Poll: your musical influence for interest in synthesizers

[otto]

Give it time. You can't be sure how it will add up after a few days.

[Syn303]

Although i produce EDM, it was mostly Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Kraftwerk and Krautrock that go me into electronic music in the first place. I only started getting into EDM when Acid House came to the UK from Chicago.

[Yatmandu]

I guess I would be voting non-EDM for "what got you into synths" too. As a kid, I stood outside the hall where Emerson was practicing for a gig, playing his Moog. Also into TD, and Kraftwerk, and 80's bands all the way. But what keeps me going with synths today is 100% techno ...so that's how I voted. Anyway, let's keep it going. I'm curious.

[V301H]

I first heard about synths from reading an interview with Roger McGuinn of The Byrds in the 60's. Back then Moogs were being used for sound effects and processing vocals. The Byrds, The Doors, Moody Blues, and The Monkees all used the Moog for effects. The first recording I heard using it as a musical instrument was "The Minotaur" by d**k Hyman in 1969. He released an album of original Moog music called The Eclectic Electrics of d**k Hyman. I'm sure this record was a big influence on Keith Emerson and Beck sampled it for Odelay. So that's when I first realized what a synth could do as a musical instrument and got me interested.

[Old Iron Giant]

Not exactly the poll questions I'd expect for this topic.
It's only relevant to your personal style, What genre do you prefer to play or listen to.

I would of broken it down in this order. Electronica-Techno, Noise-Experimental, Rock-rhythm,
and Classical-Piano.

------
I'd fall under Noise-Experimental Audio.

[redroomrecordings]

i don't know how to answer this as industrial is what got me into synths, but i think it belongs in the dance category. most industrial / ebm (in the last 20 years not counting throbbing gristle type stuff) follows similar formats to techno, just with vocals and a proper song structure. so technically it was industrial that got me into synths, but my vote is going to the dance music as i never even noticed synths in other types of music like rock until after i had already been interested.

[redroomrecordings]

also i think the demographic of this forum will skew the results. i think most people here are more into non dance related synth music. i also thing its an older crowd than the overall synth crowd. put this poll up on an access virus form for example the the poll would be even more skewed the other way around.


for the record....who cares, we all share a similar interest in the end, doesn't matter why.

[clusterchord]

i voted "other". i was a kid in late 70s early 80s when i started interest in synthesizers... virgin years tangerine dream, w carlos, tomita doing impressionists, genesis/yes/oldfield/jarre/saga/john keating/vangelis etc.. peter gabriel..

soon things started going haywire with new wave, synth pop .. i loved the synth sound of duran, tff, dm, japan, simple minds etc..

my musical influences arent strictly confined to synth music, but these guys surely sparked my interest in synths.

[Automatic Gainsay]

I got into synthesizers because of the Steve Miller Band, the Electric Light Orchestra, Blondie, the Cars, Wendy Carlos, the fact that 1970s TV soundtracks were often synth-based, and because my brother took me to a music store and I was able to play an Odyssey. THAT is why I got into synths.
The fact that I became an electronic dance composer for a decade and a half doesn't change how I got INTO synths.
And the fact that I am now deeply into analog has NOTHING to do with dance music... if anything, it is the antithesis of it. When I was into dance music, we all wanted the newest most powerful thing.

So, yeah.

Again, otto and I are not the same person.

[jaypodesta]

The “problem” I have with this is that the poll and otto’s first post don’t tie up for me:

The poll asks:

Of the 2 choices below, which is/was your primary influence for your interest in synthesizers

A simple question and one we can all answer.

But the purpose of the poll according to otto's first post is:

to determine whether or not EDM has had the strongest influence in the “resurgence” and/or continued popularity of synthesizers. You have 2 choices EDM and all of its variations and sub genres or any other type of music.

Well firstly what is the definition of the “resurgence”?

If you got into synths via Yes in the 70’s and but now make Techno and are buying/interested [in] synths today for that purpose you are surely “contributing to the continuing popularity of synths” [because of EDM]. Right?

But your poll vote doesn’t reflect that ‘cause you answered Non EDM in your poll vote.

Or have I missed something?

Don’t get me wrong I think this is interesting and I’m into it.

So thanks otto

[Pro5]

I voted non EDM.. .though some of it has from time to time got me thinking about synths again (The Shamen? The Prodigy?)

For me, primarily my love of synths comes from the late 70s and early 80s. ELO, Jarre, Duran Duran etc...

And I've always made NON EDM music with the synths (and other instruments inc guitar/piano/vocals)

[jaypodesta]

To achieve the goal:

We are trying to determine whether or not EDM has had the strongest influence in the “resurgence” and/or continued popularity of synthesizers.

Perhaps the poll should have had these three options:

Please choose one of the below:

1. You got into synths because of Non EDM but now make EDM

2. You got into synths because of EDM and still make EDM

3. None of the above reasons/genres represent my synth interest

[pricklyrobot]

Another problem is that, as far as I can tell, dance music, as a genre distinct and separate from regular pop music, didn't really exist until the mid '80s. So some things that would've been considered dance music at the time they came out (New Order, Depeche Mode, etc.) now get retroactively shifted to the other category, because they're not as "dancey" as the strictly dance music (i.e. you won't hear it on the radio and in the club) that came after them.

[nvbrkr]

i don't know how to answer this as industrial is what got me into synths, but i think it belongs in the dance category. most industrial / ebm (in the last 20 years not counting throbbing gristle type stuff) follows similar formats to techno, just with vocals and a proper song structure.

That's why it is called EBM, not industrial, and that's why those two different genre definitions exist in the first place. EBM is a dance music genre with a few nods here and there to industrial music (which usually does not have a proper song structure). there's no definitive need to call it industrial just in order to make it sound edgier than it is.

You must have heard this before though.

Usual argument repeated over 20 decades - starting from fanzines and migrated from there to usenet and to more current internet forums - so I won't get into it any further and save everyone the hassle. Semantics.

[otto]

also i think the demographic of this forum will skew the results. i think most people here are more into non dance related synth music. i also thing its an older crowd than the overall synth crowd. put this poll up on an access virus form for example the the poll would be even more skewed the other way around.


for the record....who cares, we all share a similar interest in the end, doesn't matter why.

I disagree with both of your posts. First industrial is not a descendent of techno and the fact that it has "proper" song structure and "proper" vocals is exactly the point... I don't see how skinny puppy, Ministry, etc. have much to do with Juan Atkins.

It's difficult to know the exact demographic of VSE but I think it will be about as good of a spread as your likely to find in a synth based forum. I would say the vast majority of people on this forum are young enough to have been a product of techno. If you can demonstrate or elaborate on how this forum is skewed it might be more convincing. Unlike the virus forum there is no focus on a particular type of gear. People here love and own virus', TB-303s, Moogs, etc. etc.

For the record... please stop whining.