0:30 Thriller - Michael Jackson. 0:56 The final countdown - Europe. 1:28 Take on me - A-ha. 1:54 Save a prayer -Duran Duran. 2:29 Axel F - Harold Faltemayer. 2:58 Profondo Rosso - Goblin. 3:19 Jump - Van Halen. 3:48 Light my fire - The Doors. 4:16 New song - Howard Jones. 5:01 Toccata & Fugue Dm - J.S Bach.
Maybe something like Wendy (Walter) Carlos did for the album "Switched on Bach" and for the film "A Clockwork Orange". th-cam.com/video/5cUaunnnKhQ/w-d-xo.html Not bad, but I think Bach is best the way it originally is, T&F in Dm opened my mind to the mathematical aspects of his music.
0:31 - Thriller 0:57 - Final Countdown 1:28 - Take on Me 2:04 - Save a Prayer 2:30 - Axel F 3:00 - Profondo Rosso 3:20 - Jump 3:49 - Light My Fire 4:16 - New Song 5:02 - Toccata and Fugue Dm
most of the music you listen to in the radio: pop, hip hop etc is done entirely by synths, they are just not the famous cheap japanese polysynths and digital fm synths people used in the 80s because they were the first affordable to any musician, most synths we hear now are completely digital in computers
The early 1980's was truly the era of the AFFORDABLE synthesizer. It wasn't so much king but the 80's were awash in people trying to push the envelope.
Visage - Fade to Grey New Order - Blue Monday Donna Summer - I Feel Love Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence Robert Miles - Children Darude - Sandstorm Eurytmics - Sweet Dreams Massive Attack - Angel Just to name a few.
One of my favorite things about Thriller, as a jazz musician, is how nice and full the chords are. Listening to the Rhodes part, it's a lot of Minor 7s and Diminished chords, and at one time they even play a 7th chord shape on one hand and a 6th shape on the other, but they still didn't forget about simple chords.
It's only recently that I was even aware there was a Rhodes in it at all. (thanks to Dr Mix) P.S Does it really contain some Jazz?? I like it far too much for me to believe it qualifies. 🤣
Depeche Mode and Gary Numan are missing in the list, probably they created so many good synth riffs they should have been included in a Top 100 list at least!
Mike Oldfield - Tubular bells Vangelis Papathanasiou - Alpha Alan Parsons Project - Lucifer Alphaville - Big in Japan New Order - Blue Monday Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (basically almost everything from Depeche Mode) Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Electricity
Kraftwerk - anything...you name it Yazoo - Don't Go Bronski Beat (jimmy Sommerville) - Smalltown Boy Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe 4, Oxygene 4, Magnetic Fields 2 Falco - Rock Me Amadeus A-ha - Take on me Tears For Fears - Change Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams Axel F. - Beverly Hills Cop Theme Song
The 80s had the most iconic movie intros. Narrator starts to tell the story while a synth plays in the background. Camera glances at the white hightops in motion and follows a big head of frizzy hair and they glide outside and hop onto their bike, ready to sail the summer air
Im searching for this song i think! It starts with the same 3 (maybe) fast-playing synth notes. Hard to explain haha, but please help if you know the name
The “Jump” synth part is extremely authentic to the original sound. Also, when a lot of people play this, they usually get the last chord wrong in the sequence. Subtle, but always the wrong notes. This guy got it right.
@@st0rmchild LOL, you beat me to it! Wikipedia has the personnel listed and Jackson basically did vocals and that's it. After Jackson split from Quincy Jones I think his song quality dropped incredibly, and he usually had several writers/co-writers on most of the singles.
@@st0rmchild He didn't write any of the songs though. He was able to find great songwriters and musicians though like the guys from toto and MJ was a great singer and songwriter too!
Another great video Espen. Some tunes from the top of my head: Gary Numan: Are friends electric? Visage: fade to grey Howard Jones: Hide and Seek Vangelis: Chung Kuo A-ha: The sun always shines on TV
"Big Sleep" Simple Minds, "Ashes to Ashes" David Bowie, "Africa" Toto, "It's a Sin" Pet Shop Boys, "Little Lies" Fleetwood Mac, "Metal", "Cars" & "Are Friends Electric" Gary Numan... (And my favorite song ever is "Save a Prayer")
Ahhh, You use my beloved Korg DW8000!!! I am happy to have it, and I also bought the EX8000. Thanks a lot. To Duran Duran lovers, I saw on TH-cam a great rendition of "Save a Prayer" made using a Novation Supernova. Worths as well.
An excellent video, as always. And also a good demonstration of the Korg DW-8000. I would include :- Crocketts theme - Jan Hammer Drive - The Cars Who wants to live forever - Queen
@@humanchannel7825 I was just listening to that yesterday, off the URGH! A Music War album, which is a collection of live recordings by a variety of bands. The video that goes with it is awesome.
This brought back some fond memories. I also had a DW-8000 back in my playing days. Paired with my drum machine and sequencer, I made full albums of music. What a wonderful time that was.
Good choices here are a few of mine: OMD - Enola Gay Dr Who - any version Buggles - Video killed the radio star Depeche Mode - Just cant get enough Magnificent Seven - original western theme Toto - Africa ABBA - SOS & Dancing queen, Chiqitita Meatloaf - Bat out of hell And so many more 😀
Jan hammer is epic. My favorite Jan hammer music mainly comes from an old VCR tape Calle beyond the mind's eye. Favorite song is from that tape is voyage home
Some of my favourite synth riffs/melodies in no specific order: Level 42 - Running In The Family Stevie Wonder - Living For The City Giorgio Moroder - Chase John Carpenter - Assault On Precinct 13 Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover
Hi Espen, i love all of them....especially played on the DW8000 :-). I also like the grooving work of paul hardcastle including synth-bass, drums and keys.
So many to consider, so many left out that were awe inspiring but not really distributed outside of Europe. The one track that rocked my world and changed my entire musical paradigm in 1980 was Gary Numan's "Cars". Opened up the entire world for me. Human League's "Love Action", OMD's "Messages", Dolby's "One Of Our Submarines", Yazoo's "Dont' Go" and "Situation", the running synth line of Pet Shop Boys "Westend Girls", Depeche Mode's "Strange Love", New Order's "Blue Monday", M's "Pop Music", Afrika Bambaata's "Planet Rock" even though it sampled Kraftwerk heavily. So much of the 80s was just ground breaking, and so much of it came from the UK at a time when "the future" had an entirely different vibe.
Alan Parsons Project: Mammagamma Alan Parsons Project: Dammed If I Do Queen: Football Fight Falco: Rock Me Amadeus ELP: Fanfare Of The Common ManRobert Miles: Children ABBA: Lay All Your Love On Me ABBA: The Winner Takes It All Bon Jovi: Runaway Pet Shop Boys: It´s A Sin Dead Or Alive: You Spin Me Right Round Alphaville: Sounds Like A Melody Nena: 99 Luftballons Murray Head: One Night In Bangkok Ray P. Jr: Ghostbusters Corey Hart: Sunglasses At Night Eurythmics: Sweet Drerams Journey: Don´t Stop Believin´ Deep Purple: Perfect Strangers Dire Straits: Walk Of Life Visage: Fade To Grey Enola Gay: Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark ...
Cheers for this, I've been looking for "how to do chords on piano" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Nonason Ranincoln Genie - (should be on google have a look )? It is a great one of a kind product for discovering how to play the piano like a pro without the hard work. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my friend got excellent results with it.
Just listened to that Alphaville track for the first time and instantly recognised as it was sampled on U got 2 let the music by Capella. Never knew it was a sample. Cheers!
Maan, that synth from "Save A Prayer" - Duran Duran still blows my mind, and I was born in 93. Way ahead of it's time, and still so weird and unique sounding. One of my favorite songs. Beautiful video, and beautiful playing man. I can't wait to get my keyboard back and get it loaded up with some 80s & 90s sounds. Minimoog is my favorite. Thanks for the inspiration!
I hate 'Just can't get enough' and its lousy riff but love 'Enola gay' and it's my first choice to replace Bach and The Doors that had no synthetizer available, so not synth riffs really. And everything about The Doors is overrated anyway… :/
Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene part 2 and 4. Gary numan - Cars, Are friends Electric, Complex. Kraftwerk - the model, Star Was - the original 1977 theme track, Visage - Fade to Gray, Ultravox - Veinna, OMD - Maid of Orleanes and Joan of arc, Japan - Ghosts, Heaven 17 - Quiet Life, temptation and that's just off the top of my head.
Everything from Genesis Duke album, released my senior year of high school. Although not really in your genre, that album still inspires me as a keyboardist today. Total man love for Tony.
Just stumbled across this video. Nicely curated list! Also nice job on showcasing the Korg DW800. It was my main axe for my bands during the 80s and 90s. A very versatile keyboard!
Thank you so much for this. The first one gave me goosebumps! Michael was a legend. This was an immortal creation of Rod Temperton, Quincy Jones, Vincent Price et el. If someday an asteroid hits the earth, and all living beings are gone, I wish nature to recreate this song for future visitors till the end of the time. Axel F, another classic, rates very high in my books.
Quincy Jones did everything except put on a white glove and reach down some little boys pants. What does JC Penneys and Michael Jackson have in common? They both have little boys underwear half off.
But when various artists over decades do one of (if not THE) best work of their lives when collaborating with the same artist, there must be something about that artist..
The rest is very impressive although I don´t know this korg synth and how you did the programming but the idea behind your video and learning these riffs are value enough to watch this video again! I like what you said in the end and also your accent is charming, must be some scanadinavian type :D It is always good to be yourself ;) haha cheers and Happy Easter!
@@EspenKraft And do they teach you subtractive synthesis in elementary school or why are you so good at this stuff? :-) Is it the poly 800 mk2 from korg you play most of the riffs on?
New Order - Blue Monday (bass?) Vangelis - Blade Runner Opening Credits Rush - Tom Sawyer Yaz - Situation Yaz - Don’t Go Bronski Beat - Small Town Boy Pink Floyd - On The Run Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams Men Without Hats - Safety Dance Journey - Separate Ways
The Album that shook my world and introduced me to electronic music was Oxygène by French composer Jean-Michel Jarre. Not only that Album has one of the coolest sleeve arts, the first song (Part 1) simply blew me away when I heard it the first time when I was 11 years old.
Same here. Heard it in school under a class with some invited hippiedude that made us lie on the floor and "unleash our fantasy". Cool thing, my older sister got the record as a gift from her boyfriend about a month after. She hated it and was about to throw it away . I felt like a winner!
I was not a fan of Duran Duran back at that time and "Save a player" was not their gratest hit, but it was the song when I startet to like Duran Duran. Also one of the most underratet bands from the 80s.
Wendy Carlos recorded "Switched on Bach" on the Moog synthesizer. At this time synthesizers were a novelty, and the record was big step forward to the synth revolution. So, Bach contributed to the rise of synthesizer music
Damn, so many great riffs come to mind. I could never settle on a top 10. But here’s a few I consider classics: Thompson Twins - Love On Your Side Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric Go West - We Close Our Eyes The Human League - Don’t You Want Me Simple Minds - New Gold Dream Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence Vangelis - Chung Kuo Prince - 1999
@@EspenKraft I like how you've organized your available space. I can definitely learn from your expertise. You must have to rotate your keyboard stand to enter and exit. Yikes!!!
I wish I grew up in the 80’s. I wish I was able to experience the pop culture first hand. I always think of the 80’s as nostalgic even though I was born in 2002.
@@chogamer117 Yes, do. It just kept getting better. Beatles, Stone, Kinks, etc etc. The 60s started in 1963 and went on until about 1974, musically speaking.
Some of my favorites Closer - Nine Inch Nails Touch and Go - Emerson, Lake and Powell Pulstar - Vangelis Cars - Gary Numan Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield Keep Hope Alive - The Crystal Method
List of Riff that inspired me, 10 ten riffs 1.Gary newman cars 2. Soft Cell - Tainted Love 3.Yaz - Dont Go 4.Yaz Situation 5.Depeche mode - Enjoy the Silence 6.New order - Bizarre Love Tri angel 7. Alphaville - Sounds Like Melody 8. Trans -X = Living on Video 9. Human League - Dont you want me. 10. Freestyle - Don't Stop the Rock
Great top ten Espen. The Fletch theme is also one of my favourite riffs and would have to say Moroder / summer 'I feel love' would have to be in my top ten riffs also! thanks for the upload and keep on synthin' :)
I'm kind of surprised 'Donna Summer - I Feel Love' isn't in this list, that sound was so far ahead of it's time in the 70's it kickstarted the whole synth pop scene which spanned the 80's.
Axel F... Couldn't believe my ears when that first came out. AmAzinG..... Jump, classic synth riff for sure! Doors had quite a few unforgettable riffs... Toccata, dam... SKY's version is my memory
Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" is the first thing I learned to play on a keyboard - albeit quite slowly at first! Then I borrowed a book of Satie pieces from the public library and painstakingly learned "Trois Gymnopedies". Satie always called himself a "piano operator" rather than a musician, which struck me as the perfect description of a synth player.
Cool Chris! The Toccata & Fugue is more about pattern recognition and muscle memory than many other pieces, but it's rewarding to pull off as you can both play it quite flamboyant and that's always fun.. ;-)
Love all of your content Espen. I noticed you cheer for the same MLB team, the infamous Toronto Blue Jays. I just bought a mint shape Korg Trinity V3 Pro today, to add to my studio. It will be in my Korg area (Poly 6, M1, N-364, Electribe E-A1 & E-M1, Kronos). Keep up the amazing work Espen. I hope that You, Your Family & Friends are all doing well, staying safe & healthy. Cheers & Heavy Respect, STEPHEN W Kelowna BC 🇨🇦
Many thanks Stephen! All good here. :) I won't say I cheer for the Blue Jays more than any other team. I just love baseball. I'm from Norway and baseball is very little known, but I've always taken to the sport and I watch as much as I can on TV during the season. I have fans of the channel that knows this and they send me hats and I wear them in my videos. That's why you often will see me wear hats from another team too. ;-)
Save a prayer has always been one of my favorite songs from Duran Duran mostly because of how soothing it is and how Nick Rhodes just absolutely kills the synths. I actually did synths my first year of marching band and it didn't hit me I was doing what I had loved the most from that band.
On the honor role I'd suggest the tail end featuring the Minimoog on ELP's Lucky Man. That was such a new sound. I had been playing with signal generators for a while and thought "somebody's using one on a pop tune" and being a musician and a circuit designer it got me heavily into synth design.
i agree specially duran duran mean nothing to me didnt sound good too for me.several other famous 80's songs from can be added.well at least its added doors which most people ignore them
Being a teenager in the 1980's (83 in fact) I got into Depeche Mode and it was seeing Alan Wilder behind his synths at the Glasgow Construction Time Again Tour that I got into synths. I had been a big fan of Gary Numan's first four albums. It made me and still does appreciate the older synths of the time ..Depeche, Yazoo, Bronski Beat, Soft Cell.. All that crowd.. Got a few synths as well as a few 80's relics.. Roland U-110, Yamaha cs01 and a very rare Korg SQ8 which works brilliantly with the U-110
When Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode (after their first album, Speak & Spell, back in 1981), he took away with him some synths used for the tracks of the album, especially electronic drums. That explained why Depeche Mode and Yazoo sound similar related to drums.
@@sorinpirtea2306 When Yazoo reformed in 2008..The sound was sparse but brilliant... I'd seen Erasure a few times but that doesn't compare to the sound of Yazoo .. (I know same guy)
THE synth riff is any performance from "Switched-On Bach" (1968) by W. Carlos. The first classical album to go platinum, the major synth album, and the first to win several Grammy awards. Her succeeding albums each moved the needle, incidentally opening up at least four other synth-related genres.
0:30 Thriller - Michael Jackson.
0:56 The final countdown - Europe.
1:28 Take on me - A-ha.
1:54 Save a prayer -Duran Duran.
2:29 Axel F - Harold Faltemayer.
2:58 Profondo Rosso - Goblin.
3:19 Jump - Van Halen.
3:48 Light my fire - The Doors.
4:16 New song - Howard Jones.
5:01 Toccata & Fugue Dm - J.S Bach.
This is really an unnecessary list
Thanks mate!
Separate Ways, Journey
@@DerSonntagsgamer your existence is unnecessary
@@sheepdavis Awwwww thank you
Just imagine what Bach could have done with today's synths......
It would be totlly awesome! ;-)
Station!
It would be beyond imagination
Maybe something like Wendy (Walter) Carlos did for the album "Switched on Bach" and for the film "A Clockwork Orange".
th-cam.com/video/5cUaunnnKhQ/w-d-xo.html
Not bad, but I think Bach is best the way it originally is, T&F in Dm opened my mind to the mathematical aspects of his music.
He would be Vangelis.
0:31 - Thriller
0:57 - Final Countdown
1:28 - Take on Me
2:04 - Save a Prayer
2:30 - Axel F
3:00 - Profondo Rosso
3:20 - Jump
3:49 - Light My Fire
4:16 - New Song
5:02 - Toccata and Fugue Dm
Thank you very much! I almost did it myself but then I found your comment :)
A real hero and a real human bean
Thanks Rias. ❤
Rias rly is the best waifu
00bean00 yes this man truly is a bean
Pipe Organ: the original synthesizer
The synthesiser was the King of the 80's music genre when you hear those sounds you always think of the music of the 80's
Yes, it was. ;-)
This year has been reborn of synth,have a look to pop music
most of the music you listen to in the radio: pop, hip hop etc is done entirely by synths, they are just not the famous cheap japanese polysynths and digital fm synths people used in the 80s because they were the first affordable to any musician, most synths we hear now are completely digital in computers
The early 1980's was truly the era of the AFFORDABLE synthesizer. It wasn't so much king but the 80's were awash in people trying to push the envelope.
But those cheap/affordable synths made such lovely, distinct and memorable sounds
Visage - Fade to Grey
New Order - Blue Monday
Donna Summer - I Feel Love
Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
Robert Miles - Children
Darude - Sandstorm
Eurytmics - Sweet Dreams
Massive Attack - Angel
Just to name a few.
Damn sold list!
+ Alice DJ - Better Off Alone
Very good list there.
👍
The ending of highest in the room
Some of these songs are unlistenable because they are memes
When "thriller" stopped, my mind kept the rhythm on.
That's an ear worm. Different.
When that bassline hits!! What a masterpiece
I was honestly expecting him to continue and play the baseline too lol
@@jbasti227 Hahah yeah😂
I'm glad it's over, so that I get to listen to Final Countdown, Take on me, Saving a prayer, Axel F & Jump
One of my favorite things about Thriller, as a jazz musician, is how nice and full the chords are. Listening to the Rhodes part, it's a lot of Minor 7s and Diminished chords, and at one time they even play a 7th chord shape on one hand and a 6th shape on the other, but they still didn't forget about simple chords.
As a jazz enthusiast, Thriller got me going 😳 right away
It's only recently that I was even aware there was a Rhodes in it at all. (thanks to Dr Mix)
P.S Does it really contain some Jazz?? I like it far too much for me to believe it qualifies. 🤣
You like a pedo
@@gregsullivan7408not jazz, but jazz chords. Chords that came from jazz music. Such is the case with a lot of R&B/Pop music
Mks50 + pg300?
Everybody's gangster until Bach steps up to the synthesizer
Chopin would probably rock it as well
@@OJstellar I've actually oplayed Bach on a prophet 5 and attempted Chopin too, but he needs a bigger keyboard mostly.
lol, the quote of the century
@@mrtower7435 bach was the least nice of all so... i don;t know why he included him. maybe personal preference
@@heathermcdougall2399 Bach had only four and half octaves!
Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams" has to be on this list.
Didn't you watch my "10 Iconic Synth Bass Lines" video? ;-)
Depeche Mode and Gary Numan are missing in the list, probably they created so many good synth riffs they should have been included in a Top 100 list at least!
heh i can play that.
@P. D. Smart i will go on playing it for like an hour, and i notice everyone leaving the room.
Eurythmics song Here comes the rain again changed my life when I heard it. That synth sound mixed with the live orchestra was just amazing
Mike Oldfield - Tubular bells
Vangelis Papathanasiou - Alpha
Alan Parsons Project - Lucifer
Alphaville - Big in Japan
New Order - Blue Monday
Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (basically almost everything from Depeche Mode)
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Electricity
Kraftwerk - anything...you name it
Yazoo - Don't Go
Bronski Beat (jimmy Sommerville) - Smalltown Boy
Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe 4, Oxygene 4, Magnetic Fields 2
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
A-ha - Take on me
Tears For Fears - Change
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
Axel F. - Beverly Hills Cop Theme Song
There are more Popcorn, the Chase (moroder), the theme from Terminator...
Shout tears for fears?!
Too many Alphas.
What a superb list in its own right
New Order, Kraftwerk and Falco ❤️❤️❤️
Sweet Dreams deserve top ten. The synths was amazing in it.
By Yes?
No, by Eurythmics
Sweet Dreams and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) were the first two I thought of.
I just can't get enough - Depeche Mode should be in there too.
The 80s had the most iconic movie intros. Narrator starts to tell the story while a synth plays in the background. Camera glances at the white hightops in motion and follows a big head of frizzy hair and they glide outside and hop onto their bike, ready to sail the summer air
Im searching for this song i think! It starts with the same 3 (maybe) fast-playing synth notes. Hard to explain haha, but please help if you know the name
The song that is used in a lot of 2000's american movies. And its either an intro or outro song, that slowly becomes higher as the narrator speaks
Lmfao I can picture it so easily
@@gajol3257 who's in the movie
@@vmega44 Thanks for trying to help, but I found the song! :D
Its called "Baba O'Riley" by The Who
The “Jump” synth part is extremely authentic to the original sound. Also, when a lot of people play this, they usually get the last chord wrong in the sequence. Subtle, but always the wrong notes. This guy got it right.
My favourite cover to play, nothing beats this to wake up an audience!
Weak playing rythm wise though
Completely wrong timing.
Lots of people get the chords right. Most people don’t screw up the rhythm like this.
@@johnbishop5316 he probably just hesitated trying to remember the riff. I don't think it was bad timing, considering his other demos...
Me: time to go to bed
TH-cam: wanna see a guy play the synth?
Me: well.. I should go to bed.. *clicks video*
I feel you! :D It's 01:48 and I got to get up at 7:30.^^
Nice demo, strange timing on Jump though
100% this. Now I want to buy some keys.
@@ProducersVault Stopped to sip his Horlicks. Nearly bedtime.
Literally me.
Hey thanks for playing my song. Much appreciated.
My god the synthesizer is such a sexy sounding instrument
Not the way this joker is bludgeoning it, it isn't.
Thriller chords are absolutely stunning
Probably Quincy Jones wrote them, guys a genius. Check out his Netflix doco. Amazing
Quincy’s a genius, but Thriller was written by Rod Temperton, and the synth part was most likely played by Greg Phillinganes.
@@st0rmchild LOL, you beat me to it! Wikipedia has the personnel listed and Jackson basically did vocals and that's it. After Jackson split from Quincy Jones I think his song quality dropped incredibly, and he usually had several writers/co-writers on most of the singles.
@@edwardjamyangmacarchick1847 Agree 100%. Quincy was the cornerstone of MJ's golden era.
@@st0rmchild He didn't write any of the songs though. He was able to find great songwriters and musicians though like the guys from toto and MJ was a great singer and songwriter too!
Another great video Espen. Some tunes from the top of my head:
Gary Numan: Are friends electric?
Visage: fade to grey
Howard Jones: Hide and Seek
Vangelis: Chung Kuo
A-ha: The sun always shines on TV
Thanks! great choices there :)
the only person shook by the synth on Thriller was some guy sitting on the speaker in the studio
I love synths... Everything from Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre and many more should also be on the list. Thank you!
I LOVE KRAFTWERK :D
"Big Sleep" Simple Minds, "Ashes to Ashes" David Bowie, "Africa" Toto, "It's a Sin" Pet Shop Boys, "Little Lies" Fleetwood Mac, "Metal", "Cars" & "Are Friends Electric" Gary Numan...
(And my favorite song ever is "Save a Prayer")
Ahhh, You use my beloved Korg DW8000!!! I am happy to have it, and I also bought the EX8000. Thanks a lot. To Duran Duran lovers, I saw on TH-cam a great rendition of "Save a Prayer" made using a Novation Supernova. Worths as well.
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These, a-ha - The Sun Always Shines On T.V my two all time favorits :)
The Sun Always Shines On TV is fantastic, that intro wow. My favorite too.
do yoi mean faborites?
Jump is an all time classic. It was very bold to use a synth in place of rock guitar.
Keep in mind that both van Halen brothers were pianists before they took up drums & guitar
An excellent video, as always. And also a good demonstration of the Korg DW-8000.
I would include :-
Crocketts theme - Jan Hammer
Drive - The Cars
Who wants to live forever - Queen
Thanks man! :)
Journey: separate ways. One of my favorite synth riffs
So true, one of the first I tought of !
I see you’re a man of culture as well...
Depeche Mode "I just can't get enough", Yazzo "Only you" and Erasure "Respect" just to name a few.
depeche album cover throwing up the 666 illuminati hand sign...never noticed that until now
Good call!
OMD enola gay
New Order and Human League should be in there as well.
@@humanchannel7825 I was just listening to that yesterday, off the URGH! A Music War album, which is a collection of live recordings by a variety of bands. The video that goes with it is awesome.
This brought back some fond memories. I also had a DW-8000 back in my playing days. Paired with my drum machine and sequencer, I made full albums of music. What a wonderful time that was.
Good choices here are a few of mine:
OMD - Enola Gay
Dr Who - any version
Buggles - Video killed the radio star
Depeche Mode - Just cant get enough
Magnificent Seven - original western theme
Toto - Africa
ABBA - SOS & Dancing queen, Chiqitita
Meatloaf - Bat out of hell
And so many more 😀
I like every other song on the Buggles LP better than the hit single. f.e. Plastic Age, etc.
“Crockett’s Theme” - Jan Hammer
“Closer” - Nine Inch Nails
“Africa” - Toto
Also the synth solo from “Rosanna” totally kicks arse.
Trevor Moffat OHHHH! I MUST listen to Closer now!
Closer without a doubt.
Jan hammer is epic. My favorite Jan hammer music mainly comes from an old VCR tape Calle beyond the mind's eye. Favorite song is from that tape is voyage home
madmax2069 beyond the minds eye omg I completely forgot about that video. Yes that is some of his most experimental and best work if I remember right
Some of my favourite synth riffs/melodies in no specific order:
Level 42 - Running In The Family
Stevie Wonder - Living For The City
Giorgio Moroder - Chase
John Carpenter - Assault On Precinct 13
Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover
"I wear my sunglasses at night " has a very memorable riff.
Tears for fears - everybody wants to rule the world - bass /synth intro.
Camouflage - the great commandment
Yes. Definitively
Hi Espen, i love all of them....especially played on the DW8000 :-). I also like the grooving work of paul hardcastle including synth-bass, drums and keys.
Dude you are a badass for being the old synth style back. I can’t get enough of it!
Cheers! :D
So many to consider, so many left out that were awe inspiring but not really distributed outside of Europe. The one track that rocked my world and changed my entire musical paradigm in 1980 was Gary Numan's "Cars". Opened up the entire world for me. Human League's "Love Action", OMD's "Messages", Dolby's "One Of Our Submarines", Yazoo's "Dont' Go" and "Situation", the running synth line of Pet Shop Boys "Westend Girls", Depeche Mode's "Strange Love", New Order's "Blue Monday", M's "Pop Music", Afrika Bambaata's "Planet Rock" even though it sampled Kraftwerk heavily. So much of the 80s was just ground breaking, and so much of it came from the UK at a time when "the future" had an entirely different vibe.
OMD and Depeche Mode and a number of early 80's New Wave synth bands had all the most amazing synth riffs.
'80s.
Alan Parsons Project: Mammagamma
Alan Parsons Project: Dammed If I Do
Queen: Football Fight
Falco: Rock Me Amadeus
ELP: Fanfare Of The Common ManRobert Miles: Children
ABBA: Lay All Your Love On Me
ABBA: The Winner Takes It All
Bon Jovi: Runaway
Pet Shop Boys: It´s A Sin
Dead Or Alive: You Spin Me Right Round
Alphaville: Sounds Like A Melody
Nena: 99 Luftballons
Murray Head: One Night In Bangkok
Ray P. Jr: Ghostbusters
Corey Hart: Sunglasses At Night
Eurythmics: Sweet Drerams
Journey: Don´t Stop Believin´
Deep Purple: Perfect Strangers
Dire Straits: Walk Of Life
Visage: Fade To Grey
Enola Gay: Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark
...
Cheers for this, I've been looking for "how to do chords on piano" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Nonason Ranincoln Genie - (should be on google have a look )?
It is a great one of a kind product for discovering how to play the piano like a pro without the hard work. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my friend got excellent results with it.
Just listened to that Alphaville track for the first time and instantly recognised as it was sampled on U got 2 let the music by Capella. Never knew it was a sample. Cheers!
Maan, that synth from "Save A Prayer" - Duran Duran still blows my mind, and I was born in 93. Way ahead of it's time, and still so weird and unique sounding. One of my favorite songs.
Beautiful video, and beautiful playing man. I can't wait to get my keyboard back and get it loaded up with some 80s & 90s sounds. Minimoog is my favorite. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks! :D
Duran Duran never went for the "Cheesy" lead lines that's why save a prayer stands out
And he did on one of the world’s most underrated yet most amazing and warmest synth EVER - the mighty KORG DW8000
Depeche Mode - Just can't get enough |===| OMD - Enola Gay.
I hate 'Just can't get enough' and its lousy riff but love 'Enola gay' and it's my first choice to replace Bach and The Doors that had no synthetizer available, so not synth riffs really. And everything about The Doors is overrated anyway… :/
Trans-X - LIving on Video
My fav Depeche Mode synth riff is "Never Let Me Down Again'
Any list of synth riffs that doesn't include a Vince Clarke riff is incomplete.
Axel F will forever be the purest example of my first experience with electronic music.
Very nice, but I miss Yazoo; Don't go, Nobody's diary, Situation. Bronski Beat; Small town boy and Why.
Good choices :)
excellent choices
Agree with all... Love Smalltown Boy. it still makes me cry today.
Nicolas Sørbrøden exactly! Vince Clarke’s intro on Don’t Go still reaches to my core 35 years later!
the only person shook by the synth on Thriller was some guy sitting on the speaker in the studio
Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene part 2 and 4. Gary numan - Cars, Are friends Electric, Complex. Kraftwerk - the model, Star Was - the original 1977 theme track, Visage - Fade to Gray, Ultravox - Veinna, OMD - Maid of Orleanes and Joan of arc, Japan - Ghosts, Heaven 17 - Quiet Life, temptation and that's just off the top of my head.
My favorite “ The March to the eternal city “ by Triumvirat
And so on.... there are so many concise lines.
Japan is Quiet Life.
Yahoo: "Only You;" Kraftwerk: "The Model;" Rush: "Subdivisions;" Led Zeppelin: "All of My Love"
Yazoo my friend.
Loving that this was played on an old favorite synth, the KORG DW-8000.
Everything from Genesis Duke album, released my senior year of high school. Although not really in your genre, that album still inspires me as a keyboardist today. Total man love for Tony.
You and me both ;-)
Just stumbled across this video. Nicely curated list! Also nice job on showcasing the Korg DW800. It was my main axe for my bands during the 80s and 90s. A very versatile keyboard!
Cheers!
Thank you so much for this.
The first one gave me goosebumps! Michael was a legend. This was an immortal creation of Rod Temperton, Quincy Jones, Vincent Price et el. If someday an asteroid hits the earth, and all living beings are gone, I wish nature to recreate this song for future visitors till the end of the time.
Axel F, another classic, rates very high in my books.
beautifully played Mr Kraft , Great sounding synth too.
Thank you very much! :)
I can't stop replaying the Thriller.
Michael Jackson was a genius.
Ugh
RIP
@@mattiwigstrom1668 Q, Rod, Bruce & MJ ... Dream Team for Sure ...
Quincy Jones did everything except put on a white glove and reach down some little boys pants.
What does JC Penneys and Michael Jackson have in common? They both have little boys underwear half off.
MJ didn’t write Thriller.
Rod Temperton did.
But when various artists over decades do one of (if not THE) best work of their lives when collaborating with the same artist, there must be something about that artist..
MJ didn’t write it
The rest is very impressive although I don´t know this korg synth and how you did the programming but the idea behind your video and learning these riffs are value enough to watch this video again! I like what you said in the end and also your accent is charming, must be some scanadinavian type :D It is always good to be yourself ;) haha cheers and Happy Easter!
Thanks! I'm from Norway yes. ;-)
@@EspenKraft And do they teach you subtractive synthesis in elementary school or why are you so good at this stuff? :-) Is it the poly 800 mk2 from korg you play most of the riffs on?
I play the Korg DW-8000 from 1985. I've been a pro musician since the late 80s. ;-)
“Sirius” the Alan Parsons Project shook all of Chicagoland through the nineties... I still get goosebumps when I hear that song.
Editions of you,Roxy music's for your pleasure.Brian eno on synthesizer sounds pretty good to me.
Eye in the sky, Alan Parsons.
@@KB1UIF Sirius is probably what you're thinking of. It's the synth lead-in to Eye in the Sky.
the sun in your eyes made some of the lies worth believing
New Order - Blue Monday (bass?)
Vangelis - Blade Runner Opening Credits
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Yaz - Situation
Yaz - Don’t Go
Bronski Beat - Small Town Boy
Pink Floyd - On The Run
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
Journey - Separate Ways
Many good one there :)
Yea, that's the Journey one I'd go with!
Tom Sawyer is pretty kickass. I'm not sure how to feel about Safety Dance.
For me, two honourable mentions Yazoo - Don't Go and Depeche Mode - New Life, two songs i really love to play.
0pl
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She Blinded me with Science by Thomas Dolby was one that stuck in my head in the 80s.
Nicely done! I would also include the Moog riff in "Lucky Man" from Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
I agree with you -- that's the one that sticks in my mind.
This was the moog solo that started the entire synthesizer craze in rock music. Astonishing that it wasn't included...
Dio, "Rainbow In The Dark"
OMD, "Enola Gay"
Rush, "Subdivisions"
The Album that shook my world and introduced me to electronic music was Oxygène by French composer Jean-Michel Jarre. Not only that Album has one of the coolest sleeve arts, the first song (Part 1) simply blew me away when I heard it the first time when I was 11 years old.
Same here. Heard it in school under a class with some invited hippiedude that made us lie on the floor and "unleash our fantasy".
Cool thing, my older sister got the record as a gift from her boyfriend about a month after. She hated it and was about to throw it away .
I felt like a winner!
The save a prayer intro always gives me goosebumps...fantastic classic intro, love your upload, Sonique
I was not a fan of Duran Duran back at that time and "Save a player" was not their gratest hit, but it was the song when I startet to like Duran Duran. Also one of the most underratet bands from the 80s.
Johann Sebastian Bach, the master of additive synthesis! ;)
The master of all masters ;)
the only person shook by the synth on Thriller was some guy sitting on the speaker in the studio
Wendy Carlos recorded "Switched on Bach" on the Moog synthesizer. At this time synthesizers were a novelty, and the record was big step forward to the synth revolution. So, Bach contributed to the rise of synthesizer music
I've always maintained that JSB was one of the first jazz musicians. I mean... he used SEVENTH chords!
The Thriller Riff is so good!!
Are you playing completely arythmic and out of time to not get demonetized?
Oof
Harsh but, fair.
Probably cause he got the sound so perfect it would match the originals
Haha maybe, he used the exact same sounds
seems like he's playing slowly to show how its done
I’ve been searching for the name of “New Song” for years. I’ve tried popular synth songs from 80s and many more. Thank you so much!!!!
Cheers!
War and Training Montage - Vince DiCola
Another kind of shook me up... ;) and more than just a riff!!💓
I love to turn on my dad's truck and blast the Rocky IV Training Montage in the driveway. It definitely does shake the truck.
Damn, so many great riffs come to mind. I could never settle on a top 10.
But here’s a few I consider classics:
Thompson Twins - Love On Your Side
Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric
Go West - We Close Our Eyes
The Human League - Don’t You Want Me
Simple Minds - New Gold Dream
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
Vangelis - Chung Kuo
Prince - 1999
Wow! I thought that my tiny studio was cramped! Kudos to all of us with limited space but great love for playing lots of instruments!
Thanks! I have even more stuff, but I only bring in the essentials for a video shoot. ;-)
@@EspenKraft I like how you've organized your available space. I can definitely learn from your expertise. You must have to rotate your keyboard stand to enter and exit. Yikes!!!
Woo hoo! Got excited when I saw the "buggles" album on your back wall!! Love them!
Save a Prayer is my favourite one. Haunting.
1} Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill.
2} Boy Meets Girl - Waiting for a Star to Fall.
3} Falco - Rock Me Amadeus.
Oh man, I had the same synth, it was awesome to hear these iconic riffs on it. Brings me back to good old school band times. Thanks
what synth is it?
Loved the Bach riff... Thanks for sharing.
I wish I grew up in the 80’s. I wish I was able to experience the pop culture first hand. I always think of the 80’s as nostalgic even though I was born in 2002.
80s?? The 60s was it. Pop music was created in the 60s.
John Bishop I meant the pop culture. You know like movies, games, music. All that stuff.
@@chogamer117 Hi Cho. I get you, the 80s were good. I was still playing music in that era. But the 60s was best for the music. It was all new.
John Bishop I look into the music from the 60’s. Maybe I’ll like it more than the 80’s.
@@chogamer117 Yes, do. It just kept getting better. Beatles, Stone, Kinks, etc etc. The 60s started in 1963 and went on until about 1974, musically speaking.
Some of my favorites
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Touch and Go - Emerson, Lake and Powell
Pulstar - Vangelis
Cars - Gary Numan
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
Keep Hope Alive - The Crystal Method
YEAH - Touch and Go - AWESOME !!!
List of Riff that inspired me,
10 ten riffs
1.Gary newman cars
2. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
3.Yaz - Dont Go
4.Yaz Situation
5.Depeche mode - Enjoy the Silence
6.New order - Bizarre Love Tri angel
7. Alphaville - Sounds Like Melody
8. Trans -X = Living on Video
9. Human League - Dont you want me.
10. Freestyle - Don't Stop the Rock
Absolutely! I noted the distinct lack of Yaz and DM in his list
Omfg thank u so much for putting blt by new order. Tho I think it should be number 1
Anything from human league...........or Ultravox!
Agreed!
Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics is another great one. Don't Go by Yazoo is also good. And I love Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode.
Great top ten Espen. The Fletch theme is also one of my favourite riffs and would have to say Moroder / summer 'I feel love' would have to be in my top ten riffs also! thanks for the upload and keep on synthin' :)
Yes, Fletch could easily have been on there, but Axel F is so iconic. Thanks! :)
Rightly so! Axel f = first 7" single I ever bought aged 8!
Journey's "Separate Ways"
That one gave me the feels when watching Tron: Legacy's scene when the lights on Flynn's arcade light on.
Just can"t get enough from Depeche Mode
Great job, classic rifts.. Love it that he was rocking the Toronto Blue Jays hat too
Cheers!
I'm kind of surprised 'Donna Summer - I Feel Love' isn't in this list, that sound was so far ahead of it's time in the 70's it kickstarted the whole synth pop scene which spanned the 80's.
There are quite a few like that were well done synth pieces not mentioned here.
That's more a groove than a riff
Axel F... Couldn't believe my ears when that first came out. AmAzinG..... Jump, classic synth riff for sure! Doors had quite a few unforgettable riffs... Toccata, dam... SKY's version is my memory
JM Jarre the most out this world sound and a little frighting, alien experience back then when I was a kid.
Congratulations Man , you did my day ! Thank you so much to you ! I appreciate :D
Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" is the first thing I learned to play on a keyboard - albeit quite slowly at first! Then I borrowed a book of Satie pieces from the public library and painstakingly learned "Trois Gymnopedies". Satie always called himself a "piano operator" rather than a musician, which struck me as the perfect description of a synth player.
Cool Chris! The Toccata & Fugue is more about pattern recognition and muscle memory than many other pieces, but it's rewarding to pull off as you can both play it quite flamboyant and that's always fun.. ;-)
Perhaps honorable mention, Africa by Toto.
i think it was more like a regular keyboard sound than a synth
No, it is a typical synth brass sound, Steve Porcaro played it on a Yamaha CS80 Synth.
@@oranges866 Wrong
@@scottcupp8129 then was it a kalimba or something?
@@oranges866 It's a typical brass sound on a Yamaha CS80 Synth.
Love all of your content Espen. I noticed you cheer for the same MLB team, the infamous Toronto Blue Jays.
I just bought a mint shape Korg Trinity V3 Pro today, to add to my studio. It will be in my Korg area (Poly 6, M1, N-364, Electribe E-A1 & E-M1, Kronos).
Keep up the amazing work Espen. I hope that You, Your Family & Friends are all doing well, staying safe & healthy.
Cheers & Heavy Respect,
STEPHEN W
Kelowna BC 🇨🇦
Many thanks Stephen! All good here. :)
I won't say I cheer for the Blue Jays more than any other team. I just love baseball. I'm from Norway and baseball is very little known, but I've always taken to the sport and I watch as much as I can on TV during the season. I have fans of the channel that knows this and they send me hats and I wear them in my videos. That's why you often will see me wear hats from another team too. ;-)
gosh! this synth is so warm, it makes me wanna wear Suncream!! good Job Espen Kraft!
Thanks!
Any reference to "Fletch" is a thumbs up in my book. 😁🤘🏼
Save a prayer has always been one of my favorite songs from Duran Duran mostly because of how soothing it is and how Nick Rhodes just absolutely kills the synths. I actually did synths my first year of marching band and it didn't hit me I was doing what I had loved the most from that band.
Great selection.
I think Oxygene part 2 by Jean Michel Jarre from the movie Gallipoli is a great one.
Such a great selection. So many of my favorites
Honestly watching this dude play riffs on a synthesizer at 3AM is a total vibe. Cool stuff 👍
Cheers! :D
4:58. Bach was born in 1685…so he wrote "toccatta & fugue" when he was approximately 20 years old?
Jaw dropped
Wasnt game to play the triplets !
Mike Oldfield recorded Tubular Bells at 19
On the honor role I'd suggest the tail end featuring the Minimoog on ELP's Lucky Man. That was such a new sound. I had been playing with signal generators for a while and thought "somebody's using one on a pop tune" and being a musician and a circuit designer it got me heavily into synth design.
My favorite synth riffs are: Touch & Go - Emerson, Lake, Palmer
Feels So Good - Van Halen
She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby
Touch and Go! Outstanding.
@@kathyratino962 Yeah, so apropos for keyboard...
This list is incomplete without the riff from Just Can’t Get Enough - Depeche Mode
The list is not incomplete, but I get you want DM on there. ;-)
I also was thinking about this riff but it was early DM sound and they go much more darker in next albums, but yes the riff is epic
i agree specially duran duran mean nothing to me didnt sound good too for me.several other famous 80's songs from can be added.well at least its added doors which most people ignore them
Yazoo 'don't go'
Being a teenager in the 1980's (83 in fact) I got into Depeche Mode and it was seeing Alan Wilder behind his synths at the Glasgow Construction Time Again Tour that I got into synths. I had been a big fan of Gary Numan's first four albums. It made me and still does appreciate the older synths of the time ..Depeche, Yazoo, Bronski Beat, Soft Cell.. All that crowd.. Got a few synths as well as a few 80's relics.. Roland U-110, Yamaha cs01 and a very rare Korg SQ8 which works brilliantly with the U-110
When Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode (after their first album, Speak & Spell, back in 1981), he took away with him some synths used for the tracks of the album, especially electronic drums. That explained why Depeche Mode and Yazoo sound similar related to drums.
@@sorinpirtea2306 When Yazoo reformed in 2008..The sound was sparse but brilliant... I'd seen Erasure a few times but that doesn't compare to the sound of Yazoo .. (I know same guy)
Alan Wilder was key player in all those DM 80s sounds ..genius
THE synth riff is any performance from "Switched-On Bach" (1968) by W. Carlos. The first classical album to go platinum, the major synth album, and the first to win several Grammy awards. Her succeeding albums each moved the needle, incidentally opening up at least four other synth-related genres.
These are great riffs.
And none would have been made if not for the King Of Keys.