MI7®

The Swiss label 20kbps rec. is celebrating the Holidays with approximately 20 new releases for your listening pleasure.  I am pleased to announce that one of those albums is by me.  Look for "Winter" by Synthetic if you'd like to hear some mind-numbingly chill Winter music.  2 Selections are Dance numbers while the other 2 are very ambient soundscapes.  The bitrate is higher than I used to use, so definitely easier on the ears.  A 256-320 kbps version will be available in a week or two at OUIM.net.  In the meantime that hi bitrate version can be obtained at MegaUpload.  At MegaUpload Just enter the 3 letter code then select download, wait 30 seconds and select free download.

Happy New Years! 

Both Paul Raven and Lucky Dube are gone, what a terrible loss!

 R.I.P. 

I mentioned the swiss label 20kbps rec. in my post regarding the Colorsmoke EP. Now I felt it was time to show some of my favorite tracks from that dynamic, underground label. I have made a mega mix consisting of some of my very favorite works that are available for free on this label. Some of the tracks here are at a lower bitrate than the original, so some songs will sound better downloaded directly from the label. There is just something very other worldly about these delicious lo-bit pieces. The label has a wide variety of artists from all over the world. It is the most independent and diverse label I have ever stumbled on to, and constantly surprises me.  The music is available for free, and the label owner was ok with me posting this megamix.

 Link to 20kbps megamix

The mix is one long track the individual song credits are:

I just discovered a website, that is sort of a cross between MI7 and MySpace.  It is trig.com and I hope you'll visit my page over there.

http://trig.com/synthetic1/ 

I still consider MI7 to be more of my home base, since it is almost all music types.  But the 250 meg limit at Trig will make that my home away from home for sure.  So stop by if you get a chance, or if you are desperately bored, thanks!

I am pleased to announce that OUIM.net
has just released a collaborative project between Synthetic, Norbert Croonenberg and Wisconsin cellist Heather Anderson.  The album is a 5 song maxi-single and is completely free.  This is not a lo-bit release either, it is VBR LAME mp3s, so should sound somewhat better than  Del Fiume Po does here.  It also features fine graphics by NC and advice from Spinmeister and Loveshadow.

 http://ouim.net/releases/ouimnet036/

It is a fine label, I have liked every release that I've heard of theirs. I am just so proud that I could have the opportunity to work with people from around the globe, and then get the album published in a far away country within about a week of it's completion.  Thanks much to everybody.  

I started a blog at blogspot.com for sharing ridiculously rare and out of print music, mostly from vinyl.

 http://eclecticsynthetic.blogspot.com/

 The first selection available will be Crazy Elephant's only LP (from 1969), featuring the minor hit, Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'.  The LP is so rare that many record dealers argue that it didn't even exist.  If anyone else is doing any out of print file sharing like this, I'd love to hear about it.

I recently found the most insightful article on the reclusive, misunderstood artist Grover.  It is a review of his only CD release to date "A Celebration Of Me, Grover"

The album of the new millenium!, February 26, 2007

"A Celebration of Me, Grover!", what an apt title for this excellent album, it truly is a celebration in it's purest and most joyous form. It is so rare that a piece of music can so move and inspire me. After listening to it I was (and remain, to some extent) absolutely and completely blown away. Before I analyze the album, let me provide a bit of history and context for this release and artist. "A Celebration..." is a comeback album of sorts for Grover, who's last release was the critically acclaimed 1974 classic "Grover Sings the Blues"(which, by the way, is long overdue for a CD release). That legendary recording catapulted Grover to the top of the music industry. Robert Johnson is often credited for inventing the blues form as we know it, but Grover has the distinction of re-inventing it. "Sings the Blues" was a spectacular release on many levels, it contains many elements of psychedelic music, which was reportedly inspired by Grover's heavy use of LSD at the time, as well as his close friendship with Bob Dylan(who penned two tracks on that album). It should be noted, that the influence went both ways, as Grover provided major inspiration for Dylan on his 75 release "Blood on the Tracks", Grover also played lead guitar on that record. But, at it's core "Sings the Blues" was a record in the blues tradition, Grover's searing blues guitar and emotionally raw growl(a major influence on Tom Waits, whose new experimental leanings were inspired, by Grover, a bit of a mentor for the rocker) opened the door for countless later blues artists, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan. After the release and subsequent fanfare of his debut album Grover, in the tradition of JD Salinger, left the public eye at the height of his creative powers, and lived the life of a recluse at his Oregon ranch, only occasionally returning to television.

Then, for a long time, nothing of note happened in the music industry, Grover surfaced only once, to produce and pen a few songs on the highly influential 1978 album "At Home" by his longtime friends, Bert and Ernie. The album, though praised by critics was a commercial failure, due to it's overtly homosexual subject matter, and uncompromising depiction of drug use and AIDS in the gay community. In subsequent years the album has gained it's rightful status as one of the finest records of the period, and a major inspiration on the punk and glam scene of the 80s.

Fast-forward to 2004, the music industry has become an over-commercialized version of it's former self. Vacuous pop and R&B albums top the charts, nothing of substantial artistic merit was even being considered by most musicians. Then, in early 2003 rumors began circulating regarding Grover's eagerly anticipated return to the music industry. Naysayers argued that times had changed, and Grover's new release would be dated and insubstantial. Well, as time has proved they were gravely mistaken.

"A Celebration of Me", a sprawling 2 disc concept album, that is, in effect, an autobiography of The Blue One, it encompasses Grover's terrible childhood, suffering sexual and physical abuse at the hands of his Sunday school teacher. His coming of age, and discovery of his own sexuality, his rise to fame, and his heroin addiction in the early 80s. This is a more mature Grover than the young upstart that recorded "Sings the Blues", this is a sombre and wise Grover, some of his youthful exuberance is gone, but it is replaced by sage-like wisdom of a man who's content with his place in the world. "A Celebration" is, as I've mentioned, a dark and harrowing album, but after listening to it the message is one of hope and redemption, of battling one's personal demons, and coming out on top. The explosive guitar work evident on "Sings the Blues" is much more restrained here, and Grover even gets behind the piano for a few tender ballads. In summation, this is simply one of the finest records ever produced, and will no doubt go down in history among "Revolver", "Blonde on Blonde", and "Exile on Main Street" as a true artistic statement and a powerful listening experience. Buy it, love it.

I am pleased to announce my first professionally released album is available for free download at 20kbps rec.  The music on my Colorsmoke EP is a bit stranger than my other releases are because the music is encoded at 20kbps.  So I composed some special tracks intended just for the lo-bit realm.  The album also gives the listener a choice of 2 versions of track 5, and a choice of 3 different cover graphics.  Special thanks to Norbert Croonenberg for some layout/design help.

http://20kbps.sofapause.ch/releases.htm