Celebrating the pioneers
There’s no shortage of pioneers when it comes to celebrating the achievements of the early synth heroes, with Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre so often cited as a source of inspiration for many of today’s electronic producers. However, we’re (briefly) going to shine a light on two others here, encouraging you to explore their work in a soundtrack context.
The first is Vangelis. The Greek legend is perhaps best known for his Chariots Of Fire soundtrack (1981) which, set at the 1924 Olympics, simply shouldn’t work due to its synth-heavy timbres. It’s a classic example of an anachronistic soundtrack, where the sound sources used didn’t exist at the time being portrayed in the film… and yet it does work – so brilliantly that the score won an Academy Award. The joy of running, celebrated throughout the film, is beautifully captured by the sequenced sounds, huge, uplifting synth parts and, of course, that lead line whose melody has become so familiar. Equally remarkable is the score for Blade Runner, whose bleeps, blips and detuned lead lines perfectly echo the dystopian yet futuristic vision the film explores. The second artist(s) to mention are Tangerine Dream. The German band featured multiple line-up changes over its lifespan, but its ever-present member was founder Edgar Froese. While the band’s early work is wildly experimental, through the following (nearly) 40 years, Tangerine Dream explored a range of sounds and genres and, from 1971 onwards, began putting their sounds to picture. Younger readers will perhaps (unwittingly) know their work best as an accompaniment to 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V, but the signature Tangerine Dream signatures of sweeping pads, driving step sequences and bouncing basslines, are all too apparent. Expect these sounds to be richly portrayed in Jóhan Jóhansson’s forthcoming score for Blade Runner: 2049 later this year.