Andy McCluskey (OMD) Tells It Like It is (clip from Synth Britannia)

This is a clip from Synth Britannia, a 2009 BBC special about the rise of electronic music in Britain. Andy McCluskey of OMD pointedly says what he thinks about some of the people who have criticised electronic bands.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Synth
• Britannia
• BBC
• synthesizer
• synthpop
• electropop
• OMD
• Andy
• McCluskey

[HighRiseChateau]

It would have been cool to have been alive during the 80s, back when musicians played their own synths. These days both the radio and charts are chalk full of nothing but solo singers and popstars who do nothing but sing the lyrics. The synth work is now left to the sound enginers. Id be surprised of people like people like Lady Gaga even know what a synth is.

[xnonsuchx]

@HighRiseChateau - Well, there were always sound engineers, but some of those came into their own (e.g. Thomas Dolby programmed synths for Foreigner, I believe). The biggest thing in the 80's was that some synth programmers were trying to copyright their patches and, luckily, the courts decided they could only copyright collections of patches (otherwise, someone could copyright all possible patches and essentially charge royalties for any use of a synth in a recording/performance).

[rebekah70]

I like what he's saying here. Especially when synths were first becoming popular, people had this misconception that it doesn't take any talent to play them well. It's just another instrument, and in the same way that not everyone can pick up a guitar or sit down at a piano and make that sound good, not everyone can create great music with a synthesizer.

[LunaraApple]

Andy is epic and full of win. Love him!