Modular synth supergroup Node – made up producer Flood, producer and composer Ed Buller, Doctor of Music Dave Bessell, and Hollywood film composer Mel Wesson – has released Live at the Royal College of Music, a Blu-ray concert video of one of their rare live performances.
Node performs and records with large-format modular synthesizers. The performance features each of the musicians performing with a collection of classic modern and vintage gear.
Node’s performance was released on CD and digital formats in 2018 as the album Node Live and features new music in the tradition of 70’s electronic music pioneers like Tangerine Dream.
Now the Blu-ray release promises a behind-the-synths view of the performance.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“Appearances of Node live are incredibly rare, but when they happen they unleash their full ‘shock and awe’ arsenal of vintage analogue synths in a stage performance that is played entirely in real time.
Featuring probably the largest collection of such synthesizers ever gathered on a single stage, this is a rare opportunity to hear these vintage machines in full flight handled by masters of the art.
Released as a limited edition of 500 – when they are gone they are gone.”
Node are:
- Dave Bessell: guitar and modulars
- Ed Buller: sequencing and modulars
- Flood: Basso Profundo and modulars
- Mel Wesson: VCS3, PPG and modulars
You can find out more about the concert and the effort behind it in our 2018 interview with Node.
Pricing and Availability
Live at the Royal College of Music is available now on Blu-ray for $24.99.
The music is also available on CD and in digital formats. You can preview the album below:
these guys are awesome
we definitely dont have enough large-format modular live performance groups
I remember them performing at London’s Paddington Station back in the 1990’s. I think I took the day off from the Royal College of Music to go see them… nice coincidence!
such a boring TD routine with this pathos is getting on my nerves for a long time, sorry. I know it’s all a matter of taste, but I’m annoyed by this patina, repetitions of the same monotony.
You don’t like generic, unidentifiable synthwave, brother? The HULK says Pink Floyd and Chick Corea SUCK.
Then why on earth would you listen to it?
Agreed. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of clips on YouTube of people using modular synths in this way.
It reminds me of Celtic music in that it sounds cool in little doses but then all starts to sound the same if you continue listening.
I’m not sure I agree with the comparison with Celtic music. Like all folk music, Celtic music in performance can have a wide variety of styles and instrumentation, time signatures and tempi.
I’m talking your standard, fast tempo reels and jigs.
100% agreed.
There’s a modular synth supergroup?
Well, “Supergroup” – really?
A band that published 4 records in 25 years, had about the same number of live concerts, 1800 followers on Facebook and 180 listeners on Spotify?
I like their sound, but let’s be realistic….
That’s not what supergroup means. I’ll just link the wiki entry for the term, because it can be hard to find.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergroup_(music)
Supergroup, in that the members have other more high profile professions and they play together for fun rather than to make a living… you know, the definition of ‘supergroup’.
That’s not how most people would define a supergroup.
There were/are a number of supergroups with members who performed together to make a living (e.g. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Asia, Cream, Blind Faith, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and Young, Journey, Bad Company, Humble Pie, GTR, Damn Yankees, The Firm, Transatlantic, etc etc).
Supergroups are bands made up of people that already successful on their own before getting together to make band.
Sounds like you are getting hung up on the idea that a supergroup has to be famous. Remember SuperHeavy, GTR or Squackett?
Yes, ‘Squackett’ was a thing.
Also, you just might be arguing humorlessly about Synthhead’s headline. Node is as close to a ‘supergroup’ of synth gurus as you are likely to ever see.
Until Franke Jarre Papathanassíou is a thing.
“Supergroup” is relative. Node maintains a classic style well, much like The Canadian Brass or The Chieftains. “Berlin” holds up because its not only a natural synth form, its a living snapshot of the birth of a lot that came along afterwards. IMO, there are several things you can like about it.
Besides, there are now basically three levels of music: Taylor Swift Mega; boutique groups like Node whose members can live decently & have gear but not open for Taylor; and the rest of us, who scrape together basic synth money and then carp about it online. Its The Circle of Synth. 😛
Tbh, this is just TD cover, nothing original at all.
PS; Love TD, but hate “photocopies”…
I’d buy this if it was available on iTunes, yes, I’m that lazy! :p