- Subdued synthesizer mastery.
- In a way, Steve Moore has always been a library musician. Like the often anonymous session musicians who craft music for film, TV and commercial cues, Moore is the utilitarian king of the synthesizer. First coming to notoriety as part of Zombi, his duo with Tony Paterra, Moore has since written horror film scores, simmering dance floor burners, lush Italo tracks, modern yacht rock and umpteen varieties of synth-driven prog. When a record on the resurgent KPM library music label came into view, Moore, who has taken great inspiration from the label's storied back catalogue, dusted off some of his rarest synths for the occasion.
But those expecting stylistic left turns should look elsewhere. In fact, Analog Sensitivity isn't even the most classically KPM-sounding record Moore's released in recent months. The synth exotica heard on his 2020 release under his Lovelock alias, Washington Park, slots in nicely alongside jaunty KPM classics like Syd Dale's "London Life." Instead, Analog Sensitivity showcases Moore's classic sound—a work in progress even after all these years.
In keeping with the library concept, Analog Sensitivity comprises 12 low-key beatless tracks created in between film scores without a specific release in mind. Along with the usual Korg Poly Six and Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 that are ubiquitous throughout his catalog, Moore also used little-heard equipment like the Freeman String Symphonizer and the ARP Avatar.
What's most striking about Analog Sensitivity is how closely this material hews to the template he established in the early 2000s. (I once had a salvia-induced laughing fit listening to Moore's 2003 demo CD, but that's another story for another time.) The ominous arpeggios driving tracks like "At The Edge Of Perception" and "Time Freeze" will appeal to Zombi lifers. Moore, a consummate synthesizer professional recording these tracks between scoring gigs and albums, subtly experiments within this well-defined aesthetic. Listen to the way the gorgeous synthetic flutes imperceptibly replace strings at the end of "Pentagram Of Venue" or the Frippertronics-influenced guitar on "Syzygy."
Naturally, this record is a buy-on-sight for analog synthesizer obsessives. But Analog Sensitivity also contains two of the best tracks Moore has ever recorded. First, there's the title track, where Moore sets aside the dark stuff in favor of wistful strings and flutes euphoria. Then, there's the closer, "Urge Surfing," a sub-rattling melodic drone for fans of Growing or Kali Malone. This is Steve Moore's first library album, but his entire discography is a study in evocative, genre-jumping cues, a decades-long document of workmanlike advancements in synthesis.
Tracklist01. Eldborg
02. At The Edge Of Perception
03. Rose Of Charon
04. Time Freeze
05. Analog Sensitivity
06. Behind The Waterfall
07. Mirror Fountain
08. Syzygy
09. Pentagram Of Venus
10. Of Dust Thou Art
11. Message From The Beast
12. Urge Surfing