Adam Winchester's top 10 synthesiser soundtracks

 "...it's escapism from my own reality..."

Growing up in the 80s & 90s in a small town in the South West of England, with very little to do, and with a fairly lazy attitude to physical activity, much of my youth was spent in front of the TV. Hanging out with mates and watching movies was our thing, talking about movies, reading about movies, arguing about movies, watching movies about movies. Persuading an older sibling to rent us 18 certificate films from the video shop, and staying up all night watching them whilst gorging on microwave popcorn and sweets. Buzzing off the sugar, the mild delirium of over tiredness, and the sheer joy of watching these illicit films in a back to back marathon. That was the highlight of the week, our lives. 

Sci fi and horror were the go to genre's, with obvious blockbusters such as Robocop, Aliens, Terminator, and Evil Dead on repeat, basically whatever they had in the video store. More obscure B movie titles from directors such as Roger Corman, George Romero, and David Cronenberg were also favourites if we could find them, but we'd usually have to venture further afield to markets and boot sales to pick up such gems on VHS. The Eliminators, Re-animator, Ticks, Bad Taste, and Death Machine were considered

hard to find classics in our world. But it wasn't just the movies with their special fx, ultra violence, and surreal narratives that got us going, it was also the soundtracks, scores, and sound effects that left imprints on our tiny minds.  

At the time, I wasn't so aware of the affect these soundtracks and scores were having on me. Subtly embedding themselves in my conscious, and laying foundations for my later explorative pursuits in music. If you listen to my creative work with Dot Product or my solo productions as Adam Winchester, then it's easy to see the thread of cinematic composition and alien atmospherics running through it. Even my early Dubstep tunes as Wedge have a filmic slant, with samples from Dr Terror's House of Horrors, and Manga's Urotsukidoji appearing on selected tracks. 

Creating sound worlds and audio environments now seems to come quite naturally to me, and it's what I find most satisfying to create when i'm in the studio. Just like watching movies, it's escapism from my own reality.  

So, in no particular order, here are some of my favourite, more obscure synthesiser heavy scores: 

Death Sport (1978). In the year 3000 all freedoms are crimes in Roger Corman's camp low budget Si Fi  movie staring Kill Bill's David Carradine. Great synth soundtrack with a good dose of arpeggiators and out of control sound fx, with some jazzy horns and 70s funk grooves. Jerry Garcia is listed in the credits for "guitar", could it be THE Grateful Dead guitarist or just a namesake? Not the best Roger Corman movie, but fairly entertaining and unintentionally funny. Watch the whole movie here!

Night of the Living Dead (1968) - A mix of classical instrumentation, weird otherworldly synthesiser sounds and Theremin modulations. Suitably weird and unsettling. listen

The Beyond (1981) - A very engaging gem of a score from Fabio Frizzi. The main title theme has classical instrumental sections coupled with 70s synth funk grooves. The soundtrack meanders through several genre's, such as folk, prog, sultry lounge jazz, and ending up in shamanistic ceremonious chanting with beautifully harmonised vocals. listen 

Apocalypse Now (1979) - You associate Coppola's acid trip Vietnam journey with The Doors - The End, but dig deeper and you'll find the score itself is underpinned by deep drones, resonant synth bass layers, dizzying pitch bent harmonies, and sometimes beautiful but often unsettling synth melodies & motifs. listen 

Suspiria (1977) - Brilliant score from Italian band Goblin. Due to the film's success, the soundtrack became the band's biggest selling record. Exciting and super satisfying prog synth record that stands up on its own. Fans of Tangerine Dream and German Krautrock will love it. listen 

Tango and Cash (1989) - Harold Faltermeyer at his best in this 80s infused motif-fest of fun and japes. Like the film, it doesn't take itself too seriously. Up there with The Running Man and Beverly Hills Cop. listen

Re-animator (1985) - A medical student creates a serum that can 're-animate' dead bodies, what's not to like?! Classic modern Frankenstein story with an equally classic soundtrack. Score composed by David Band and recorded in Italy with the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra. Noted for its international similarities to Bernard Herrmann's score for Psycho. Synthy and 80s sounding with drum machines and sfx combined with beautifully composed classical instrumentation and orchestration. 

  Shogun Assassin (1980) - Absolute classic! Famously sampled by RZA and GZA in Liquid Swards. The vocals are obvious sample fodder, but the score itself is an epic synth masterpiece. listen 

Midnight Express(1977) - Gripping prison escape movie with an amazing synth score from Giorgio Moroder. A good listen as an album in it's own right, but as a score it really amplifies the tension with extensive use of arpeggiators and crazy si fi sound fx. It isn't what you'd expect for this 1970s prison movie set in Turkey, but somehow it really works! listen

The Fog (1980). One of Carpenter's early films with its ominous drones and foreboding low frequency score, coupled with the arpeggiated classical motif that echoes it's predecessor Halloween. Spooky, ominous, and very atmospheric! listen
 

So there you go, a window into my misspent youth, and a few films to put on your watch list this Halloween. I hope you like them and the music as much as I do. Please comment with your own film suggestions ;-) 

*Adam's 'Modular Synthesis and Sound Design Tools' course is running now at rampberlin.com . More info can be found at rampberlin.com