The RedFaux Transmission

Alan Wilder Re-mixes Depeche Mode

Alan Wilder did a re-mix for Depeche Mode's "In Chains" for the Remixes 2: 81-11  album that will be out June 6th.  I've been a Depeche Mode fan for a long time and grow weary of all the re-mixes but when I heard about the Alan Wilder re-mix I was intrigued.  Like alot of people I don't think DM has been the same since Alan left.  The epic drama of the old DM music dissappeared with Alan and has been missed sorely, in my opinion.  Listen to this remix and you will hear that sound again! Maybe DM can work something out and have Alan produce their next album.  Pleeeeeeeze!

P.S. sorry for the long silence... been busy with the new Fluorescent Echo album! 
I will be posting once a week until we release and then perhaps I can post more often. :)

- Until Next Time... Over N Out

RED

BIPP - French Synthwave circa 1979 - 85

For those of you that appreciate retro synthpop you will love this.  A friend of mine introduced me to this CD which for the time it was release was pretty forward thinking.  Lots of great synth arpeggios and fun French pop hooks. I find it fascinating to hear ideas in these songs that you hear further developed in later synth pop music & industrial.  For those not so into retro synth music and spastic French singing, you might find this a bit cringe worthy. 

BIPP: French Synth Wave 1979-1985 is available on Everloving records and can be found on Amazon as a CD or download purchase.  

Here! Have a taste. 

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- Until Next time... Over N Out

RED

Vince Clarke New Analog Monologue Video : The Syrinx

Vince Clarke has put up another addition to his Analog Monologue series.  This one is dedicated to the Syrinx.  You can watch it HERE. 

- RED

What To Get Electronic Musicians for the Holidays 2010 For Under $60

 

It's that time of year again boys and girls.  Yup the holiday gift giving fervor is in full swing (ooh boy), so I thought I'd chime in again this year with my list of 11 fun and geeky-cool items under $60 to give to your favorite electronic musician on your list! To find out more about an item, click on the title links.

Without further ado here we go...

1.  Electronic Music Synthesizer T-Shirt $30.00 

 This t-shirt looks like tons of fun.  It's a playable, wearable synthesizer t-shirt from Think Geek.  You may have to also purchase a bat to keep people from fondling the keys while your wearing it though. ;-)  (from ThinkGeek)

 

2. Melody Horn Air Powered Synth $29.99 

 Do you have an electronic musician on your list that's full of a lot of hot air? ;-) Well unplug him and shut him up at the same time with this awesome melodica style keyboard! (from ThinkGeek)

 

3.  Korg Monotron Synthesizer $59.99
The Monotrone is an affordable, palm-sized analog synthesizer complete with ribbon controller and a VCO, VCF & LFO. Lots of great noise potential for small amount of bucks! (from ThinkGeek)

 

   

 4. Synthesizer Mouse Pad $10.95

 Cool synthesizer mouse pad or big fat coaster for those using optical mice. :) (from Zazzle) 

 

   

5. Synthesizer Skateboard Deck $59.99 

So whether the person on your list will put wheels on this and shred hardcore or just put it on their wall this is a pretty unique gift.  (from Zazzle)  

 

 

6. Mini-Theramin $29.99 

 This little kit is easy to build and and you can actually play it! No soldering required and it runs on 4 AA batteries. Cool! (from Maker's Shed) 

 

 

7. Electronic Music Pioneers Book $16.99

This book, by Ben Kettlewell, details the history of electronic music and the people & technology that brought the music and bands we love so much.  Softcover. (from Amazon)  

 

 

8. Analog Cassette Tape Bag $11.99 

   This cool tote is the perfect thing for the retro musician on your list. I know I want one.   (from thinkgeek)

 

 

 9. Synthesizer (TB-303) Thermos $20.00 

 I'm picking out a thermos for you... not an ordinary thermos for you... a cool synthesizer thermos! What more could anyone want? (from Cafe Press)

 

 

10. Moog Voyager Oscillator Hat $19.00

 This cool hat has the schematic of the famous VCO right on the top of the hat.  The logo is on the back of the cap.  Geeky and cool at the same time. (from Moog)

 

11. Vintage Korg T-Shirts $21.99 

 Korg has 4 different flavors of vintage tees available for sale: MS-20, Trident, Mono/Poly (my favorite) and the Doncamatic.  These would make awesome gifts for anyone who loves Korg Synthesizers.  (from Korg)

 

 

Well that pretty much wraps up my gift list for this year (pun intended ;-). Hope you find something for the synth geek on your list! 

P.S. If you like this post, you may like the gift list I made last year for electronic musicians.  You can read that one HERE

- Until Next Time... Over N Out

-RED

The Top 20 Greatest Synths

This was originally posted on Sonic State awhile ago, but a friend of mine sent me the link last week and I thought the series was really fun to watch.  So I'm sharing it with you guys :) Enjoy

Until Next Time... Over N Out

RED

Moby's Tiny Movie About Old Drum Machines

I saw this today and thought it was interesting and kind of fun to watch. Let Moby wisk you into the world of old drum machines. :)

- Until Next Time... Over N Out

RED

Cool Gary Numan Cover: Music For Chameleons

Timothy Eilers seems to be obsessed with creating Gary Numan covers.  So far he's covered: I Dream of Wires, She's Got Claws, Cars, Warriors, Berserker, M.E., White Boys & Heroes, Complex, Crimes of Passion, We Have a Technical, Tracks and My Breathing.  But that's ok, because he does a fantastic job and in some cases I like his versions better than the original.  His newest offering is Music for Chameleons.  If you like old Gary Numan tunes then I highly suggest you check this out :) Enjoy!

Until next time... Over N Out

-RED

Gary Numan Live Performance at KCRW

So its been awhile since I've posted and I apologize for that.  I was busy finishing up audio for the Sims 3 game for console and writing new music for Fluorescent Echo.

While supporting his tour in the US, Gary Numan played live at KCRW in California on November 3rd.  Sadly I was unable to catch his tour since he didn't get to Texas at all, but it was great to be able to see and hear him play live on the KCRW video.  So for those of you that also missed his shows I have embedded a video of his radio performance here :)

I've heard from multiple people the show in Denver was fantastic.  If anyone has pictures I would love to see them :)

- Over N Out

RED

New Analogue Monologue by Vince Clarke

Vince Clarke posted another of this Analogue Monologues on his website today.  This second video shows us his Roland System 100m modular synth along with a short demonstration.  You can check the video out HERE. 

Until Next time... Over N Out

RED

 

The Oberheim DMX Drum Machine & the Optical Theremin

I found two videos today I thought were interesting. 

The first one is a video by Eric Archer. He did a short video about the Oberheim DMX drum machine in which he takes the machine apart to show us the inner workings of the box.  

The second video is by Chamber of Sounds, who created an optical theremin, which in itself isn't that unique, but I thought the sound of this particular one was interesting so I thought I'd post it :)

- Until next time... over N out

RED

Gary Numan 7UP Jingles

This has already been posted on Synthtopia & Waveformless, but I love this so much I'm going to post as well.  Gary Numan did some 7UP jingles in the 80's apparently.  However 7UP wasn't ready for what they got back from him and they were not used, sadly ... because I think these are amazing.

Take a listen for yourself! 

- Until next time... over N out

RED

Two Synthesizer Performances For You

I stumbled upon two synth performance videos I thought I would share.  The first one is an ode to the moon by Mark Ettlich of RetroSound, which showcases the Yamaha DX II, Korg EX-8000 and the Oberhem OB-X.  The second is an electronic version of the Star Spangled Banner played on a ribbon controlled experimental analog synth by Eric Archer. 

-Until Next Time... Over N Out

RED

Vince Clarke: Now & Then

Starting yesterday, July 7th, Vince Clark & Andy Bell headed into Vince's studio in Maine to start recording the new album for Erasure.  If you go to the Vince Clarke Music website you can see Vince's studio cam and get updated shots of Andy and Vince in the studio working away.   Which I think is kind of a cool promotional idea actually. Go to the studio webcam and see for your self.

 

Vince has been a busy guy because on July 5th he announced that he and Alison Moyet will be answering fan questions about the upcoming Yazoo album that will be released on September 28th in the US.  If you want to ask them a question you can do so HERE.

And lastly for all you synth pop fans, here is an audio snippet I found on YouTube yesterday of an old cassette given away free with an electronic music magazine in the UK in the mid 80s of Vince Clark & Eric Radcliffe in the studio.  Enjoy.  

- Until Next time... Over N Out

RED

Ballad for Robert Moog

I happened upon this song & video that Paolo Di Nicolantonio from Synthmania.com posted yesterday. I thought this piece was beautiful and showcases a clean aural asthetic that is gone from most newer electronic music.  The video also teases us with a bit of synth porn ;-) ... so I thought I would share it!

Until next time... Over N Out

RED

Absurd Music of the Day - Dave Grohl

So its been a little while since I've posted any absurd music of the day so I thought I'd throw one out there at ya.  Note the cool 80's punk! FIST FIGHT!!

Awesome... my day is much better now.

Resume your regularly scheduled activities.

Over N Out

-RED

What to Get Electronic Musicians for Christmas for under $60 : A Shopping Guide

It's that time of year where most people are scrambling to figure out the perfect gift to buy for everyone on their christmas list... well what about that geeky electronic music loving person on your list... what to get them? All you ever hear from them is bizarre talk about oscillators, circuit bending, drum machines and keyboards... holy crowballs what to get for them?

Well you're in luck ;-) I'm about to tell you.  Here is my list of 10 cool and geeky electronic music things under $60 to get that electronic musician on your christmas list. There's only a few shopping days left if you are ordering online so here you go... just in time!

1.  The Bliptronic 5000 LED Synthesizer ($49.99)

This item is extremely popular this year and I almost didn't mention it because everyone else has.  However, for $50 this is a great synth toy that with a little effecting and perhaps even hacking could be a very useable part of an electronic musician's setup.  Not to mention it has cool red lights... everyone likes red LEDS :) At ThinkGeek.com

2. Andromeda Space Rocker DIY Drum Machine Kit ($50)

Perfectly suitable for beginner DIY'ers this cool little drum machine kit is easy to make and fun to play with.  See my previous post on these from October. At EricArcher.net

3. Autonomous Bassline Generator Kit ($55)

 
 This is also a suitable DIY synth kit for beginners.  It is a bassline synthesizer that is part of the same line as the Andromeda Spacer Rocker Drum machine I listed above.  You can synch this bassline synth with the drum machine to create cool music :) At 4MSPedals

4. Stylophone Beatbox ($25)

Made famous by the Brett Domino Trio viral video this is a must have for any retro electronic musician worth his salt :) At 100miligrams.com

5. Sound Machine ($15)

Whether you just want to annoy people, add silly sounds on the fly to your performance or are looking for something interesting to circuit bend, the Sound Machine is perfect.  Comes with 16 "cartoonish" sound effects.  At urbanoutfitters.com

 6. "Let's Get Keytarded" T-Shirt ($14)
  

Sometimes you just wanna let loose and "get Keytarded", this is what you wear when you do that ;-) Another perfect gift for the electronic musician in love with all things "retro". On Ebay

7. Retro Cassette Wallet ($43)

 

More retro cool than an 8-Track and not as heavy ;-) these handmade cassette wallets are super cool! At DesignBoom

8. 555 Noisemusick Kit ($20)

Another easy beginner DIY synth kit, this awesome little noisy synth will have you toying with it for hours.  I know I want one :) At MakerShed.com

9. UCreate Music Toy ($30)

This mysteriously showed up on Amazon.com one day and I am intrigued. Its a sequencer toy basically.  Which allows you to create your own beats and music.   This would be perfect for someone who loves synth toys or a nice inexpensive gift for a beginner. At Amazon.com

10. Waveforms Mug ($15)

Any seasoned electronic musician has seen these waveforms plenty of times... and would love to proudly display them when drinking coffee! 

At cafepress.com

 

Happy Shopping...

Until next time... Over N Out

- Red