Review: Secret Synth Society - Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Secret Synth Society
Tuesday June 9, 2020

Virtual Synth II Featuring: Pettiecord, Kompyootur Muhsheen: Teenage Algorithm, Pam the Webivore, & Sloopygoop

You can send donations to @SecretSynthSociety on venmo. All proceeds go to performers.


Kompyootur Muhsheen: Teenage Algorithm (Elijah Joseph Weber-Han) (Ithaca, NY)

Processed (synthesized?) vocals at the beginning. Sounds like a newscast taken from today's headlines. Segues into a storm of synthesized sounds. The vocals change character as the music becomes more complex and intense. (Wait a minute. Isn't that the voice of the president in the mix?) The music becomes progressively more abstract, vocals less identifiable, less intelligible. An intense, reverberant sonic rabbit hole.

Pettiecord (Brooklyn, NY)      https://pettycord.bandcamp.com/

Pleasantly simple synth tones and licks accompanied by complex and colorful, sometimes Rube-Goldbergish falling-domino installations by Hevesh5. (hevesh5.com)

Pam The Webivore        beats.thewebivore.com

This tune (which I believe is called Tidal Cycles) starts out as two subtle but distinct rhythm lines with a simple tone way back in the mix. The music builds up layer by layer. Tones. Rhythms. Bird calls? This is definitely music that's meant to be danced to. But not just yet. The music hasn't been allowed to develop fully yet. What's that, a processed tabla? Now we're into sampled and processed glockenspiel notes mixed with electronic rhythm, bird calls and baby noises. Now there are 808-style rhythm machine breaks and synth notes. All the while, we see the performer's computer screen as she changes commands in order to change the sound during the performance.

Sloopygoop                  facebook.com/sloopygoop, instagram.com/sloopy_goop, soundcloud.com/sloopygoop 

"Awesome tunes from old Game Boys". He has at least three on a music stand behind him. I think he also has two more in front of him. His singing voice, kind of reminiscent of Daniel Johnston, isn't too bad either. Splendid chiptune pop. Straight-ahead 8-bit rockin'! The mannequin with the light-up head is a nice extra touch, especially when it contributes backing vocals!