Gert Emmens’ Metamorphosis is a lush album of synth music, featuring a collection of longer melodic electronic tracks that should appeal to fans of classic synth bands and vintage synths alike.
In making Metamorphosis, Emmens used old analog instruments only, without MIDI. Only CV/GATE was used, on the sequences.
Emmens explains:
During the summer of 2009 I had the old ARP sequencer of Ruud Heij on loan. Working with this sequencer gave so much inspiration, that I decided to stick to the oldies only on an album.
Emmens features a wide variety of vintage synths on the album, including Arp Pro Soloist, Arp Sequencer, Elektor Formant, Elka Solist chromatic version, Farfisa Syntorchestra, Hammond Auto Vari 64, Hillwood Super Variation, Korg 700S Minikorg, Korg Lambda, Moog Minimoog, Moog Opus 3, Moog Taurus MK1, Moog The Source, Philips Philicorda GM 751, Roland RS202, Siel Orchestra 2, Solina String-Ensemble, Vermona ER9 and Yamaha CS80.
Fans of old synths may find themselves playing “guess the vintage synth” in some places. Throughout the album, though, Emmens displays a great ear for creating enveloping, full analog synth orchestrations.
The sound palette on Metamorphosis of the album recall classic 70’s synth music, including loads of phased synth string pads and sequenced baselines with tempo-synced delays. But, while the sounds are familiar, Emmens makes them sound fresh, with extended tracks that take you on a “synth voyage”.
Metamorphosis is a treat for vintage synth fans.
“What this album has to offer through its melody is the message of awareness”, says Emmens about Metamorphosis. “The cognizance of certain different stages of life and all the aspects and experiences that we all somehow undergo. It symbolizes the changes of patterns, thoughts, opinions, decisions etc for future steps to take ahead in life.”
Metamorphosis is published on the Groove Unlimited label, where you can listen to audio previews of the album.
Tracks:
- Strategem of Morality [14:16]
- Collision [17:55]
- Empathy [7:07]
- Emotive Disparity [2:26]
- Pace of Voyage [15:36]
- Opaque Divergence [16:06]
