Oli Freke – författare

Whether looking at an imposing modular system or posing with a DX7 on Top of the Pops, the synth has also always had an undeniable physical presence. This book celebrates their impact on music and culture by providing a comprehensive and meticulously researched directory of every major synthesizer, drum machine and sampler made between 1963 and 1995. Each instrument is illustrated by hand, and shown alongside its vital statistics and some fascinatingly quirky facts. In tracing the evolution of the analogue synthesizer from its invention in the early 1960s to the digital revolution of the 1980s right up until the point that analogue circuits could be modelled using software in the mid-1990s, the book tells the story of analogue to digital - and back again.

Following on from his 2021 book, Synthesizer Evolution: From Analogue to Digital (and Back), Oli Freke returns with a Synthesizer Evolution A6 zine series. The invention of the synthesizer in the 1960s changed musical culture and music production forever, giving musicians whole new worlds of sound to play with. Vintage Synths celebrates that invention and its subsequent history by picking out 46 of the most influential, important or most interesting synths from 1939 – 1998. They represent the introduction of a new technology, had a particular impact, or maybe even formed the basis of entirely new genres. Explore the most legendary synthesizers ever created, including the Minimoog, ARP 2600, Yamaha DX7, Roland Jupiter 8 and more, with detailed descriptions and the stories behind their development.