Organic chemistry: That Which Prevails, the new album by Computerchemist

Computerchemist's ninth album is a solid island of complex Berlin School-style electronica in an ocean of myriad other mainstream / trendy electronic music releases. Once again, instead of taking some 'fashionable' commercial route, the music is true to its central aesthetic - and delivers on that.

The presence of 'organic' instrumentation in the electronic landscape is (or always should be) a very welcomed artistic choice. If one recalls Klaus Krieger's or Chris Franke's drumming on Tangerine Dream records, Klaus Schulze's drumming on his solo albums, or Manuel Göttsching's guitar improvisations enveloped by Schulze's electronic textures, then one knows what these combinations can deliver as an experience for the listener.

What we have here is much more electrifying than a purely synthesised soundscape. Dave Pearson's guitars and the drumming by Zsolt Galantai (of, among others, Ossian fame) adds a vital organic element to the Berlin School sound unfolding in these tracks.

We have tight sequencers, which are captivatingly pulsating and giving structure to the tracks' lush atmospherics, PPG Wave-like characteristic sonic gems (check out the final track especially), and impossible to resist mellotron-like textures. Everything a Berlin School aficionado could possibly want...

However, in addition we have fluid and, one dares to say, emotive guitar leads, with aforementioned drums on the third track. Even the drum programming on the other tracks feels organic and eminently non-robotic, unlike what happens in some other eminently synthesised, even synthetic, sonic journeys.

It makes the tracks feel more fluid, ever-changing, without static sequencer patterns. Things constantly develop, which is increasingly rare in latter-day Berlin School records & jams inundating the internet.

The opening track is already landing us in catchy Berlin School territory, and characteristically, the sequencers are there to provide structural support to animated electronic rock, rather than totally taking over.

Time Is A Great Healer (parts iii-iv) is another good example where we may believe we are in for a digital trip, as PPG Wave-like sounds open the composition, but then we can quickly take a flight with guitars making a solid appearance...

A Dali-esque Dreamer is a superb homage to Edgar Froese, who passed away five years ago. It once again shows how the tracks do not stand still and there is solid compositional development, whilst keeping an almost improvised feel, too with the guitar leads.

The title track, That Which Prevails is again a perfect example how a retro-sounding organ intro can develop into a fiery electronic rock piece.

Yours truly used to say, even write, about classic TD and Schulze gems that there were no straight lines, only waves and curved surfaces in those records. The same accolade applies to this album, too.

While there is clear compositional thinking with structural development, each track achieves that sense of catchy fluidity that normally only comes with inspired improvisations.

Computerchemist's catalogue can be purchased on CD from CDbaby.com and amazon.com in the US or direct from the artist's site via bandcamp.com. Digital distribution is through bandcamp.com, CDbaby.com, Apple iTunes, Spotify and other popular streaming services.

Wave futures now: the novel Korg Wavestate synthesizer

Korg Wavestate (photo by Korg)

Wave sequencing exploded into public consciousness with the Korg Wavestation at the beginning of the 1990s.

The synth engine's core concept was innovative and powerful enough for this type of synthesis to survive well into the 21st century - not only as software synth re-incarnations, but also as key parts of flagship workstations like the OASYS and Kronos.

There are many reviews and demos out there of the new Wavestate synth, so here one would focus on the specifics of wave sequencing (as there are occasional misunderstandings in various forums or different digital waveform-based synthesis methods are conflated), and would highlight the central idea that truly makes the Wavestate a stunning development in wave sequencing synthesis.

The synthesis method pioneered by the Wavestation is not to be confused with mere memory-stored waveforms-based synthesis, where digital samples are just played back from memory as the oscillator part of the synthesis chain. In this sense, "romplers", as some call these, are very far from wave sequencing. Similarly, the PPG Wave-like revolutionary wavetable synthesis is eminently different, in that case we have snippets (e.g. single-cycle periods) of waveforms stored in adjancent tables of samples, and the synths is sweeping across these tables in a cyclical fashion.

The crux of the wave sequence-based synthesis is that waveforms played back from memory can be, well, sequenced: one can define consecutive time slots during which different digital waveforms' samples are played back. One can have cross-fade between these, again with pre-defined duration - or no cross-fades at all, i.e. the different waveforms abruptly transition from one to another.

Even if, absurdly, one has never heard wave sequenced sounds by 2020, it is perhaps easy to imagine the sonic possibilities.

If one wishes long evolving pads, then one can use in the wave sequences long cross-fade times with atmospheric sounds used as individual "slots" in the wave sequence. The result can be a moving, changing, evolving sound that is eminently different from other synthesis methods' results.

If one wishes to achieve rhythmic sounds with lots of changes and even full-blown grooves, then one can assemble a wave sequence with the desired timings, loops, and no cross-fades at all, for example.

Transitioning rapidly between components of the wave sequence can lead to phenomenal spectral movements, especially if one can alter the individual parts of the wave sequence.

The possibilities are endless... and Wavestation has rightly become one of the most unique-sounding and characteristic synths of recent decades, with instantly recognisable sounds.

In OASYS and in the Kronos HD-1 engine one could have the joy of finding the full wave sequencing capabilites of the mighty Wavestation, with some extra features added in - including user interface aspects, whereby managing wave sequences has become sublime via large touch screens.

Then comes the Wavestate...

If one has heard and/or grasped the essence and the possibilities of wave sequencing synthesis, then one can perhaps imagine what happens when KORG decides to add individual real-time control to all key parameters of wave sequences, structures them into multiple so-called lanes - and even adds randomisation capabilities.

Not only one has now real-time control via knobs in order to on-the-fly alter the wave sequences' component parts, but there are deep modulation possibilities for these parameters.

Well, with the many examples provided on SoundCloud, one doesn't have to merely imagine the resulting sonic power.

Thus, Wave Sequencing 2.0 is not an overstatement.

The cherry, well, a whole orchard on the cake is that Wavestate has numerous classic and digitally modeled filters (incl. those from the legendary MS-20 and Polysix), up to 14 simultaneous effects (incl. the perhaps most realistic and astonishing reverb, the O-Verb available on Oasys and the later Kronos), and even vector synthesis (via a joystick that we have seen on previous flagship models).

Latter allows real-time control between 4 layers of sounds, and the movements of the joystick can be captured and reproduced as part of the synth patch.

There are gigabytes of on-board waveforms, including the full Wavestation offering... so user can spend quasi-infinite amounts of time creating wave sequence Universes...

Photo: Korg