5 ms·

Imo, Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. The two sounds I associate with him are the long brassy tr

Imo, Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. The two sounds I associate with him are the long brassy triangle with a steep envelope that we know from both Blade Runner and the accompaniment to the piano in the Chariots of Fire theme, and his effective use of chimes. I have tickets for Olafur Arnalds next week, and there is a younger generation of composers like Arnalds, Frahm, Richter, Tiersen, Aphex/James, and even Reznor/Ross, who could not have avoided Vangelis' influence marrying the synth with classical techniques. He was a big part of what inspired me to start making synth music and more than a few of my tracks have homages to his work, and this note triggered a memory of playing the Chariots theme on piano as a really young child and it seemed to be everywhere at the time. A loss, but hard to mourn such an exceptional contribution as well.

fetus8 4y ago
Based on my listening and no other knowledge, he probably had quite the influence on Oneohtrix Point Never aka OPN aka Daniel Lopatin. He’s always been a big synth head and his OST scores really showcase his talents.
johnohara 4y ago
When I listen to Chronotope Project I hear the Vangelis influences. Along with Vangelis' inspiration to pursue such solitary and personal musical expressions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://chronotope-project.com/bio https://chronotope-project.com/bio
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
pmoriarty 4y ago
Just for reference, here's Nils Frahm performing More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc
tzs 4y ago
How would you compare Vangelis and Isao Tomita? Tomita was marrying synth with classical at about the same time or even a little earlier, to widespread acclaim and success. A couple other names I think of when I think early serious synth work are Jean-Michel Jarre and Larry Fast. Where would you put them in synth history?
- Wistar 4y ago
  Although I have not heard (or even thought of) it in… well, decades, Tomita's Pictures at an Exhibition was something I really loved, especially "Ballet of Unhatched Chicks." I need to try and listen to it again.
  - jhbadger 4y ago
    Yes, his version of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was amazing. I first heard of it several years ago when I was reading Uwe Tellkamp's The Tower: Tales From a Lost Country which was about growing up in East Germany in the 1970s and 1980s. The main character is obsessed with the record, which was made available through the East German state music publisher "Amiga" (maybe being based on a Russian work made it more palatable to the authorities). Anyway, I tracked down a copy myself and really enjoyed it. I was familiar with Vangelis but not Tomita before that.
- SonOfLilit 4y ago
  I've never tried to talk to anyone about Tomita and got recognition. I've never met anyone who hasn't heard of Vangelis.
- jacquesm 4y ago
  Dance of the firebird rendition by Tomita is well worth listening to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9Vp0Rp1Vw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9Vp0Rp1Vw
Agamus 4y ago
For me, it's the theme and much of the music in Carl Sagan's original Cosmos Series. RIP!
spacemadness 4y ago
Who is the James in Aphex/James? I’m not sure if you mean to imply Richard D. James or a separate person (see Reznor/Ross).
- datashaman 4y ago
  Probably Richard David James aka Aphex Twin. Reznor is a last name. Aphex is not. No 1:1 correspondence.
emporas 4y ago
Blades runner had astonishing graphics as well, really haunting. Nowadays graphics like that are not that special but for time they were revolutionary. I just created some graphics of some animals in place of the legendary monologue of the movie. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdwsowRoFT4/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CdwsowRoFT4/
greggsy 4y ago
It’s hard to leave any discussion around the development of synth as an instrument without mentioning Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh, but they were arguably more related to the prog-rock scene than as composers. Incidentally, a former member of TH, Klaus Schultz also died last month. TG didn’t land any major soundtracks (like Jarre or Vangelis), but they were nonetheless highly influential , if only due to their prolific releases.
- pjbk 4y ago
  Ugh. Risky Business, Thief, The Keep, Firestarter, Sorcerer, Legend, Near Dark, Miracle Mile... Perhaps not as major as Chariots of Fire, but nonetheless.
  - greggsy 4y ago
    I looked through their soundtrack discography before putting the reply together, and while those were all successful movies, but I didn’t consider them to be on the same level as the Blade Runner or Gallipoli soundtracks which, to me, are amazing in their own right. (Carlos’ A Clockwork Orange naturally goes into the same category).
- Tepix 4y ago
  Klaus Schulze, not Klaus Schultz. I hadn't heard about his death. Great musician. I wonder if Schulze died of Corona as Vangelis apparently did.
jancsika 4y ago
> Imo, Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. The two sounds I associate with him are the long brassy triangle with a steep envelope that we know from both Blade Runner and the accompaniment to the piano in the Chariots of Fire theme, and his effective use of chimes. One of the most memorable parts of the Blade Runner soundtrack is the brass synth that casually tools around the blues scale. It sounds like an homage to old detective films and grounds the entire movie. I wonder-- did that influence the intro to Dire Straits' Money for Nothing? It begins with a nice little synth bass and some arpeggiator bleeps and blorps, but there's a similar synth that similarly cruises around a blues scale for a bit. Digression-- after listening to it again, I noticed that pentatonic synth business in Money for Nothing ends on a C two octaves above middle C which then does a quick upward glissando about an octave and a fourth. Did the keyboardist map the midi wheel to a perfect 11th to do that glissando? If so it sounds incredibly smooth: great job DX7, and/or early MIDI, and/or Alan Clark! Edit: clarification
- MrGando 4y ago
  The brass you hear in Vangelis is probably an Oberheim OB-Xa, incredible brass sounds. The band toto made those sounds extremely popular here in the states too. Google who the Porcaro brothers were (well one is still alive and kicking :) )
  - alfiedotwtf 4y ago
    on that ICYMI, there's one month to go before Oberheim starts shipping the OB-X8 (which contains the OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8 switchable filter and envelope responses)! ... but AFAIK the Blade Runner theme was famously done on a CS-80
  - multi_tude 4y ago
    I believe Vangelis' brass sounds were played on a Yamaha CS80, although the OB-Xa is capable of similar sounds.
  - pjbk 4y ago
    CS80 indeed. There is an almost identical patch for the Arturia CS-80v if interested: https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2017/10/19/free-arturia-cs-80v-preset-nails-iconic-blade-runner-blues-sound https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2017/10/19/free-arturia-c...
notacoward 4y ago
> Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. Along with Wendy Carlos and Jean-Michel Jarre, of course.
- datashaman 4y ago
  Also The Doors, The Monkees, Giorgio Moroder.
  - spopejoy 4y ago
    <cough>Kraftwerk<cough>

fetus8 4y ago

Based on my listening and no other knowledge, he probably had quite the influence on Oneohtrix Point Never aka OPN aka Daniel Lopatin. He’s always been a big synth head and his OST scores really showcase his talents.

johnohara 4y ago

When I listen to Chronotope Project I hear the Vangelis influences. Along with Vangelis' inspiration to pursue such solitary and personal musical expressions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://chronotope-project.com/bio https://chronotope-project.com/bio

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

pmoriarty 4y ago

Just for reference, here's Nils Frahm performing More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc

tzs 4y ago

How would you compare Vangelis and Isao Tomita? Tomita was marrying synth with classical at about the same time or even a little earlier, to widespread acclaim and success. A couple other names I think of when I think early serious synth work are Jean-Michel Jarre and Larry Fast. Where would you put them in synth history?

Wistar 4y ago
Although I have not heard (or even thought of) it in… well, decades, Tomita's Pictures at an Exhibition was something I really loved, especially "Ballet of Unhatched Chicks." I need to try and listen to it again.
- jhbadger 4y ago
  Yes, his version of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was amazing. I first heard of it several years ago when I was reading Uwe Tellkamp's The Tower: Tales From a Lost Country which was about growing up in East Germany in the 1970s and 1980s. The main character is obsessed with the record, which was made available through the East German state music publisher "Amiga" (maybe being based on a Russian work made it more palatable to the authorities). Anyway, I tracked down a copy myself and really enjoyed it. I was familiar with Vangelis but not Tomita before that.
SonOfLilit 4y ago
I've never tried to talk to anyone about Tomita and got recognition. I've never met anyone who hasn't heard of Vangelis.
jacquesm 4y ago
Dance of the firebird rendition by Tomita is well worth listening to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9Vp0Rp1Vw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9Vp0Rp1Vw

Agamus 4y ago

For me, it's the theme and much of the music in Carl Sagan's original Cosmos Series. RIP!

spacemadness 4y ago

Who is the James in Aphex/James? I’m not sure if you mean to imply Richard D. James or a separate person (see Reznor/Ross).

datashaman 4y ago
Probably Richard David James aka Aphex Twin. Reznor is a last name. Aphex is not. No 1:1 correspondence.

emporas 4y ago

Blades runner had astonishing graphics as well, really haunting. Nowadays graphics like that are not that special but for time they were revolutionary. I just created some graphics of some animals in place of the legendary monologue of the movie. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdwsowRoFT4/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CdwsowRoFT4/

greggsy 4y ago

It’s hard to leave any discussion around the development of synth as an instrument without mentioning Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh, but they were arguably more related to the prog-rock scene than as composers. Incidentally, a former member of TH, Klaus Schultz also died last month. TG didn’t land any major soundtracks (like Jarre or Vangelis), but they were nonetheless highly influential , if only due to their prolific releases.

pjbk 4y ago
Ugh. Risky Business, Thief, The Keep, Firestarter, Sorcerer, Legend, Near Dark, Miracle Mile... Perhaps not as major as Chariots of Fire, but nonetheless.
- greggsy 4y ago
  I looked through their soundtrack discography before putting the reply together, and while those were all successful movies, but I didn’t consider them to be on the same level as the Blade Runner or Gallipoli soundtracks which, to me, are amazing in their own right. (Carlos’ A Clockwork Orange naturally goes into the same category).
Tepix 4y ago
Klaus Schulze, not Klaus Schultz. I hadn't heard about his death. Great musician. I wonder if Schulze died of Corona as Vangelis apparently did.

jancsika 4y ago

> Imo, Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. The two sounds I associate with him are the long brassy triangle with a steep envelope that we know from both Blade Runner and the accompaniment to the piano in the Chariots of Fire theme, and his effective use of chimes. One of the most memorable parts of the Blade Runner soundtrack is the brass synth that casually tools around the blues scale. It sounds like an homage to old detective films and grounds the entire movie. I wonder-- did that influence the intro to Dire Straits' Money for Nothing? It begins with a nice little synth bass and some arpeggiator bleeps and blorps, but there's a similar synth that similarly cruises around a blues scale for a bit. Digression-- after listening to it again, I noticed that pentatonic synth business in Money for Nothing ends on a C two octaves above middle C which then does a quick upward glissando about an octave and a fourth. Did the keyboardist map the midi wheel to a perfect 11th to do that glissando? If so it sounds incredibly smooth: great job DX7, and/or early MIDI, and/or Alan Clark! Edit: clarification

MrGando 4y ago
The brass you hear in Vangelis is probably an Oberheim OB-Xa, incredible brass sounds. The band toto made those sounds extremely popular here in the states too. Google who the Porcaro brothers were (well one is still alive and kicking :) )
- alfiedotwtf 4y ago
  on that ICYMI, there's one month to go before Oberheim starts shipping the OB-X8 (which contains the OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8 switchable filter and envelope responses)! ... but AFAIK the Blade Runner theme was famously done on a CS-80
- multi_tude 4y ago
  I believe Vangelis' brass sounds were played on a Yamaha CS80, although the OB-Xa is capable of similar sounds.
- pjbk 4y ago
  CS80 indeed. There is an almost identical patch for the Arturia CS-80v if interested: https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2017/10/19/free-arturia-cs-80v-preset-nails-iconic-blade-runner-blues-sound https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2017/10/19/free-arturia-c...

notacoward 4y ago

> Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. Along with Wendy Carlos and Jean-Michel Jarre, of course.

datashaman 4y ago
Also The Doors, The Monkees, Giorgio Moroder.
- spopejoy 4y ago
  <cough>Kraftwerk<cough>