Lakeshore Records releases the first of two official companion EPs for the documentary The Rise of the Synths, a documentary film project exploring the synthwave music scene. The filmmakers are interviewing both new artists and classic composers who helped to create the genre. EP 1 features tracks from Giorgio Moroder & Raney Shockne, Dance With The Dead, OGRE, Lazerhawk, Mega Drive, Voyag3r, and Carpenter Brut’s “Night Stalker”, which was released earlier this year (2017)...

For those of us of a certain age, the rise of the synthesiser on the pop music scene completely reinvented the wheel. Here were new sounds never heard before that totally transformed the way music was presented. Some was ground breaking and memorable, others not so.

I have to be honest that at the time I wasn't a huge fan of synth-based music. Mainly because a lot of it was truly awful. However, the tracks here represent some truly wonderful examples of how impressive it could be if done right.

All of the tracks here are enjoyable. I hadn't heard any of them before, but I wish I had heard some of them at the time, as my teenage years may have been a little richer, musically, for it.

This EP (the first of two planned releases) collects together 7 tracks (32 min, 50 sec). It's off that it's classed as an EP, as we reviewed much shorter albums, but you're certainly getting value for money here.

Even if you don't think you like synth based music, it's worth giving this one a try as you may be surprised at what you hear.

Track listing:

01 - Giorgio Moroder & Raney Shockne: “Triage”
02 - Carpenter Brut: “Night Stalker”
03 - Dance With The Dead: “Dead of Night”
04 - OGRE: “Rebar (Prologue)”
05 - Lazerhawk: “A Hero’s Journey”
06 - Mega Drive: “Stargate”
07 - Voyag3r: “Appearance of the Mysterious Traveler”

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Darren Rea