This is the music video for Art of Noise’s 1986 arrangement of Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn theme.

But I probably didn’t have to tell you that this was from the 80’s……

via DPJTRON

It’s still October – but it’s not too early to declare the worst trend of 2009: sexy 3D renderings in ads for virtual instruments.

Here are a few of the most annoyingly sexy 3d renderings for virtual instruments that we’ve seen in the last year.

HG Sounds’ Black Magic Loop Generator, above, looks awesomely hands-on.

Look at all those knobs! And the matte black finish – well you know my position on that.

Too bad it’s an “artists” 3D rendering.

And how about this awesomely cool-looking D16 Nithonat vintage-style drum machine:

Give me that thing! Put it in my hands! Take my hard-earned cash!

It’s not really a gorgeous retro-styled drum machine, though – it’s a 3D rendering of a non-existent piece of hardware based on the design of the virtual instrument Nithonat.

Here’s the new Audio Damage BigSeq2 effect and gate sequencer:

It looks cool enough to make you a little disappointed when you see that it’s “available for vst and au”.

What’s with the giant, poorly lit knob, then?

Finally, MOTU really confused people this year with their ads for BPM, their cool new MPC-style drum instrument.

BPM looks like a totally badass piece of hardware – even cooler than the BoomChik.

It’s got:

• 16 MPC-style pads
• knobs galore
• a very nicely placed pair of headphone jacks and
• a generous screen….

Unfortunately – MOTU brought sexy back with the BPM, but it was just virtual sexy.

These companies are by no means the only culprits, and their apps ARE actually pretty drool-worthy.

Next year, though, how about some ads that get us excited about working with software?

If you think this video of Japanese girl group synth band Cosmos is horrible, I feel your pain.

On the other hand, if you think it’s awesome in a sort of David Lynch way, I also feel your pain.

Give it a look and let me know what you think!

via blackisblack

Video of the new song Eléctrico of Flavio Rodriguez, presented by Little Red Corvette Records and Pressrec productions.

This is either puke-tacular or awesome.

The extreme over-the-top retro cheesiness – combining everything that was bad about the 80s with everything that’s bad with current pop music, along with the gratuitous keytarage, is making me lean towards awesome, though.

Let me know what you think! Awesome or puke-tacular?

Back in July, we highlighted some of the best entries in Moby’s Ooh Yeah video contest. 

Moby’s chosen a winner, and Valerio Sacchetto’s lighthearted take on 70’s adult films came out on top. 

Moby warns: “If you’re watching at work, your boss might think it’s porn.”

Goldbaby Productions has released a fun new sample pack that features arguably Moog’s worst synth, the Realistic Concermate (Radio Shack) Moog MG-1.

There are a lot of reasons the MG-1 was so cheesy, starting with the fact that it’s got the Radio Shack stamp all over it, moving on to the flawed construction to the dumbed-down control panel.

Despite the fact that it was a pretty cheesy little synth, it was a Moog with a real Moog filter, and if the sound wasn’t f’d up enough, Goldbaby ran it through a bunch of Audio Damage effects.

Download URL.

Don’t miss the rest of the free goodies at Goldbaby’s site.

Image: Kriton Visuals

The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman is a snapshot of some of the earliest Moog music, at the height of Moog-mania. Moog albums were popping up everywhere, thanks to Switched-On Bach, and Gershon Kingsley’s cheesy psychedelic Moog albums. This CD captures that era in all its glory(?). The tracks range from the goofy to hardcore lounge synth work that will bring a smile to your face. Hyman’s tunes may sound a little dated, but that’s part of their charm, and his playing is nothing if not virtuosic.

Several cuts foreshadow the music of recent electronica artists. “Topless Dancers of Corfu” is cheesy as hell, with its squawky synth sound, and European folk dance melody. Yet, Hyman was doing something that nobody had really done before, making pop music with the giant Moog modular synthesizer. “The Legend of Johnny Pot” is cheesy, too, but the songs have a retro appeal. In fact, you’ll hear some sounds and grooves that would be right at home on some modern lounge electronica.

“Four Duets in Odd Meter” are more experimental. The sound choices are more “far-out”, sounding odd, if not quite spacey. The track has an improvised feel, and it explores continous key changes and complex rhythms.

Listen to “The Minotaur”, and you can hear where Keith Emerson cribbed some of his ideas. The track starts with a primitive drum machine track, and some early sequenced bass. On top of this, Hyman plays a short tune, and then plays variations and improvisations on the theme. The sound he uses sounds very familiar…think “Lucky Man”. Hyman’s improvisational style on “The Minotaur” seems to anticipate the chromatic style that Emerson made popular a few years later. He also uses lots of octave jumps, with the notes sliding from one octave to another. This is one of the most listenable cuts on the album because of the great playing. It’s also interesting as one of the earliest examples of jazz-rock synthesizer improvisations.

Several other improvised tracks explore other territory, from a quiet, almost ambient track, that will remind some listeners of Raymond Scott’s work, to a funky take on James Brown’s “Give it up, turn it loose”.

The CD wraps up with “Time is Tight”, probably the cheesiest track on the album. It’s Mooged out, and would be at home on the next Austin Powers soundtrack.

Not a classic, but nevertheless enjoyable listening and an interesting record, The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman is old enough to be appreciated for what it is, well-crafted pop electronica from the early days of electronica.