Roundup 16 October | Workshop System, Vamp, No Bounds and more
It’s been a busy couple of weeks here, with plenty of tasty new gear arriving and loads of shop-related events on the go. Tom and Luke took a road trip to Rotherham at the weekend to set up a Signal Sounds synth space at the No Bounds festival. It was rammed all day with synth heads, families and curious music fans trying out synths and modular, often for the first time. We’ve written a bit more about it and shared a bunch of pics on our blog.
Our in-store event with the ATOV guys at the start of October was great fun. They gave a detailed run-through of the new Faderpunk, an inspiring open-ended ‘hackable modulator’ that can be everything from a MIDI fader bank to a sequencer and CV source. You can watch the edited highlights on our YouTube channel. The first batch of Faderpunk sold out in record-quick time, but more are on the way - you can sign up for a stock notification on the product page.
We’ve got a couple more in-store events still to come this month, and we’ve taken delivery of some killer kit from Music Thing Modular, Apollo View, Yamaha and more - read on for all the juicy details, plus a few music recommendations!
Until next time,
Jason, Aleks, Kyle, Luke, Molly, Rob & Tom
Latest arrivals
Music Thing Modular Workshop System Desktop Eurorack Synthesiser
£750.00
We say... We're delighted to have a few of these wonderful little systems available, fully assembled and ready to use. The Workshop System is the...… read more
Apollo View Vamp Eurorack Valve Filter Module
£279.00
We say... Another belter from Apollo View! One thing this tube-based multimode filter doesn't lack is character. From saturation and warming to all-out ferocity, Vamp...… read more
Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control Motorized MIDI Controller (Bitwig Edition)
£449.00
We say... A limited-edition version of the mighty Roto-Control in Bitwig colours with bundled software! This motorised controller works seamlessly with Bitwig and is a...… read more
Yamaha MODX M6 61-Key Synth
£1161.00
We say... Yamaha's latest evolution of the MOD series, the MODX M has an incredibly powerful 8-operator FM synth engine with full backwards DX compatibility...… read more
Rodec Sherman Ministyler Stereo Filter Processor & One Chassis Bundle
£645.00
We say... This is one of the coolest boxes we've had in for quite a while - a compact 100 series chassis from Rodec (like...… read more
SoundForce Voice 84 Eurorack System (Black)
£1350.00
We say... If you've ever lusted after SoundForce's beautiful Juno-style Eurorack modules, this one's for you! Voice 84 is a collection of modules making a...… read more
Upcoming events
Next Wednesday, 22nd October, sees a Halloween edition of our popular Synth Club in-store meet-up, where people team up to make music against the clock. There are still a couple of places left if you’re quick - find out more about it and secure your spot on Eventbrite.
The following Wednesday, 29th October, we’re hosting local artist and good friend of the store, Paul Maguire, for an evening of laser-focused fun. He’ll be presenting his MIDI2Vector software and showing how it can be used to create spectacular laser displays to accompany electronic music. Again, there are only a couple of places left, so head to Eventbrite pronto if you want to come along.
New on the blog
Ahead of our trip to No Bounds last week, we spoke to father-and-son team Mark Fell and Rian Treanor about the community music projects they run in their home town of Rotherham. These include the Electronic Music Club, which has seen internationally renowned artists mentor young people and release a collaborative album. It was a fascinating chat with some great insights about education and the power of music to open doors for young people. Read the conversation in full here.
And finally...
We heard some amazing music at No Bounds, so here are a few Rotherham-related recommendations from Tom! First up, Mark Fell has a new 12” out on his amusingly-named new label, The National Centre for Mark Fell Studies. The Nite Closures EP is full of sinuous drum tracks for futuristic dancefloors.
One highlight from the No Bounds closing party was a live set from NZO. Her debut album, Come Alive, was released on Demdike Stare’s DDS label earlier this month, and it’s a killer fusion of kinetic drums and soulful samples that’s destined to be a Signal Sounds office favourite.
Finally, Rian Treanor’s Electronic Music Club label has released two albums documenting his community projects: Action Potential is his collaboration with Rotherham Sight & Sound - three visually-impaired pensioners playing complex software instruments - and 10 x 10 = Great Hits is a compilation of tracks made at his after-school kids’ club featuring collaborations with Bianca Scout and RP Boo. Utterly unique!
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