Synthesist é o disco de estreia de Harald Grosskopf, baterista e teclista alemão nascido em 1949 e foi originalmente lançado em 1980 pela Sky Records. Será reeditado em nova caixa remasterizada pela americana Rvng Intl. a 15 de Fevereiro, a propósito da comemoração do 30º Aniversário da edição desta verdadeira pérola da música kosmiche. Este enigmático percussionista de projectos como Ash Ra Tempel, Ashra, Klaus Shulze ou Cosmic Jokers
Berlin, Germany, summer of 1979, Harald Grosskopf, then 30 years old, was at a personal and creative crossroads. His girlfriend just left him, and Ashra (Manuel Göttsching's "solo" project) was on temporary hiatus. Harald always considered himself a rhythmic accomplice to his numerous collaborators' lead, until prompted by some fellow musician friends to pursue a singular creative vision.
Armed with a MiniMoog and Revox reel-to-reel, Grosskopf set off for the West German countryside that fall and isolated himself in a home studio for almost two months to record Synthesist. The temperamental analog synthesizer and sequencing technology created a long learning curve eventually resulting in a harmonious union of man and machine.
The human response undeniably colors the eight songs of Synthesist and aligns the album with some of the more melodic output of the Berlin School of Electronic Music. The title track and "Transcendental Overdrive" almost take on pop qualities. Harald's live percussion opens up tracks like "So Weit, So Gut" and "Emphasis" for jammed out exploration. Where the album veers into the ambient space clusters of "B. Aldrian" or "Trauma", it's hard not to consider Synthesist the nexus of Krautrock, Kosmische, and New Age.
Re-Synthesist, the companion compilation to Synthesist, is an assemblage of reinterpretations of Grosskopf's work by a new vanguard of electronic and experimental artists including Oneohtrix Point Never, Blondes, Arp, Stellar Om Source, CFCF, James Ferraro, and many others.
Although Synthesist has been unavailable on vinyl for almost three decades, it doesn't fetch unfathomable collector fees. Selecting Synthesist as our first reissue is more about the connectivity to a new audience than the scarcity fetish for a select few. It's about sharing Harald's story and celebrating an album musically accomplished and compelling from start to end.
The Synthesist LP comes as a deluxe package on post-consumer recycled goods, including a unique reverse bound record jacket and full color liner notes by Harald Grosskopf in English and German. The Re-Synthesist compilation is only available with vinyl purchase, both available digitally through our usual storefront suspects.
Originally released by Sky Records in 1980, Synthesist is something of an undiscovered gem of West German Kosmische musik. Grosskopf, a drummer who had previously recorded with Klaus Schulze and Ashra, may look like a lab technician in ill-advised silver body paint on the original sleeve, but he shows a more adept touch when it comes to the music.
The album’s eight tracks find their own path through a landscape of cosmic-tinged motorik, Tangerine Dream-like sequenced electronics and occasional darker moments of ambience. The opening ‘So Weit, So Gut’ (so far, so good) lives up to its title, an arpeggiated vision of Buck Rogers cruising down the Autobahn on some distant planet, analogue synths creating a Doppler shift in the listener’s head.
Tracks tend to be dense rather than sparse: ‘Transcendental Overdrive’ builds layer upon layer of sound, until its lead synths duel on the musical freeway like Dennis Weaver in a Sunday afternoon B-movie. Also keeping just the right side of noodling, ‘Emphasis’ features jazzy time signatures, a key change and heavy use of the pitchbend wheel.
The title track is a slow-building seven-and-a-half minute beauty. From a contemplative opening to delightful action as each wave of drums and each new synth line adds to the feeling of deep satisfaction. A sunrise soundtrack every bit as lovely as Orbital’s ‘Belfast’.
If ‘Synthesist’ is the light, Grosskopf explores his darker side on tracks such as ’1847 – Earth’ and ‘Trauma’ . The former begins with a drone or tone from somewhere deep in the bowels of the earth, adding Jan Hammer meets Joy Division rhythms, followed by percussive touches that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Roska record, as well as passing noises that enthral and disturb like a large, strange animal briefly glimpsed in a rainforest. The track ends with incomprehensible sounds of slowed-down speech, adding to the disorientation of this aural Ayahuasca trip. ‘Trauma’ continues in a pleasurable but slightly sinister vein, largely beatless, with dark ambient tones and odd noises on top of phased synth sweeps.
The synth washes of ‘B. Aldrian’ show that Grosskopf can occasionally veer a bit too close to New Age territory, but elsewhere he gets the balance between light and shade, rhythm and melody, contemplation and perspiration spot on. Synthesism rarely sounded better.
Ed: Justin chose to focus on the original Synthesist; the reissued version of the record, however, comes with a bonus disc of remixes and reinterpretations from James Ferraro, Oneohtrix Point Never and more.
Justin Toland
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