You know synthesizer culture has hit peak awareness when it’s getting parodied on Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s late-night bloc of hilariously NSFW animated (and sometimes live-action) fare. Last year, well before Synth Expert was launched, AS hosted a seemingly indie film in which three fictional (barely) electronic musicians – Xangelix, Morgio Zoroger, and Carla Wendos – face off in a competition marked by the passing of Halley’s Comet. However, the comet has broken orbit and is hurtling towards the earth, so they have to team up to save humanity using the power of … wait for it … synthesizers!
From the simulation of video production circa the Gerald Ford administration to the musical styles to the dry narration of the two newscaster host guys (actually the film’s co-directors/producers), the whole thing is just perfect. It has even inspired people to do mash-ups of music from the characters’ real-life counterparts, such as this one:
Credits on IMDB list the composer as one Tyler Burton, who I reached out to and who agreed to do an interview soon. While I’m putting that together I’ll be hoping for a sequel featuring, say, “Gianne Suzani,” “Jean-Luc Cannes,” and “Citrus Reverie.”
Pro Tools Users Blog 