In his latest video, composer and synthesist Anthony Marinelli offers a unique look at recreating the sound of Mort Garson‘s Plantasia – one of the greatest ‘Moogsploitation’ albums of the ’70s.

Garson (1924 – 2008) was a multi-talented Julliard-trained musician who found success as arranger, songwriter, composer and electronic musician. Garson’s resume is beyond eclectic, ranging from 60’s lounge music (Our Day Will Come, The Love Strings Of Mort Garson) to early electronica (Electronic Hair Pieces, Signs Of The Zodiac, Mother Earth’s Plantasia) to sexploitation music (Z – Theme From Sensuous Lovers) and disco.

As ever, Marinelli brings a tremendous depth of knowledge, both of music and synthesis, to the video. He not only shows how to accurately recreate Garson’s classic Plantasia sound – but he does it with Garson’s own Moog modular.

Check out the video and share your thoughts in the comments. And, if you’re not subscribed to Marinelli on Youtube, we recommend doing so, because he’s been releasing a steady stream of very thoughtful and informed videos on synthesis and the history of synths in pop music.

Video Summary:

“In this episode, I’ll break down the iconic whistle sound that plays the unforgettable melody of Mort Garson’s legendary synth album Plantasia. We’ll delves deep into how this unique sound was put together on the very same instrument Mort used: my rare 1969 Moog IIIC modular synthesizer.

After you watch this video, I’m confident you’ll be able to re-create this sound on any hardware or virtual synth.

Plantasia has become a cult favorite, widely regarded for its pioneering use of analog synths, and its recent re-release in 2019 on Sacred Bones introduced this masterpiece to a whole new generation.

Join me as I bring you the magic behind the expressive melody whistle sound on one of the best-selling albums in electronic music history!”