Demo ONE - 90s House Dream - Novation Circuit Tracks Pack by Yves Big City

video upload by Isotonik Studios

AVAILABLE HERE: https://isotonikstudios.com/product/9...

"Step into the rhythm and soul of an era with the "90s House Dream" sound pack, a curated collection that pays homage to the golden era of house music. This pack takes you on a journey back to the Summer of Love and the hallowed halls of the Hacienda, where legends were made and the house beat was born.

The Birth of a Movement: A Story of Rhythm and Unity

In the heart of the 90s, the Hacienda became a beacon of musical innovation. It was here, amidst the ecstasy of the Summer of Love, that house music found its heartbeat. This sound pack weaves the tale of this vibrant era, capturing the essence of the legends who shaped the sounds of the dance floor.

Featuring Tracks Inspired by House Music Icons

The soulful chords in this collection echo the deep, emotive style of artists like Frankie Knuckles, whose mastery at the turntables earned him the title "Godfather of House."

The deep, emotive leads resonate with the artistic spirit of Larry Heard, also known as Mr. Fingers. His innovative approach to deep house brought a level of sophistication and emotion to the genre, elements that are carefully replicated in these sounds.

In the experimental sounds of the pack, the influence of Kevin Saunderson is evident. His blending of techno with house pushed the boundaries of what the genre could be, a legacy that lives on in the innovative sounds of this collection.

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90s House Dream - Novation Circuit Tracks Pack by Yves Big City

video uploads by Isotonik Studios

Note there are three videos in the player above. You can use the player controls to skip around.

"Step into the rhythm and soul of an era with the '90s House Dream' sound pack, a curated collection that pays homage to the golden era of house music. This pack takes you on a journey back to the Summer of Love and the hallowed halls of the Hacienda, where legends were made and the house beat was born.

The Birth of a Movement: A Story of Rhythm and Unity

In the heart of the 90s, the Hacienda became a beacon of musical innovation. It was here, amidst the ecstasy of the Summer of Love, that house music found its heartbeat. This sound pack weaves the tale of this vibrant era, capturing the essence of the legends who shaped the sounds of the dance floor.

Featuring Tracks Inspired by House Music Icons

The soulful chords in this collection echo the deep, emotive style of artists like Frankie Knuckles, whose mastery at the turntables earned him the title 'Godfather of House.'

The deep, emotive leads resonate with the artistic spirit of Larry Heard, also known as Mr. Fingers. His innovative approach to deep house brought a level of sophistication and emotion to the genre, elements that are carefully replicated in these sounds.

In the experimental sounds of the pack, the influence of Kevin Saunderson is evident. His blending of techno with house pushed the boundaries of what the genre could be, a legacy that lives on in the innovative sounds of this collection.

A Portal to the 90s House Scene

'90s House Dream' isn't just a sound pack; it's a tribute to a timeless era. Each element is carefully crafted to transport you back to a time when house music was more than just a genre - it was a movement, a unifying force. It's a tribute to timeless creations, offering producers and music enthusiasts a chance to relive and reinvent the sounds that shaped a generation.

At a glance:

Pack Highlights: A Fusion of Past and Future

Energize Your Tracks: This pack offers 64 patches, each designed to embody the essence of classic 90s house music. From deep and driving basslines that capture the genre's soulful roots to rhythmic chords that resonate with the era's upbeat energy, and pulsating leads that echo the timeless melodies of house classics.

Deep, Dancefloor-Ready Drums: At the core of house music is its unmistakable beat, and with 64 drum sounds, this pack delivers just that. Each drum has been carefully selected and processed using a Studer tape A800, ensuring a sound that is both deep and punchy, perfect for creating tracks that resonate with the authentic feel of a 90s dancefloor.

Craft Your Unique Sound: The pack also includes 20 creatively inspired sessions. These sessions are more than just sound collections; they are gateways to musical exploration, offering a range of sonic landscapes from the nostalgic beats of retro house to the innovative rhythms of modern productions.

Broad Compatibility: Understanding the diverse needs of today's producers, "90s House Dream" is made to fit into any setup effortlessly. It is fully compatible with both the classic circuit edition and the Novation Circuit tracks, making it a versatile addition to any music producer's toolkit.

Special Hacienda Version: As a tribute to the iconic Hacienda club, this pack features a special Hacienda Version. It includes a classic collection of Roland TR 808, TR 909, TR 707, and TB 303 patterns, meticulously recreated to bring the quintessential sound of the Hacienda era to your music production.

AVAILABLE HERE: https://isotonikstudios.com/product/9..."

SUNSHINE JONES - A LOVE LETTER TO THE TR-808

Published on May 23, 2019 Sunshine Jones

"A Love Letter to the mighty Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer.
Covering a brief re cap of what we already know, and discussing the cultural significance, and lasting inspiration this instrument has had on the world, and music in general, the basics of XOX style programming, a general overview of the drum machine, and a discussion and comparison of the various clones and replicants which are currently available including the System 80 880, The Roland Boutique TR-08, the Roland Aira TR-8, the e-Licktronic Yocto, the Acid Lab MIAMI, and even the TR-606.

Note: I am an electronic musician, a designer, and a huge fan of synthesizers and drum machines. I am not an authority, nor am I a historian. These love letters (I should think that it goes without saying) are Op Ed (opinion based editorial) and thus they are filled with hyperbole, artistic license and some degree of speaking categorically to get the point across. This is not the first word, or anywhere near the last word on the story I'm telling. It's just a love letter.

Photographed, written, filmed, scored, programed, narrated and directed by Sunshine Jones.
©2019 The Urgency Of Change
Special thanks to Jeff of System 80 - Minisystem, Brandon Rodgers, Bijan Mirashi, Kevin Siegenthaler, Jason Williams, Jenö Lock, EO, and Frankie Knuckles!

I have made a limited edition T-shirt print of the technical drawing made for use in this love letter - a hand drawn pencil and ink illustration with type set in photoshop. 100 shirts are available. See more at theurgencyofchange.com to get yours. Once these 100 are gone, that is the end. There will be no others."

Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Look Back at 2014

Happy New Year everyone!

I want to start by thanking everyone that comes to MATRIXSYNTH and helps make it what it is - the readers, the supporters, and of course all the sponsors on the right.

THANK YOU and have a GREAT 2015!!!

This site is a labor of love and a ton of work. This site is ultimately meant to be an testament to everything synth in the making. We have over nine years of daily synth history captured here, 119,983 published posts. I can't wait to see what the future brings us in 2015!

That said, here are a few interesting bits from 2014 in the longest post of the year. ;)

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RIP Frankie Knuckles - The Godfather of House Music

Frankie Knuckles - Your Love Uploaded on Jul 23, 2009 Backintday·196 videos
"The original 1987 best version Jamie Principle/Frankie Knuckles"
[Tribute cover on a Roland MC-909 uploaded by Lee Mitchell today featured below]

The Godfather of House music has passed away. He was one of, if not the first DJ to incorporate an instrument, in this case the drum machine, into his live performances, as well as working with sound manipulation by splicing tape (musique concrete meets House).

Frankie Knuckles via this interview on Muicradar:

Regarding tape: "That probably started around the late 70s or early 80s. I'd been DJing for the best part of ten years by then, so I knew what worked on the dancefloor. I knew which bits of a song worked. I instinctively knew if the intro needed cutting or extending. My imagination was already doing its thing. I got hold of a quarter-inch Pioneer reel-to-reel machine, and that's what I used to do all my edits.

"And when I say 'edits', I really do mean edits, in the old-fashioned sense: cutting up little bits of tape and sticking them back together to make a new song. Like when I saw the video for Michael Jackson's Thriller on TV, I thought, 'Damn! That's the version I should be playing at the club.' I wanted that whole stripped-down section where the zombies do the dance. So I sat there with my reel-to-reel and started making copies of the relevant bits of music from the original song. I had a rough tape copy of the video version and worked out every bit I needed to recreate that zombie dance backing track.

"In the end, I had a gazillion little bits of tape – some no more than half a second of sound – all stuck together. You know something? It worked! I pieced it all together and I had my two-and-a-half-minute breakdown. And it was perfect – even if I'd been just a few milliseconds out with one of those edits, it would have thrown the whole thing. I was a master of rhythm. A master of editing." [Be sure to see his note regarding the manipulation of sound for effect in The Chicago Tribune quote below]

And on the drum machine: "It wasn't really a drum machine. It was just one of those rhythm boxes that you get on home organs. Y'know… a boom-chikka box. I got the idea because there was always a metronome sitting in the DJ booth at the Warehouse. I never really understood the metronome, but I eventually started messing around with it and used to have it running while I was DJing – it would be tick-tocking just in the periphery of my vision. Eventually I started locking into this thing– locking the tunes and the metronome together, understanding the idea of beats per minute and the number of bars."

"One day my friend gave me this Rhythm Maker box, and I had it plugged into the auxiliary inputs of the mixer. It sounded great. The crowd loved it, and it was very handy if you had a problem with a record or one of the decks. You'd just fade up the Rhythm Maker and people would carry on dancing."

The 909 and the birth of House music followed:

"That was a few years later – I'd say 84 or 85. Derrick May and his friends would come down to my new club, the Power Plant. One night he was carrying a bag, and inside was something wrapped in a towel. I asked him what it was and he just said, 'Oh, I got you something very special – but you got to wait till the end of the night.'

"After I finished my set – which was about 11am the next day – we went into the booth and he pulled out a box with some buttons on it. I said, 'Wow! That looks great, but what the hell is it?' Derricksaid, 'This is a Roland 909 drum machine, and it's going to take us to the future. It will be the foundation of music for the next 10 years.'"


via The Chicago Tribune

"Knuckles bought his first drum machine from a young Derrick May, one of the founders of techno music, who regularly made the trip from Detroit to see Knuckles at the Warehouse..."

"He would extend mixes of soul and R&B records and turn them into dance tracks, introduce new singles being produced by fledgling house artists and incorporate drum machines to emphasize the beat. In addition to building dynamic ebb-and-flow sets that would keep his dancefloor filled from midnight to noon on weekends, he would create theater-of-the-mind scenarios with inventive sound and lighting. 'Sometimes I’d shut down all the lights and set up a record where it would sound like a speeding train was about to crash into the club. People would lose their minds.'”

And via Wikipedia: "Frankie Knuckles (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014) was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer.[1] He was born Francis Nicholls [2] in the Bronx borough of New York City and later moved to Chicago. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1980s when the genre was in its infancy. In 2005, Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievements.

Due to his importance in the development of the genre, Knuckles was often known as 'The Godfather of House Music',[3] and as such the city of Chicago named a stretch of street and a day after Knuckles in 2004."

You can find some previous posts featuring music inspired by Frankie Knuckles here.



Frankie Knuckles Your Love Published on Apr 1, 2014 Lee Mitchell·83 videos

"ROLAND MC909 COVER OF YOUR LOVE BY FRANKIE KNUCKLES...RIP HOUSE LEGEND...."

Elektron Analog Four - House sounds of Chicago

Published on Dec 13, 2012 by darenager

"I was messing around with the A4 and stumbled across the arpeggio sound from Frankie Knuckles seminal 1987 track 'Your Love' so here it is, I did not spend a great deal of time getting the other sounds correct, and this is just a basic demo, the original track can be found on youtube, if you are not familiar with it do check it out, it is one of my favourite classic house cuts."

Elektron on eBay

Bleep's Guide to Electronic Music

This one in via Scott, via Bleep: "Bleep's guide to Electronic Music is a 55 track compilation charting the historical emergence of electronic music by looking at landmark tracks from the 1930s up to present day.

Our aim with this selection of music is to show the length and breadth of the medium, providing a snapshot of the genres forms and styles, and the development of the artform. Whilst there are omissions and compromises that we have had to make, we hope that we achieve our aims and we do some justice to the variety of music that we love.

This compilation developed out of a project to create a Facebook timeline charting the development of electronic music from the late 19th Century until now."

For reference check out 120 Years of Electronic Music

The collection begins with Olivier Messiaen's Oraison from 1937 performed on Ondes Martenot & Theremin (you can find the original full track previously posted here and a beautiful cover on Buchla 200e and Haken Continuum from the late Richard Lainhart here):

"Originally composed by Olivier Messiaen, this beautiful and contemplative piece of music is a monumental moment in electronic music. Argued to be the first piece of purely electronic music written expressly for live performance on the Ondes Martenot, an instrument closely related to the Theremin."

The collection ends with James Blake's CMYK"

"At just 21 years old, London producer, James Blake releases on newly relaunched R&S Records.

At its core 'CMYK' is forged from a myriad of 90's R&B samples (Aaliyah, Kelis) their voices mangled, barely recognisable and thrown into a red-eyed fire of DSP and hours spent in the waveforms."

The full track listing:

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CASIO SK5 - Frankie Knuckles - Your Love

YouTube via drbenway
"Your Love" played on a CASIO SK-5.

RS7000 Acid House

YouTube via darenager.
"Rough mix of a track I am currently working on, it is just me muting tracks in and out on the RS7000 in realtime.

The track was written as a retrospective to the sounds I used to dance to at parties in my youth from 1987-1989. It takes influence from artists such as Mr Fingers, Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson and other great early house and acid house producers. There are no samples from other records but there is a couple of 303 loops and an 808 sample from my machines.

Hope you enjoy it."

Awesome stuff. I remember going to raves during this time in LA. Good times.