Synthesizers

The resurrection of Moogs stellar bass synth has caused a considerable stir. Can the Taurus 3 live up to the venerable reputation of its ancestor?

The Formanta Polivoks is becoming an increasingly familiar sound to Western ears — it is, for example, all over Franz Ferdinand’s most recent album Tonight. But for those who haven’t heard this mighty Russian beast in action, Sam Inglis created a few examples to accompany Gordon Reid’s Retrozone feature.

The fall of the Iron Curtain revealed a surprise for Western musicians: a flourishing Soviet synthesizer industry. Its flagship instrument was crude, cheaply made, horrible to play — and sounded like nothing else...