My efforts to find satisfying retro sci-fi soundtracks have been largely disappointing – until now. Shawn Lee’s “Synthesizers In Space” is exactly what I’ve been looking for – groovy, psychedelic and funky – like the soundtrack to the best late 60′s sci-fi film I’ve never seen.
Having stumbled across a “mystery-box” amongst vintage synths and organs, Lee found it was capable of making cool effects that would lead him to launch a project designed to incorporate these wondrous textures. Working around the mystery-box, Lee filled in the rest of the instruments at his London studio and bounced the sound back and forth from digital to analog to give it the truly authentic texture of 60′s emerging technology meets fascination with psychedelia. Pronounced bass, sounding like Carol Kaye’s great work for Lalo Schifrin sits atop thick drums, whilst Lee takes the mystery-box to Jean-Jacques Perrey territory, painting wonderful sonic landscapes that feed the imagination. “Black Hole” sounds like Barry White in space, while “Boogie Children (Saturn Day Night)” with Earl Zinger on vocals is most definitely Marc Bolan – in space of course. Perhaps my favourite is “Tiger Style” definitely evocative of the Matmos lake from Barbarella.
It’s groovy, colourful and lots of fun. If you happen to be headed to the shops in your fur-lined space craft, I could think of no finer sounds to slip into your 8-track player than Synthesizers In Space.
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