While the legacy of early electronic wizards has been highly influential and is widespread, there’s not a lot of examples of their peers or contemporary artists covering what the extremely interesting forthcoming album terms “Synthesizer Classics”: a collection of evergreen pieces whose tunes seem to be inseparably attached to their sonic palette – given an overhaul by progressive rock’s ivories drivers, including no less than three keyboardists associated with YES, and one unknown piano player.
Planned for release on August 12th, the disc, recorded in 2021, is comprised not only of perennials like KRAFTWERK’s “Tour De France” – delivered by the aforementioned unknown, Nyte Jewel – or Jean-Michel Jarre’s “Oxygene” but also the stuff for cognoscenti to savor, such as “Visitors” from Italian team KOTO and “Magic Fly” from French master Didier Marouani’s SPACE. Reimagined by the following line-up, these melodies can’t go wrong.
1. Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield) – Derek Sherinian
2. Magic Fly (SPACE) – Rick Wakeman
3. Pulstar (Vangelis) – Geoff Downes
4. Chase (Giorgio Moroder) – Jordan Rudess
5. Oxygene (Part 4) (Jean-Michel Jarre) – Patrick Moraz
6. Escape From New York (John Carpenter) – Thijs Van Leer
7. Tour De France (KRAFTWERK) – Nyte Jewel
8. Visitors (KOTO) – Larry Fast