SOUND SYNTHESIS Vinyl & CDs

Review: There is some serious electro talent on this new EP from Fanzine, starting with now US-based, UK-favourite Carl Finlow. His machines are in fine fettle once more as crisp, kicking electro rhythms are overlaid with bright, silvery, pixelated melodic fireworks on the sublime 'Organoiods'. Hoax Believers get more gritty with the sheet metal snares and in-your-face arps of 'Short Circuit' while Sound Synthesis offers something moody and unsettling on their 'Vertex43'. Univac will make your eyes water with the abrasive textures of 'H Beat.'

Review: Distant Worlds welcomes back Sound Synthesis for a second outing of warm, melodic electro. The longstanding producer commands stark attention with his unique blend of snappy drums, unaffected synth sequencings and ample headroom ekes, all of which combine to reveal an increasing, slow-burning sophistications as the tracks develop. 'Unification Of Harmony' refuses to prepare us for its sci-fi bass-contrapuntal gut-punch of emotion occurring after its breakdown, while 'Dear Ballacid' gets generative with things, utilising wompy Reeses and rattling, randomised topper elements.

Review: The ever-prolific Sound Synthesis is usually found dealing in a classic strain of electro, but on this appearance for the burgeoning AmenTec label he's switching things up with a foray into blistering jungle. On 'Electrical Synpases' he more than proves himself up to the task, creating a monster of a track which will send limbs flailing as soon as the drop hits. 'Emigdela Network' finds an interesting fusion of electro synthesis and ragga jungle touches, while on the flip we get some interesting remixes from Cridge & Powder and Tone Def delving into the machine funk you might have reasonably expected on the A side.

Review: More hand-stamped headiness from Keith Farrugia AKA Sound Synthesis on his own Orbital Mechanics imprint. In keeping with the Maltese producer's trademark sound, what's on offer is an attractive, highly accomplished blend of electro, glassy-eyed underground electronica, acid and ambient techno. Our pick of an extremely strong bunch is closing cut 'Memory Re-Generation', a deep, melodious and loved-up affair in which TB-303 acid lines and gorgeous melodies bubble away atop tight electro beats, warm bass and ultra-dreamy chords. There's plenty to get the pulse racing elsewhere across the EP too, including the lovely - and hard-to pigeonhole - opener 'Don't Let Go' and the tighter, tougher electro club jam 'Let The Music Take Control'.

Review: Renowned Maltese producer Sound Synthesis has always been an adept electro specialist, unafraid of pushing the genre to its furthest limits. Braindance analogia and rave ghosts all crop up on this melodic, admittedly emotional new long EP, recalling a much breaksier Bicep, for those who like their dance music a bit rawer than what its most obvious channels have to offer. It's all thanks to SS's penchant for analog synthesis and vintage hardware - heads know no end of classic machines were used in the formation of his sound. This is a statement of real passion.

Review: As any dedicated electro obsessive will happily tell you, Keith Farrugia has been delivering killer cuts - most aimed squarely at peak-time dancefloors - as Sound Synthesis for well over a decade. Even so, the sleazy, energetic and acid-fired bangers he's put out on the Orbital Mechanics imprint, which he founded in 2021, have been 'next-level' good. If you have doubts about this assertion, check out Farrugia's latest EP. It begins with a chunk of grandiose, urgent, TB-303-heavy sci-fi electro (the incredible 'Dark Objects') and ends with the creepy, aggressive and frankly breath-taking 'PSM'. In between, you'll find the melancholic, bittersweet brilliance of 'FH Machines' and the starry, mid-set delight of the surprisingly uplifting 'Perpetual Motion'.

Review: The Maltese machine funk specialist himself Keith Farrugia is back once more with yet more of his impeccable electro business as Sound Synthesis. This time the prolific producer is shoring up on Burnski's Infiltrate label with four cool and deadly cuts which build on his previous drops for 20:20 Vision, Furthur Electronix, Orbital Mechanics and more besides. From the nervy sci-fi flex of 'Motor Space Maps' to the playful fun n' games of 'Back In Time', Farrugia knows exactly what he's doing within the electro blueprint, and his tracks are reliably punchy warm - a true master at work.

Review: Keith Farrugia is the man known in electro circles as Sound Synthesis. He is a topicality craftsmen who deals in dreamy chords and forlorn grooves that come with careful acid details. He has a vast array of analogue hardware in his studio and here he takes part in the largest project Electro Records have ever done: 36 vinyl records produced by all of the key talents who they deem to be right at the forefront of the current electro scene. He kicks it off in class fashion with an array of tunes as good for listening to as they are dancing too, with far-sighted melodies, devastating baselines and super elegant arrangements that get you on your toes.

Review: Wave Function is the brand new label from Maltese producer Sound Synthesis. Like many artists, he hit a fine run of form during the lockdown and has once out the other side just as on it. He's put out more than 12 releases in the last year or so and now mints his own new concern with a superb double album of timeless, spaced-out electro. This is the sort of sci-fi tackle that takes you on smooth groove cruises through the planets, with tipsy synths and heavenly pads all soothing the trip. Electro as emotive as this will always tune a place in our racks.

Review: An exciting four tracker from Eudaimonia Records here, presenting the simple task of exploring the outer reaches of the world we find ourselves in through the lens of acid. Both time-honoured and fresh-faced artists appear on this selectors' compilation and their tracks recall everything from the more space-agey, low-register corners of acid electro to the sunnier, arpier, R&S-style breaks.