Synkronos: Electronic Music of the Space Age
by unknown author
Established in 1983 by Peter D. Gulch, the kingpin of the
synthesizer group The Nightcrawlers, as an outlet for their own music,
Synkronos has since grown to be one of the most productive of American
indie cassette labels.
The Nightcrawlers are one of the few groups to emulate classic 70's
Tangerine Dream and take the music onto new bounds. Their roster of
releases is vast, some thirty odd cassettes and three LP releases, with
some astonishing music, from the purely avant-garde through to the almost
danceable. Even before Synkronos was established, the trio of Peter
Gulch, Tom Gulch and Dave Lunt were exploring the nether-regions of space
with a battery of analogue syths and sequencers. Some of the very early
recordings are among my favourites, like the the eerie SHADOWLESS VEIL or
the cold picture music of MIDWINTER DAYFREAM, both with strong references
to ZEIT, RUBYCON and ENCORE. There were also more original excursions
too, like the very abstract TRANSLUMINANCE, and later, with a blend of
many Teutonic styles, is the excellent live tape SPACE RITUAL AT ST.
MARY'S, featuring one Darren Kearns on guitar. The three LP's that The
Nightcrawlers have released are all deliberately more commercial styled
than their cassettes, especially their debut, with its Baumann-esque
sequencers and Schulzian swathes of sound.
Also featuring Peter D. Gulch is the trio Xisle (pronounced
"Exile"), though it's actually the product of synth wizard Chuck Van Zyl,
who has also released numerous solo tapes. The trio are completed by D.
Andrew Rath, a composer with experience in scoring soundtracks for films,
etc. More original than The Nightcrawlers, but also more melodically
based, Xisle have been very active on the live scene in their local
Philadelphia region. With a music based around sequences and rhythms,
they've a most descriptive and unique sound, easily the rival of any of
their European counterparts. I doubt any space-head into 80's Klaus
Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Ian Boddy, Wavestar, et al, would be
disappointed with any of Xisle's releases. [Errr, I like all of the
above except for Schulze, but I much prefer The Nightcrawlers to Xisle
--Steven Feldman]
Of course, as with most synth bands, all the members of The
Nightcrawlers and Xisle have done solo recordings. David Lunt's THE
FORMATON OF DREAMS (Synkronos SYNK 015) is quite a surprise, with just
one track per side. Swirls features guitars and synths, and is
reminiscent of the most esoteric Ashra, as it shimmers and glides in a
most surreal manner. The title track, in contrast, relates closer to
ZEIT and RUBYCON era Tangerine Dream, being vast and spacious, and only
barely melodic. D. Andrew Rath's QUANTUM (Synkronos SYNK 606) is not
what I'd have expected at all. Far from the realms of Tangerine Dream or
Xisle, it's a collection of pieces that bridge the genres of progressive
rock and synth musics. Opening in grandiose fashion with the aptly
titled Phantom of the Cathedral, with swelling church organ, bombastic
and powerful, almost as though it's snatched out of some 70's Italian
classical rock opus. Mr. Rath continues to surprise with each further
track, hinting at the likes of Bo Hansson, Henry-Skoff Torgue, Camel, or
even Sensations Fix. There are some other solos recorded under
pseudonyms like: Kolab, Peter D. Gulch in a very mysterious mood with the
tape A DARK HOUR FOR HISTORY (Synkronos SYNK 013) [recorded with Canadian
synthesist Steve Brenner, so not really a solo], and in contrast there's
the mysterious Synbion [Peter Gulch truly on his own] with CYBERNETIC
DANCING (Synkronos 012), an ode to Kraftwerk and the more commercial
synth music of latter-day Tangerine Dream or Mark Shreeve.
Most prolific, however, is Chuck Van Zyl, a dab hand with a
sequencer and improvised synthesizer soloing. Like The Nightcrawlers,
his music is highly derivative of Teutonic styles, but the accent on
melodic content is much stronger, and he tends to concentrate on evolving
works in the region of 15 to 20 minutes. The tape CALLISTO, that I
reviewed back in Audion #14 (four years ago now) actually forms half of
his new CD release CELESTIAL MECHANICS (issued by Centaur, the new label
run by C&D Services' Dave Shoesmith). With sequencers and melodies
almost stolen from Klaus Schulze's MIRAGE and Tangerine Dream circa
RICOCHET to ENCORE and the early-80's post TANGRAM era, it's all a bit
too familiar, really, but is well done, and I'm sure it's bound to please
many.
I gather that Art Cohen has worked live with either The
Nightcrawlers or Xisle, but apart from that, he's not an active member of
any band, as far as I can gather. Primarily a guitarist, Art also works
with electronics and various gadgetry. On REAL TIME (Synkronos SYNK
909), he explores the possibilites of the echo guitar, as pioneered by
the likes of Gunter Schickert or Manuel Gottsching. Cohen's approach,
however, is much less complex, being performed entirely live as you hear
it. Really, it's quite a feat when you consider the layers of sound and
multi-textured rhythmic patterns he builds, especially so when topped-off
by a dazzling fuzzed solo. In contrast, WIREHEAD (Synkronos SYNK 014) is
mostly composed of feedback delay and echo machine sounds, unusual and
hypnotic, only being joined on the second side by a Gottsching-like
guitar solo.
Recently, there was talk of various CD's by artists on the Synkronos
label. Of these, only the Chuck Van Zyl one has appeared. Hopefully,
new offerings from The Nightcrawlers and Xisle are due soon.
Most (probably all) of the cassettes reviewed here, or listed below,
are still available from Synkronos. Contact: Chuck Van Zyl, P.O. Box 22,
Upper Darby, PA 19082, U.S.A. Or, for more information on The
Nightcrawlers, commissions, bookings, etc., then contact: Peter D. Gulch,
1493 Greenwood Avenue, Camden, NJ 08103, U.S.A.
DISCOGRAPHY
The Nightcrawlers
CRYPTOSPHERE (MC) 1980
PLANETARY EXPEDITION (MC) 1980
THE FALLEN SPARROW (MC) 1980
HALLUCINATORY EXECUTIONS (MC) 1980
POLTERGEISTS (MC) 1981
SYNTHIMANIA (MC) 1981
SYSTEMA NATURAE (MC) 1981
HORS D'OEUVRES (MC) 1982
NARCOLEPSIS (MC) 1982
MIDWINTER DAYDREAM (MC) 1982
TANZWUT (MC) 1982
SHADOWLESS VEIL (MC) 1982
SUBLIMINAL SAILING (MC) 1983
FORBIDDEN MONASTERY (MC) 1983
SPRING HOLIDAY (MC) 1983
EVENING REPOSE (MC) 1983
TRANSLUMINANCE (MC) 1983
CRYSTAL LOOPS (MC) 1984
THE NIGHTCRAWLERS (LP,MC) 1984
2031 A.D. (MC) 1984
SPACE SHUTTLE (MC) 1984
OMBRA (MC) 1984
NIGHTWALK (MC) 1984
CYBERSUN 231 (MC) 1984
SPACEWALK (LP,MC) 1985
SPACE RITUAL AT ST. MARY'S (MC) 1985
THE LARGO TREE (MC) 1986
PARTICLE MIST (MC) 1986
ENERGY TRANSFER (MC) 1987
ALONE AFTER DARK (MC) 1987
SHADOWS OF LIGHT (LP: Synkronos 202) 1988
FLOATING PREMONITION (MC) 1989 [Peter Gulch solo]
SOMNILITY (MC) 1990 [Tom Gulch solo]
BARRIERS (2MC: Synkronos SYNK 019) 1991
Xisle
WINTER'S KING (MC: Xisle 03) 1985
NEXUS (MC: Xisle 05) 1986
THE PHANTOM ZONE (MC: Xisle 06) 1986
THE INVISIBLE PEOPLE (MC: Xisle 07) 1986
PROVING GROUND (MC: Xisle 08) 1987
THE INDEPENDENT SPACE PROGRAM (2MC: Xisle 10) 1988
NOVINS (MC: Xisle 11) 1988
JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS (MC: Xisle 12) 1988
PERCHANCE TO DREAM (MC: Synkronos SYNK 404) 1989
ETERNITY'S ENGINE (MC: Synkronos SYNK 505) 1989
AURAL EXPLORERS (MC: Synkronos SYNK 707) 1989
NOVINS II (MC: Synkronos SYNK 808) 1989
THE SPACE AGE (MC: Synkronos SYNK 011) 1990
THE SOUND MUSEUM (2MC: Synkronos SYNK 020) 1991
