, but it's so much more than that. You wont find pop structures or harmonic key changes here, instead it's a wonderful journey through floating sonic territories. Filled with lots of tumbling, driving textures and waves upon waves of lovely wavetable synthesis, 'Sunrise' reminds me heavily of a fantastic scene in Life of Pi where stranded out in open water at night, Pi is surrounded by a myriad of glowing Phytoplankton.

If there ever was a ideal way to listen to James work, it would be floating in the open water gazing up into the universe. The highlight track for me would have to be 'Cygnus' with it's overlays of sample and hold oscillations, dark trance percolated melodies and support from delicate cushioned beats. However this release is specifically designed to be enjoyed as a complete piece, you can tell the placement of each track has a purpose to allow cohesion, and more importantly enjoy the odyssey from beginning to end. 'Sunrise' is highly recommended from Synthetix.FM and you can pick up a copy via the Syntax bandcamp page for free here.




Kalax - Kalaxy

By Matthew Neophytou

Taking us on a pre-flight instruction process, before releasing Guardian later this year, the otherworldly synthwave rider Kalax drops Kalaxy, the appetizer of stellar proportions.

We begin with what could be taken off an 80’s Spielberg Soundtrack, 'Intro' with enough strings that will transform you into a kid daydreaming of adventures of things to come. Speaking of adventures 'Journey' (remastered) is just that, dream wave at it’s best, the musical arrangement of shimmering synths and cosmic beats blast you into the void of wonder and awe.

'Year Ends' has orchestral melodies and cascading waves pull towards an almost cerebral event horizon, in like a low key 2001 Space Odyssey way, not the 1997 film Event Horizon route (eek no!). 'Nebula' adds more energy to the warp drive fueling with more active beats and a sharper symphony. At the crest of the EP comes 'Acceleration' and boy doesn’t it just shout, “It’s not over, not by a long shot”.

Wave Runner Records presents Kalax's Kalaxy but it is but just a taste of what’s to come from the UK based producer, which deserves a very high recommendation from Synthetix.FM. Available for download here and also up for grabs is the limited edition Kalax t-shirts here, the uniform for the ride ahead. Keep this frequency clear for future transmissions!  




YXO - MIRAGE ● しんきろう

By Rick Shithouse



Presenting itself almost as if it was a vaporwave release from the artwork and EP title, YXO's MIRAGE ● しんきろう was quite the surprise upon listening to it. The minimalist synthscape YXO creates is something cool and clear while his ability to summon clean and crisp 80s flavours from the melodies makes for a delightfully refreshing experience.

The four tracks get better and better the deeper you get into the EP, slowly painting pictures in hazy lines the pictures get more lucid and develop lovingly crafted details the more you listen. Without the trappings of much 80s inspired synth standards the melodies are able to rise delicately and float in wistfully imaginative ways and the narratives are sweet and bright.

My two favourite tracks are definitely CONTINENT ● 大陸 and WAVE ● 波, with their glass smoothness cut to a sparkling edge that is wholly relaxing and entrancing. It is beautiful music that one definitely needs to be in a chill mood for to get the full benefit, but it certainly takes the listener away on cool breezes of wonderful synth magic. Pick up a copy of this great little EP on YXO's Bandcamp page here.