Billy Currie
- Signature Sounds
GMEDIA Music's impOSCar
Download the BillyCurrieSoundsDemo.mp3(4Mb) file here.
The word 'legendary'
is over used when it comes to bands and artists but there's
no disputing that Ultravox, in its various incarnations, changed
the electronic musical landscape forever and in this instance
that adjective is fully justified. Similarly, from those pioneering
days to the present time, it's also fair to say that Billy has
continued his quest of experimenting with musical boundaries,
particularly with regards his use of synthesisers such as the
ARP Odyssey and OSCar.
From his early tours with Garry Numan, to the stark, hypnotic
tones of Visage's 'Fade to Grey', and the haunting beauty of
'Vienna', there's no doubting that his influence on contemporary
electronic musicians is every bit as much as those exerted on
the previous generation by the likes of Rick Wakeman and Keith
Emerson. Although the last Ultravox album was recorded ten years
ago in 1994, since then Billy has remained as busy and prolific
as ever, working on numerous film projects alongside Can, Kraftwerk,
D.A.F, Cluster and New Order etc, as well as releasing several
solo albums. The latest, 'Pieces of the Puzzle', saw light of
day as recently as 2003 and 2004 will see the release of another,
as yet untitled, album.
Of course it will
come as no surprise to anyone to learn that Billy has embraced
the world of computer music wholeheartedly, with Logic and OS
X taking care of sequencing duties in his studio. Similarly,
given that his hallmark synths were the Odyssey and OSCar it'll
also come as no surprise that GMEDIA Music's Oddity and impOSCar
are very much in evidence here. In fact his new album will start
with a track he wrote using an Oddity bass sound, and, as Billy
also comments "I have also soloed to synth heaven on another
track with the Oddity". However, more recently, it's the
impOSCar that's really got his creative juices flowing.
"The original OSCar was a real boost of stimulation at
the time, I had such a great time playing it live and it stayed
in tune, amazing! It's used on the track 'Ukraine' from my album
'Stand Up And Walk' and was heavily used within Ultravox too."
And the impOScar?
Billy continues. "The impOSCar is the most exciting synth in
my set up. It has a unique sound and the Overdrive was quite
literally MADE for me. Come On England!"
To buy Billy Currie's
Signature Sounds click here.
For more info about Billy Currie's past, present and future
visit his excellent website: www.billycurrie.com
The impOSCar
