Synergy

A revised and expanded version of the original Synergy retrospective from 1984, Semi-Conductor, Release 2 includes over two hours of synthesizer works recorded between 1975 and 1986. The music is some of the most evocative and intriguing to come from the '70s synthesizer boom, including potential novelty tracks -- like covers of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" and "Classical Gas" -- that are barely recognizable after Fast focuses on his fast-moving, polyphonic arrangements that use a variety of modules by Moog, Oberheim and Prophet. The Synergy sound remained surprisingly unchanged into the '80s, though the addition of a standard drumkit on tracks from 1979's Games. Though it may be difficult for listeners to separate the music of Synergy from the synthesizer excesses of contemporary prog-rock ensembles, Semi-Conductor includes a host of important electronic recordings. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide