Bjooks – publisher of Push Turn Move, Patch & Tweak and Pedal Crush – has announced a new title, Synth Gems 1.

Synth Gems 1 is a beautifully photographed 320-page hardcover art book by Mike Metlay that celebrates vintage synthesizers and the people who created them.

Featuring a foreword by synthesist and songwriter Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure), the book takes readers on a visual voyage through dozens of synthesizers that shaped the last three decades of the 20th Century.

The book opens in 1970 with the story of the Minimoog, including high-quality photos of the prototypes that led to its final design. From there, the reader will encounter historical milestones like the Yamaha GX-1, Korg PS-3300, and Oberheim Matrix-12, and rare and unusual treasures like the RSF Kobol, Gleeman Pentaphonic Clear, and Waldorf Wave – ending in the year 2000 with the Alesis Andromeda.

“I think of the Synth Gems Series as a set of exhibition catalogs, like the ones sold at art galleries that allow visitors to take home the essence of the works on display,” Metlay explains. “In each volume, we provide a guided tour of an incredible synth exhibition — curated from different museums around the world — that could never exist in one location. Readers can walk around these beautiful instruments, examine them in detail via high-quality photos, and learn about how they influenced the world of music.”

Pricing and Availability

Synth Gems 1 will be available through authorized resellers, and at bjooks.com beginning on Oct. 1st in the EU and from Nov. 1st in the US. Pricing is as follows: 450 DKK / $69.95 USD / € 59,95 EUR / $89.95 CAD.