By Mitchell Sigman's own description: "Memory Banks is an all-original love letter celebrating the futuristic musical visions of ELO, Kraftwerk, The Alan Parsons Project, et al. No AI, no Suno, no loops." Yeah, there was a time where some music, especially stuff made by people using synths and looking to push the boundaries music creation, felt like it was a glimpse into the future. To my 16 year old ears back then, ELO's [Jeff Lynne, Tape Op #92] Out of the Blue felt like updated Beatles and something for my generation to embrace. A few years later, Thomas Dolby's [#112] debut LP, The Golden Age of Wireless, would be another great example of classic songwriting and futuristic sounds. Mitchell Sigman's Memory Banks treads a similar domain, and is a treat to listen to.
He may be best known as a keyboard player/music director for the band Berlin (2000-2007), but he also was lead designer for Cherry Audio until last year, where he developed over 25 top-selling virtual instruments. Part of this record was done in his previous home studio (below) – it's full of cool synthesizers – and he's building a space for a much bigger studio soon (wish him luck!).
I'm really digging all the vocal layers, synths, drum machines, and interesting production touches. Plus, it's all catchy as heck!
Mastering was by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering.
Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.
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