Revelation of the Method
The Mackrosoft impart synth science
by Brian DiGenti
Herbie Hancock
Sunlight (Columbia) 1978
Hancock’s Headhunters and Thrust are pinnacles when it comes to keyboard innovation and are rightly recognized as such, but even loyal fans often overlook this treasure. A friend of ours once told Herbie that Sunlight was their favorite of his albums and he appeared truly shocked. Upon release, the album was much criticized for being too “pop,” and Hancock’s use of a vocoder didn’t sit well with many. Not so for us. Though smoother than his earlier offerings, Herbie represents on all types and brands of synthesizers, including Oberheims, Moogs, ARPs, and Yamahas. The LP features a photo and corresponding diagram of a typical Hancock keyboard setup, making this a valuable document even before hearing the music. For us, Herbie’s use of a vocoder adds an entirely unique and intimate layer to this album.
Rick Wakeman
Journey to the Centre of the Earth (A&M) 1974
Jules Verne’s classic novel inspired this labor of love, one that Wakeman financed himself, forcing him to mortgage or sell nearly everything he owned. Recorded live in London, the album and tour required an orchestra, choir, private planes, Shakespearean-trained vocalists, and Wakeman’s signature cape-heavy wardrobe. To fully appreciate the spectacle, we highly recommend checking out the DVD version of the concert, filmed in Australia. The battle between two giant inflatable dinosaurs during a double Moog solo must have felt like the Englishman’s version of Parliament’s famous “Mothership” landing. People have criticized Wakeman and prog-rock in general for being too pretentious, but we always appreciate projects born out of genuine passion (the more synths and keyboards involved, the better).
Dale Jacobs & Cobra
Cobra (Epic) 1978
When it came to funk fusion and synthesizers, musicians in every corner of the world found their own unique sounds and uses for these new swords. As the synthesizer became more affordable and portable, it found its way into every genre: Jamaican dub, African pop, Western European and American jazz, Eastern Bloc funk, and all styles of Latin music. Dale Jacobs and Cobra represent Canada by keeping it slick, smooth, instrumental, and deeply funky. “Scouting Party” and “Computer Samba” bubble with keyboards, as do most of the jams. Cobra feels like an instrumental Steely Dan record on synthesized steroids. When it comes to Canada, along with Joe Vannelli and Mort Garson, Jacobs takes home the analog funk cake.
Electro Keyboard Orchestra
Electro Keyboard Orchestra (Columbia) 1975
The Electro Keyboard Orchestra was a Japanese group featuring eight keyboard players, all on Korg synthesizers. Specifically, they’re using two early models, the MiniKorg 700S and the MaxiKorg 800DV, twenty of them shared amongst the group. Though there’s also a super-tight rhythm section, the songs are obviously dominated by the keys. Among the highlights are a cover of Quincy Jones’s “Ironside” theme and a fantastic original, “The Soaring Sea Gull.” With so many different synth layers combining to create melodies and bass grooves, we can only imagine how amazing their live show must have been! The most synth players we’ve recorded simultaneously is a meager six, but we’re doing our best to carry on the tradition of heavy analog funk.
Manzel
Midnight Theme (Dopebrother) 1976-1979
Manzel is heaven for any fan of tight beats and juicy keyboards. His tracks, the drums in particular, are among the most sampled ever, having formed the backbone to numerous hip-hop classics (Cypress Hill’s “How I Could Just Kill a Man,” for example). On top of these dope beats is Manzel’s insanely funky keyboard work, predominantly on synths, clavinet, and organ. In 1976, Manzel was a young army Lieutenant from Kentucky when he hooked up with producer Shad O’Shea to record ten instrumental funk tracks. They released two 45 RPM singles on the Fraternity label, neither of which had a major impact at the time. And that was the end of Manzel until hip-hop producers rediscovered his tracks. In 2004, Kenny Dope and Dopebrother Records unearthed all the original Manzel recordings and released them for the first time as a full-length LP (thank you!).
Parliament
Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome (Casablanca) 1977
The brilliant mind behind the Parliament keyboard sound, Bernie Worrell, made sure every album was an innovative keyboard outing, but Funkentelechy stands out as extra special. It has a real funk soul and a George Clinton concept to moon boot. The keyboard loaded “Flash Light” was a number one hit for Parliament and an incredibly important track for the funk genre. The song that really turns us out though is “Placebo Syndrome,” which contains one of the most thoughtful synthesizer solos to ever appear on a funk LP. Worrell’s virtuosity is unquestionable, and he manipulates knobs like few others, laying down slinky and sinister lines throughout the course of the record. The title track “Funkentelechy” and “Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk” show off Worrell’s more sly and nuanced playing. The interplay on this album between the full horn section, multiple guitars, and Worrell’s intelligent keyboards has always impressed and influenced our output.
Hideki Matsutake and K.I. Capsule
007 Digital Moon (CBS/Sony) 1979
We picked up this album a few years ago at a flea market in Hong Kong. As it states on the backside, “If you don’t listen this album [sic], you can’t enjoy the essence of computer music.” Hideki Matsutake was a longtime pupil of Japanese synth pioneer Tomita and also served as sound programmer for the Yellow Magic Orchestra. 007 Digital Moon is a novelty record of sorts, as are several of the other albums we’re featuring here. The concept this time around is James Bond themes, redone primarily with various Moogs, the Prophet-5, the ARP Odyssey, and a slew of funky effect units, vocoder included. Matsutake delivers crisp, robotic-sounding renditions of such themes as “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Live and Let Die.” This is an often-overlooked LP from a great Japanese player!
Andrew Kazdin and Thomas Z. Shepard
Everything You Always Wanted to Hear on the Moog* (*but were afraid to ask for) (Columbia) 1973
Andrew Kazdin and Thomas Z. Shepard perform the classical works of Chabrier, Lecuona, Bizet, and Ravel. Ravel’s “Bolero” fills the entire second side of this LP sliding in around fourteen minutes. As a fan of “Bolero,” the only synthetic version we’ve heard come close is Japanese maestro Tomita’s. This record truly contains nothing but Moog right down to the audience applause. When this album was recorded, Moog synthesizers were only monophonic, forcing the two men to spend hours performing impressive overdubs. Though the “classical music played on Moog” formula has been done multiple times to good effect, we both dig this one for its unique and tasty licks. It also remains funky without drums, which is never an easy task.
New Song with Rick Powell
Shine (New Dawn) 1981
Though not every track is solid, this LP deserves some props, for it gets funkier than just about any other Christian album we’ve heard. The back cover has an array of photos of some very White, scarf-wearing Christians huddled around big analog synth modules. In Rick Powell’s own words: “We tried to include the latest in synthesizers, vocoders, etc….because God deserves our best creativity.” By far, the highlight is “Sing a New Song,” a track that’s loaded with funky analog synth solos, vocoded praises, and crisp drums deep in the pocket. There’s even a religious diss track: “Old Buddha was a man and I’m sure that he meant well, but I pray for his disciples, lest they wind up in hell.” A wild record and a good example of how the synthesizer worked its way into all types of music.
For more information, visit Wax Poetics Digital.
