Vangelis Has Passed Away

Some sad news in via Soviet Space Child, spotted on The Gaurdian. Vangelis has passed away at the age of 79. You all know who he is and the influence he has had on the synth world.

The image to the left was taken at the premiere of El Greco in 2007 and is the image used for his Wikipedia page, which includes the following:

"Having had a career in music spanning over 50 years and having composed and performed more than 50 albums, Vangelis is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of electronic music.

Vangelis began his career working with several pop bands of the 1960s such as The Forminx and Aphrodite's Child, with the latter's album 666 (1972) going on to be recognized as a progressive-psychedelic rock classic. Throughout the 1970s, Vangelis composed scores for several animal documentaries, including L'Apocalypse des Animaux, La Fête sauvage and Opéra sauvage; the success of these scores brought him into the film scoring mainstream. In 1975 he set up his new 16-track studio, Nemo Studios in London, which he named his 'laboratory'. In the early 1980s, Vangelis formed a musical partnership with Jon Anderson, the lead singer of progressive rock band Yes, and the duo released several albums together as Jon & Vangelis.

In 1980, he composed the score for the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The soundtrack's single, the film's theme, also reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was used as the background music at the London 2012 Olympics winners' medal presentation ceremonies.[1] He also composed the official anthem of the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Korea and Japan."

There are endless videos and performances of Vangelis. I thought I would share the following classics.

Vangelis - Chariots Of Fire - 1981

video upload by VangelisVEVO

Blade Runner • Main Theme • Vangelis - 1982

video upload by HD Film Tributes

"Soundtrack from the 1982 Ridley Scott film "Blade Runner" with Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, William Sanderson, Joe Turkel, Brion James, Joanna Cassidy & Daryl Hannah."

Vangelis & CS80



VANGELIS-THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC
video uploads by ANDREASROCKY

You can find additional posts featuring Vangelis here.

I HEAR YOU NOW VANGELIS - INSTRUMENTAL COVER with CS80

video upload by Jose's Vintage Keys

"My first encounter with Vangelis's music was in 1979, when this song became a major radio hit. Adapting it for performance wasn't easy, especially because it lacked lyrics, so I had to figure out how to convey the melody without it sounding overly sentimental. To achieve this, I shortened the piece slightly. While my rendition turned out quite well, it admittedly doesn't match the brilliance of the original. Nonetheless, studying the song and its arrangement was an enlightening experience, further highlighting Vangelis's extraordinary talent. And obviously it was helpful to have a #CS80, Jupiter 8, Rhodes and Mini Moog to create the Vangelis sound.

I have made a video in which I show how to create Vangelis' most famous sounds on the CS80 - it also includes the CS part of this song. [posted here]

A little more about the song: I Hear You Now" is a track from the album "Short Stories," which was released in 1979. This album marked the collaboration between Vangelis and Jon Anderson, the lead vocalist of the progressive rock band Yes. Their duo was known as Jon and Vangelis.

The album 'Short Stories' was the first collaborative effort between these two artists, blending Vangelis's expertise in electronic music with Anderson's distinctive vocal style. 'I Hear You Now,' as a part of this album, showcases this unique blend.

The song itself is notable for its ethereal, atmospheric quality, typical of Vangelis's work, combined with the poetic and often introspective lyrics provided by Anderson. The melody is characterized by its soothing, yet evocative synthesizer lines, underscored by a gentle, rhythmic beat. Anderson's vocals add a dreamy, almost otherworldly dimension to the track.

'I Hear You Now' received a positive reception and is often cited as a highlight of the album. The collaboration between Vangelis and Anderson was well-received, leading them to work together on several more albums throughout the 1980s. Their work is often praised for its innovative fusion of electronic music with progressive rock elements."

Yamaha CS80 - The Ultimate Famous Songs Collection

video upload by Andy Whitmore

"Whitmore takes the iconic Yamaha CS80 & meticulously replicates 36 famous songs to create a wonderful landscape of classic 70s 80s & 90s songs, stings, themes & intros by artists including Vangelis, Dr Who, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, Prefab Sprout, Genesis and more.
The licks are played to the original recordings so they are in time - true to the original, effects are duplicated too & the camera set up is made so you can duplicate the sounds yourself on emulation plug ins or the original.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA Intro Synth Chordal Melody
00:19 Prefab Sprout If You Don't Love Me Intro Brass
00:37 Genesis Duchess String Glide
00:49 Genesis Duchess Pluck Line
01:03 Genesis Turn It On Again Brass line
01:14 Paul McCartney Wonderful Xmas Time Middle 8 Lick
01:23 Kate Bush Babooshka Intro Lead
01:44 Vangelis To the Unknown Man Intro Melody
02:11 Vangelis Chariots Of Fire Brass Melody
02:44 Paul McCartney Ebony and Ivory Intro Brass
02:57 Dr Who Signature Sting
03:05 Dr Who Theme Bass
03:40 Toto Takin' It Back Sine Glissando Pad
03:50 Toto Africa Brass pad
04:34 Toto Rosanna Brass pad
04:56 ELO Time - Prologue String Intro
05:30 Vangelis Blade Runner Brass line
06:37 Genesis Behind The Lines Intro Brass
06:53 10cc Tokyo String Pad
07:11 10cc Tokyo Flute line
07:28 ELO Twilight Brass Line
07:45 Michael Jackson Human Nature Brass pad
08:05 Paul McCartney Wonderful Xmas Time CS80 Solo
08:16 Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder Ebony and Ivory Lead Synth
08:46 Vangelis Blade Runner String Pad
09:46 Jon & Vangelis I Hear You Now Main Theme
11:21 Vangelis Chariots Of Fire Brass Lick
11:57 Kate Bush Babooshka Flute Glide
12:24 10cc Dreadlock Holiday Lead line
12:45 10cc For You And I String Pad
13:22 ELO Yours Truly, 2095 Flute Line
13:41 Quincy Jones Betcha' Wouldn't Hurt Me Lead Synth
14:09 Michael Jackson Billie Jean String Part
14:43 10cc For You And I Flute Line
14:59 Vangelis Blade Runner Flute Intro Line
16:25 Vangelis Blade Runner Brass line-no bass

Thank you KSR for doing such a complete restoration on this CS80 - that had been stored in a garage for 25 years!
In this video, take a look at the legendary CS-80 with Andy Whitmore. This beloved eight-voice analog synthesizer with great controls like polyphonic aftertouch and a ribbon controller. Its extremely fat sound makes it an honourable member of the hall of fame of synthesizers. The CS80 was produced between 1977 and 1980.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Vangelis on BladeZone

via BladeZone where you will find the full article.

"A tremendously gifted yet private man, it was Vangelis, along with a handful of other musicians, who almost single-handedly brought about the acceptance of electronic music as it's own distinct art form. This feature is an attempt to analyze the creative process employed by Vangelis when recording the famous soundtrack for Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, and to try and give a brief insight into the unique manner in which he went about creating and recording the music that he produced during this time, when the digital samplers and music-making equipment that we take for granted today had not even been invented, and the creation of electronic-based music was a much more hands-on process."

"One of the major reasons why the Blade Runner soundtrack still sounds so modern and innovative to this day was the choice of instruments used to create the music, and the way Vangelis would combine acoustic and electronic sounds to create highly original, evocative sound textures - for example, the combination of orchestral percussion instruments and ubiquitous sweeping synth lines heard over the opening titles, played on Vangelis' favourite ever synth, the Yamaha CS80, which provided most of the solo synth lines heard in "Blade Runner", including the expressive, harmonica-like sound featured on "Blade Runner Blues" and "BR Main Titles". The Yamaha CS80 was one of the first ever polyphonic analogue synths to become commercially available, and was a serious beast, weighing in at around 210 pounds!!! Vangelis was introduced to the CS80 at a trade fair in 1977, and was tremendously excited by the possibilities it offered, but arranged to have one on loan for a few weeks before deciding whether to spend the necessary £4850 (the 'CS80's asking price at this time)! The equivalent cost today would be around £26,000. During this period, Vangelis recorded the "Spiral" album (released 1977), which featured the CS80 on every track. Shortly after, he imported a CS80 from Japan in order to bypass the six-month UK waiting list, and the synth arrived in London after a mammoth train journey through Russia. Vangelis eventually went on to buy another SEVEN CS80s, some of which were for concerts, while others were just for spare parts."

via Tim Peters. You can see some of that Blade Runner magic in this clip:

Details on XILS-lab's The Eighty

You might remember the teaser video and announcement video.

The press release with additional details follows:

XILS-lab launches The Eighty as virtual Vangelis soundalike homage to iconic Seventies synth classic, faithful to the original and enhanced for the future

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: XILS-lab is proud to launch The Eighty — effectively acting as a virtual Vangelis soundalike homage to an iconic Seventies-vintage synth classic that the Academy Award-winning Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music made into his signature sound, thanks to its exceptionally complete performer expression features (such as a layered keyboard that was both velocity- and pressure-sensitive in action, albeit, unlike most keyboards of the time, that aftertouch could be applied to individual voices, and a ribbon controller allowing for polyphonic pitch- bends and glissandos), faithful to the original and enhanced for the future as the latest entry into the audio software company’s lengthening lineup of virtual instruments par excellence — as of January 14…

It is fair to say that Bladerunner — the now-classic Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi film from 1982 set in a dystopian future Los Angeles of 2019 — is, for many, inextricably linked with Vangelis’ BAFTA- and Golden Globe-nominated score, showcasing his superlative skills with that iconic Seventies-vintage synth classic that was arguably as ahead of its time as that trailblazing score to which its sound subsequently became inextricably linked in itself. Much missed, Vangelis left this mortal coil in 2022, sadly, while the relatively few remaining fully operational examples of Yamaha’s CS-80 synth — supporting true eight-voice polyphony, with two independent synthesizer layers per voice each with its own set of front panel controls, in addition to a number of hardwired preset voice settings and four parameter settings stores based on banks of subminiature potentiometers — that musically meant so much to him are highly coveted by high-flying collectors, commanding eye-watering prices extending into high five-figure territory, putting them well beyond the reach of mere musical mortals... not that many could comfortably carry one anyway as they weigh in at a back-breaking 100kg/220lbs (including built-in hard case), regardless of how deep their pockets may well be!

CLICK FOR MORE »

Vangelis Nemo Studio London audio re-sync (Cs80 Vp330 Prophet5)

Published on Jul 8, 2017 AnalogSynthMuseum

"Vangelis Nemo Studio London Musical Express Live tv Spain 1980

Synthesizers used by position :

in the left of vangelis :
Top Roland Vp330 : strings
Bottom Roland Jupiter 4 : arpegiator sequence

In front of Vangelis :
Bottom center Yamaha Cs80 : Brass and ring modulator
top center Roland system 100 : arpgiator sequence
top center left : korg kr55 drum machine that controls the arpegiator of the CS40m and System 100

in the Right of vangelis :
top SCI Prophet5 : electronic fx
bottom Roland Sh3A and csq600 sequencer : sequence

sound and video are re sync not like in the original who had an audio video sync issue, now you hear what Vangelis played in sync.

more here : http://analogsynthmuseum.free.fr/"

VANGELIS-THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC(PART 1)

video upload by ANDREASROCKY

"VANGELIS INTERVIEW IN HIS NEMO STUDIO(1984)!"

VANGELIS-THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC(PART 2)


"VANGELIS INTERVIEW IN HIS NEMO STUDIO(1984)!"

VANGELIS-THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC(PART 3)



VANGELIS-THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC(PART 4)

La fête Sauvage Cover. Synth Demo Patch from the Vangelis'sound bank for Jupiter 80. A tribute

Published on May 22, 2016 studioliv1

"'La fête sauvage' de Vangelis
Cover by Studioliv
Patch from the Vangelis'Sound Bank for Jupiter 80 programmed by Studioliv.
Vangelis playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dgam... [below]
My own compositions here http://soundcloud.com/studioliv
Vangelis Cover available : Chung Kuo, Chariot of fire, Blade Runner, Irlande, Antarctica Echoes, To the Unknown Man, Chromatique, Sauvage et Beau"

Opening the Synthesizer Museum Berlin - a few words by co-founder Michael Soltau

video upload by Synthesizer Museum Berlin

"Opening night of Synthesizer Museum Berlin (part one). Co-founder and owner Michael Soltau welcomes the audience and the two artists that are about to perform: Pyrolator will open the show, followed by Thorsten Quaeschning from Tangerine Dream (concert videos and interviews coming soon)

Eröffnungsabend des Synthesizer Museum Berlin (Teil 1). Mitbegründer und Eigentümer Michael Soltau heißt das Premierepublikum willkommen und kündigt die beiden Künstler an, die auf der Bühne auftreten werden: Zunächst Pyrolator und danach Thorsten Quaeschning von Tangerine Dream (Konzertvideos und Interviews folgen)."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Improvisation in the Vangelis' Style / Homage to Vangelis (Complete)

video upload by Gabriel Lehto

"Yesterday I dreamed that I had met Vangelis.
It was very real and very very emotional to me.
I always loved the Vangelis' music and since his passage I was very sad with his lost.

This is a complete improvisation that I recorded in the same day that I dreamed with the master Vangelis.

I used just Yamaha DX7 Mk II, some small sound effects by Logic's Alchemy (in the background) + Eventide Blackhole and Valhala Shimmer.

Hope you like it!"

Vangelis Tribute-Blade Runner Cover by Studioliv. JD800, Jupiter 80 Main Titles & Prelude (Vangelis)

Published on Feb 5, 2014 studioliv1·6 videos

"Blade Runner Cover in live 'Main Tiltles'. A Vangelis'composition.
Lead : JD800
Runner Pad : Jupiter 80+CS80v+Minimonsta.
Bass : Pedal Bass Keyboard Roland PK-5 connected on MIDI with the 'Runner Pad'."

Prelude (Vangelis) By Studioliv on Jupiter 80

Published on Nov 21, 2013

"Prelude (Vangelis) By Studioliv on Jupiter 80
http://soundcloud.com/studioliv"

Vangelis Synthesizer Videos by SUPERFUNKTELEVISION

YouTube Published on Aug 30, 2012 by SUPERFUNKTELEVISION

Note the first video has been posted here before. I'm not sure about the others.

Playlist:
Vangelis CS80 Yamaha Synthesizer
Vangelis - Yamaha CS80 Synthesizer
Vangelis Prophet 5 Synthesizer
Vangelis scores Antarctica Cs80 Vp330 Synthesizers

Do you like Vangelis?

video upload by RetroSound

"(c)2007-25 by RetroSound
supported by UVI: http://bit.ly/retrosound-uvi

❤️ Support #RetroSound​ channel: https://retrosound.creator-spring.com

My track 'Sunbeams' summarizes some stylistic elements that inspire me in the music of Vangelis.
I use the Roland VP330 Vocoder Plus for String and Choir Sounds and the Roland Juno-60 for all Synthesizer Sounds.

Even as child I liked the music of Vangelis. I loved the Cosmos series by Carl Sagan where the music could always be heard. Also in many documentaries about our world and nature. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in the year 1989, I bought all of Vangelis' albums and listened to them all the time. The music had a strong influence on me and is also one of the reasons why I started to get into electronic music and synthesizers."

Vangelis approach...

YouTube via mik300z | September 12, 2010

"'approach' referring to Vangelis method of recording/composing/performing. First section is based on the track "horizon" , the second section is my own little comp. inspired by the first part. I read somewhere that Vangelis would improvise and record different pieces of music at nemo , then "stitch" them together in the recording process, knowing exactly what he wanted to achieve as the end result. He really is the master at it. Here I played live as much as possible, then added some extra little phrases after on a multitrack. A much more enjoyable way of making music than fiddling with a computer:) Remember Vangelis did not have midi when he recorded some of his most beautiful pieces of music. I hope this inspires anyone thinking of starting music production"

Blade Blues - inspired by Blade Runner Blues on CS80, with LinnDrum and TR909

video upload by Jose's Vintage Synths

"Heavily inspired by Blade Runner Blues, the short 'Mouth harp' sound from the CS. Including a great scene from a Vangelis interview showcasing his love for the spinning top! #vangelis #bladerunner #analogsynthesizer #analogsound"

And sans Vangelis:

Blade Blues - CS80 Improv - full version


Frahm meets Vangelis Improv on CS80, Jupiter 8, Rhodes and Taurus pedals

Vangelis - Rachel's song (cover) with Polyend Dreadbox Medusa synth

Published on Jun 23, 2019 Miltos Schimatariotis

"While exploring the warmer/sweeter side of the Polyend Medusa and the play-ability of the grid, I ended up making this small cover of one of my favorite tracks by Vangelis from the Bladerunner soundtrack. Some more details:

The Grid for the lead sound is setup so that the X-Axis goes one semitone up so on the X-Target I have the value of 10. With this setup it may be quite difficult to play always on tune so if you look at the video I always tend to touch the pads from the left side. This way doing the slides is also easier. I treat them somewhat like guitar frets. For the Y target I just have some filter cutoff. And for z-target a tiny bit of FM.
The pad and the drone are double tracked and panned left-right.
For the bass in order to fatten it up a little I have used the filter resonance.
The bell sound is just self resonating filter. The tuning here was a bit tricky, so I ended up doing some extra tuning later.
Generally the sounds are left without any significant post editing except of course the addition of effects and some basic mixing/mastering at the end. I have used Softube Tsar mainly on the lead sound to make it sound "bigger" as this reverb blends nicely with the sources, and for the long reverbs I have used NI/Softube RC 24. For the "shimmer" effect that is audible mostly at the outro I have added the Pitch shifter from NI Replika XT before the RC 24. There is also a little bit of Clouds at the pluck sound from VCV rack.

For the cover itself, I was partly influenced by the version of this song from Vasilis Saleas, a famous clarinet player in Greece. His version of the song is included in his album called "Orama".

Update:

Sound Design with Polyend Dreadbox Medusa (Ep. 1) - A warm brassy lead (Vangelis style)

Published on Apr 5, 2020 Miltos Schimatariotis

"This is my first attempt for a tutorial / walk-through of creating a patch for the Medusa synth. In this video I explain how I made the lead sound of my 'Vangelis - Rachel's Song' cover. It's a relatively simple patch but if there is an interest in this type of videos I could make this a series where more sounds will be covered. Thanks for watching, and take care!"

Yamaha CS80 vs Xils-Lab The Eighty: Ultimate Sound Showdown!

video upload by Andy Whitmore

See the follow-up video here.

"In this video, we dive into the ultimate comparison between the legendary Yamaha CS80, the iconic synth behind Blade Runner and countless classics, and the brand-new Xils-Lab The Eighty VST – a cutting-edge emulation of the original. I put these two head-to-head, exploring:

• Raw waveforms and the sound engine
• Ring modulation and pitch bend capabilities
• Dry sounds and FX comparisons
• Iconic licks from Vangelis and Michael Jackson

Whether you're a synth enthusiast or looking for your next VST, this video has you covered. Let’s see if the future of VSTs can truly match the past of analog synths!"

CLICK FOR MORE »

1984 Vangelis Interview

Vangelis - interview part 1

YouTube via Nimanty | September 24, 2010

"Interview 'The Man And His Music', with Vangelis in 1984, at his own Nemo Studios. Part one.

Re-edited and remastered for better audio quality and stereo imaging.
-Nimanty-"

Vangelis - interview part 2

Vangelis for Omnisphere

video upload by Luftrum1

"Vangelis tribute soundset for Omnisphere to be released late August/start September 2022. This demo is playing presets from the set, straight out of Omnisphere. No EQ, no compression, and no other sounds or effects are used. The set contains 87 Presets and 25 Multis.

Preset names are written in the timeline below.

00:00 Intro

00:12 Blade Runner Main Titles
(Endless, Blade Runner Main I, Deckard's Blues Pad I, Low City Rumble)

02:07 Theme From Antarctica
(Antarctica Lead, Antarctica Pad, The CS-80 Bass)

03:04 La Petite Fille de la Mer
(Le Petite Key de la Mer, La Petite Guitar de la Mer)

03:45 Fields of Coral
(Keys of Coral, Arp of Coral, Bass of Coral, In The Passing)

04:34 Hymne
(Hymne I, Hymne Strings)

05:14 Blade Runner Blues
(Blues Pad, Blade Runner Blues, Rhodes Voices)

06:41 Elsewhere
(Elsewhere, Rising Noise, The CS-80 Bass, Elsewhere Arp, CS-80 Strings)

07:44 Dream in an Open Place
(Dream Piano in Open Place)

08:20 Come to Me
(Come to Me Shakuhachi, Clouds, Star Chimes, Come to Me Harp, The CS-80 Bass)

09:33 Songs of The Seas
(Song of The Sea, Bass of The Sea, In The Passing)

09:58 Abraham's Theme
(Abraham's Key, Descending, Hymne Strings)

10:58 Rachel's Song
(Rachel's Gust, Rachel's Xylophone)

11:40 Twillight
(The Twillight Harp, Twillight Synth, Twillight Wind, Tännhauser Gate)

12:22 Tears In Rain
(Tears In Rain, Tännhauser Gate, Shoulder of Orion, Rain of Tears, Blade Runner Main I)
_______________________________

► VANGELIS FOR OMNISPHERE
Vangelis for Omnisphere https://www.luftrum.com/"

Unreleased music suite - Cosmos Special Edition 1986 by Vangelis

YouTube Uploaded by ptpt88 on Jan 20, 2012

Some Yamaha CS80 in there. If anyone knows the full setup, feel free to comment.

You can search for Vangelis up above or on the right for previous posts including pics and additional videos.

"Here's something very rare: a suite of unreleased music Vangelis composed for the special edition of Carl Sagan's Cosmos in 1986, the tv documentary serie that originally started already in 1980. The suite is compiled from 6 Movement songs. I omitted the sixth movement since it's the same as the only song that is commercially released as Comet 16.

The music is absolutely gorgeous. Vangelis uses both crystal clear digital synthesizers and his famous old analogues as well... absolutely fabulous combination of both worlds. It's incredible luck for us all that these movements saw the daylight.

Please enjoy the vast world of our Cosmos!"