Perversely all tracks here are cover versions. By virtue of the dark sorcerous arts of programming in assembler code these otherwise otherwise innocous pieces of music have metamorphosed into something uncanny and unnerving.
The Stranglers "A Midnight Summer Dream" played by a melancholic android harpsicord atomaton. The D&D medieval fantasy imagery of Spellbinders endless twisted, turning corridors - each rendered in wonderful 1-bit colour, summons Dungeonsynth vibes.
Franco-electronica band Space's 1977 chart hit Magic Fly rendered on a Texas Instruments SN76489 sound chip by Byte the Apple is a cold, downbeat piece of atmospheric electonica, evoking vast cavernous tracts of frostbitten wilderness and melancholic tortured birdsong.
Yorkshires finest synthpop duo Fiat Lux scraped into the top-40 in 1983 with thier track Secrets. Byte the Apples cover version ventures into melodious spheres not usually associated with Dungeonsynth, but creates an atmosphere of ghostly spirits crying in grey stone graveyards, pining for their lost souls. There's some grim bass sounds lurking in the sinister depths.
Update: Youtube Playlist Crypt of the Dungeonsynth
Rob Hubbard was often doing this; Master of Magic and Zoids were both covers of tracks from Synergy's 1981 album Audion, for example.
ReplyDeleteHey, I've never heard Synergy before, that's great. Do think Rob's arrangement on Zoids is better than the original tho.
DeleteOn the Beeb, Codename Droid has a nice cover version of Airwolf theme but it's not really Dunegony enough for my playlist...
I agree; there's something a bit more vivid about Hubbard's versions of both.
DeleteThis is one strange genre of music......not sure I like it or not, but certainly very 80's. I completely missed this at the time, and I thought I was into alternative stuff then!
ReplyDeleteThe tr00 kvlt Dungeonsynth is stuff like Burzum and Mortiis, and generally considered as originating as an offshoot of Black Metal.
DeleteDungeonsynth is more of a curational category than a genre - although some musicians do identify their work as "Dungeonsynth" and would agree they are attempting the aesthetic, many would not.
I'm quite sure die-hard Dungeonsynth purists would turn in their electronic graves at 8-bit covers of synthpop ballads being labled thusly, but it works for me.
What's the difference between a genre and a curational category?
DeleteI'd say one was largely determined by the intent of the curator over intent of the producer. Genre also tends towards more broader codification, whereas most curational categories are quite specific and focused.
DeleteWell, Varg says Burzum isn't black metal, but everyone knows it is, probably even him.
DeleteSure, an artist is free to accept or reject labels being put onto their work, whether that work can be seen to conform to the codes and conventions of a genre by critics or not. This can especially be a problem for artists once a genre becomes over-codified.
DeleteCase in point, I find that the technical and aesthetic conventions of Byte the Apple's cover version of Magic Fly conforms to the idea of Dungeonsynth, but it lacks any intentionality towards the idea of the medieval / fantasy soundscape.
1-bit synthesis sounds far better and darker than mortiis.
ReplyDeleteBut, i wonder what kind of synth SUMMONING used for "Dol Guldur" for instance? It sounds really fine. Any info?
Thanks for the link to the Youtube playlist - subscribed!
ReplyDelete