There is always much to do amongst musicians and/or fans of em about analog or digital? Will we use the warmth of analog or the more reliability but less character of digital? This album has become a sort of contest where each artist could use only three genuine analog synthesizers to create a piece of music (although modern recording techniques were permitted). "Analogy, volume1" contains music by some of the finest em-musicians of today: Create, Remotion, Loren Nerell, Steve Roach and Chuck Oken, Paul Ellis and Steve Roach, 4m33s, Gert Emmens, Syn, Russell Storey, Kees Aerts, Altres, modulator esp and Ian Tescee. The music ranges from traditional sequencer-based berlin school (create, syn, altres, modulator esp), via melodical (remotion, emmens, aerts, tescee), ambient (ellis and roach, 4m33s) to experimental (nerell, roach and oken, storey). All music was played and recorded with care and love for the music and the instruments that it’s played on. "Analogy, volume1" is a great and eagerly awaited project. Hopefully, volume 2 will follow soon. Press information In 2005 and 2006 under the title "Analogy, Volume 1" and "Volume 2", two compilation-cd’s came out with unreleased material from a diversity of interesting electronic musicians. The assignment was to create a piece only using analog equipment. The cd was a product of members of the Internet-discussion group about electronic music, "EMforum". Both cd’s were a success. Though the forum doesn't exist anymore, the spirit is still there and therefore a third volume has been released dedicated to the forum and all the people that have been part of it. Collaborating artists are, amongst others: Ron Boots, Gert Emmens, Mario Schönwälder, Stephen Parsick, Terje Winther and Create. The cd contains seventeen tracks with a varying approach. "Vintage Contemporaries" by Emmens & James Clent already shows familiar paths with sequences and Mellotron sounds. The sequences in Gert Blokzijl’s "Monopology", played only on a Korg MonoPoly synthesizer, are wonderful. One synth is also the way Studio35D (=René Splinter) works on his "Probe One" (a SCI Pro One) but then with a more eighties aim. Erwin Hofstede even plays a whole piece, the warm "Solina", with just a Solina string ensemble. Others create ambiences (Parsick, Russell Storey). "Analogum" is an excellent track from Schönwälder’s Filterkaffee, a new project by Mario. And, of course, there is also Ron Boots who plays a recognizable composition "Analowho". This third edition is the best in the series. Let’s hope it does keep that EM-spirit alive. Paul Rijkens Bong!, fait la tête du chroniqueur qui rentre dans le panneau de l'album tant attendu. Car, après le volume 2 qui fait partie de mes CDs préférés dans l'absolu, j'ai bien dû déchanter à l'écoute de celui-ci. Car le 3ème (et sans doute dernier) exercice de ce style mis sur les rails par Ron Boots déçoit. Pourtant les protagonistes (Gert Emmens, Stephen Parsick, Stephen Humphries, l'écurie Groove pour résumer) sont les mêmes, pourtant les styles abordés et la méthode utilisée sont identiques. A contrario, la sauce ne prend pas. Il manque ce catalyseur, ce petit éclat de génie qui fait qu'un CD reste englué à la platine qui le réceptionne. Même le morceau final, pourtant de la main de Ron Boots lui-même, n'arrive pas à remettre le bateau à flot dans un dernier baroud. Cela laisse craindre le pire pour son prochain album, annoncé pour le trimestre prochain. Dès lors, prions pour conjurer le mauvais sort. Fred / Prog-résiste Got it today and it is BRILLIANT!!! Love them all, but the second is better than the first and the third is absolutely the best. Some tracks are a bit too short for my taste (maybe I just can't get enough of them :-) ). And Ron is way too modest to put his piece in the very end as it's one of the best on the album. Count me in for the fourth if it ever happens :-). Best of luck and keep up the good work! Andy All tracks on this CD are cross-faded to make "Analogy" a continuous journey. Create opens the sampler with "Analogue Revival" - a fitting title. A heavy bass growl and then the first punchy sequences appear. A super tasty way to open an album to say the least. The sounds are grungy, dirty and industrial-like, brimming with raw analogue power. Another high-pitched sequence can be heard. With only three analogue synthesizers and a drum machine (Jupiter 4, MS-20, Moog Prodigy and TR-707) Steve creates music that's so intense, it's uncanny. It's sequency to the tilt so if you're into those lovely rhythmic pulsations - look no further. The guys from Remotion continue the analogue journey with "Freeflight". This track was made with a Korg MS-10, Roland JX3P, Roland Juno 6 and a TR-606 drum machine. Noise fx and various analogue sounds get things underway. After a while a soft laid-back sequence appears along with an electronic rhythm. This track for some reason reminds me on early Software - a very pleasant connection, as I do enjoy Mergener / Weisser's early efforts a lot. A mournful lead line floats on top resulting in a very emotional journey. Loren Nerell with friends Steve Roach and Chuck Oken (Djam Karet) continue with "Zone Patrol". Using their modular synthesizers, the guys came up with some excellent sounds. It's a deep ambient journey with EMS-like twitters and some deep drones, plus various creaking sounds as if you are hearing some insects on another planet. Wonderful, wonderful stuff! A duo of Paul Ellis and Steve Roach is next with "Where Are You?" - An echoing sequence, some rhythm and subtle string sounds begin this track. This is urgent, upbeat number that still manages to sound spacey and atmospheric. Curious stuff. Nice mysterious melodies as well in the midst of improvisation. A very fat and intense sound here, with some 5 or so sequences heard simultaneously by the end of the track. "Elegy" by 4m33s aka John Sherwood was done exclusively with an Oberheim Matrix-1000 synthesizer. It's melodic, emotional and atmospheric and is a nice change of pace and mood after the somewhat neurotic (but cheerful) track by Ellis & Roach. Some lovely electric piano-like notes are heard towards the end. We then hear twitters that herald the coming of Gert Emmens' excellent "The Morning After". Lovely warm pads and a beepy sequence are what this track is all about, until sweet melodies appear that sound so bright and pleasant it's amazing! With just a Formant modular synth, a Minimoog and a Moog Opus 3 Gert creates a stunning tapestry of sound that is, as is always the case with Gert's music, extremely emotional and full of feeling. Excellent if a bit brief solo appears towards the end. We finish with a reprise of the melodic theme and lots of twittering synth sounds. Syn contributes "Viking Mission II" - a phased Eminent string sound straight out of Jarre's "Oxygene" and symphonic brassy leads plus a melodic sequence make this an extremely intense track. Pure analogue bliss! Syn achieves this with a Doepher A-100 modul. It's amazing how much great music there is on "Analogy", with so many styles represented and yet everything gluing so well together as a cohesive whole. Unbiased mode on: there's not a weak track here, just great analogue music from talented musicians all over the world. Biased mode on: it's so darn fine! You should get it as soon as possible! Period. Artemi Pugachov / Encyclopedia of Electronic Music