

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!