10 Iconic Synth Bass Lines
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2020
- A day in the life of a Nordic synth artist and TH-camr: • A day in the life of a...
10 iconic synth bass lines - cover by Espen Kraft
00:30 Eurythmics | Sweet Dreams (are made of this)
01:18 Giorgio Moroder | Chase
02:47 Madonna | Into The Groove
03:55 Depeche Mode | World in My Eyes
04:44 Phil Collins | Sussudio
05:54 Michael Jackson | Bad
06:45 New Order | Blue Monday
08:30 Kraftwerk | The Robots
09:21 Pet Shop Boys | West End Girls
10:41 Jean Michel Jarre | Oxygene (pt.4)
Sequenced live with the Alesis MMT-8 sequencer
Yamaha DX7s used as master keyboard only
Roland MKS-70
Roland Alpha Juno 2
Emax
Korg DSS-1
Sequential TOM drum machine w/Linn & DMX carts
Outboard and plugin effects and processing done in post. - เพลง
West End Girls is such a masterpiece of the synth pop genre
every one of these songs are
Pet Shop Boys - I still remember watching the music video on MTV for that song; back in the day when MTV played music videos & not reality TV shows. Oxygene = the "Pure Moods" compilation. I would have liked to hear "Crockett's Theme" from the Miami Vice (1) soundtrack.. oh well...
I started singing along with it. XD
Totally agree 💯
Yes a much simpler rougher version of it was released and it went almost nowhere - they made it more sophisticated and professional sounding a year or so later and it went to #1 around the world. It’s all about class divisions found even in dating.
Madonna - Into the Groove synth bass line is absolutely fantastic :)
And so complicated!
Yep...I remember as a kid keeping the radio on hoping to hear it. I was somewhat enchanted by that bass line, haha.
Let's not forget that bass line on PYT from Thriller! That being said, the most amazing synth bass is Boogie On Reggae Woman by Stevie Wonder. Mind boggling!
2:46 "And you can dance...
for inspiration" 😁🎧💃🏻
Double thumbs up for ending with oxygene 👍👍
Nice work!
Many thanks! :)
The pet shop boys bassline wins for me, magical, particularly the main bass hook at the start, love it.
DEPECHE MODE
Depeche Mode: Enjoy The Silence - best baseline of all.
It's epic for sure ;-) I did want that as well, but had already done to Depeche tracks for this video and I cut one other out as well. ;-)
genX totally agree
...but would Espen be able to reproduce it ?
Truly amazing bassline!!
@@MrBeen992 undoubtedly
Thank you for the vid Mr. Kraft. Madonna got me hooked.
80s were something special!
That DX7 is just such a beast
And what a keyboard! My favorite.
Equinoxe 7 is my personal favourite synth bass ever- haunting use of pitch bend generates melancholic yet funky atmosphere.
oh yeaaa, and bassline in chronology pt VI or funky bass in zoolook, I love that
Ohhhhh Depeche!!!! That is prob one of my favorites from them!!!! Great job!!!
Cheers!
This is literally the first synth bass video I have ever looked up. I feel like I struck gold.
I want one!
Still love the 80s sounds. Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
Karl Bedford ‘you can dance you can dance, everyone look at your hands’
That Giorgio Moroder bassline is the GOAT!!! Reminds me of that movie, midnight express.
Sussido’s bassline is so catchy!
Gary Numan Cars, to me, the most iconic 70's 80's bass grooves. Gotta love the Minimoog. Great clip and nailed those bass lines
Thanks!
Soft Cell - Tainted Love, and Donna Summer - I Feel Love spring to mind. But oh man, all the tracks you chose were great... the PSB's West End Girls was what made me fall in love with synthpop all those years ago, and it was the bass that did it.
Had totally forgotten about Tainted Love!
Donna summer - i feel love is also made by Giorgio Moroder. But still a master song
No one ever includes PIL or Tones on Tail aka Bauhaus w/o Peter Murphy aka PreL&R
Erwin Feenstra and it was from the 1970s
yes for i feel love
wow, well done with that Madonna bass line. Not an easy one to figure out.
Thanks! :)
Is that bass actually from the dx7?
@@EspenKraft think you should do a cover and tutorial
@@XnazxulX I know that Madonna used a Moog Source for the bass line at Live Aid. th-cam.com/video/8mQgGMAfKEU/w-d-xo.html
There's a guy named William Kurk on TH-cam who does a tutorial on replicating all the synth parts of "Into The Groove."
Espen “human arpeggiator” Kraft. Props. The Chase FTW BTW.
A really good choice of famous synth basslines.
Cheers!
Amazing how perfect your timing is - were your parents sequencers?
No, but since this is done to a rhythm and not free-playing keeping time is much easier. ;)
@@EspenKraft I'm afraid your secret of being half man, half atomic clock is now out!
DNA Sequencers
Espen Kraft
I wonder if you have a quantisation switch somewhere implanted🤪
@@MySoundscore That would imply his timing is sometimes less than perfect which is clearly absurd.
I think Naked Eyes is a criminally overlooked 80s act that has great bass lines. I'm especially fond of "when the lights go out".
I agree!
The King of the Synth Baseline, hands down.
Love the C-64 and Atari ST sitting in the background.
Sweet!
I'm glad Oxygene is on here. It was part of my childhood.
Thank you so much for including J.M.Jarre, Eurythmics, New Order and Depeche Mode. These are tunes from my childhood ;-)
What the funk? Synth bass funk, hello? Chromeo - My Girl Is Calling Me A Liar (Claims its just a simple repeating bass riff - but you both know its the slick sexy cool breeze you are not. And synth solo ear candy - you're welcome.)
GAP Band - You Dropped A Bomb On Me (Genius intro - one sustained note pulls you along by your sleeve before pushing into the comfiest chair of a groove as it shares a fun friendly banter with a beat that says "I gotchu, playa")
GAP Band - Burn Rubber On Me (First thing you hear is an engine revving up to burn rubber - that's the synth bass arriving on time for your lesson in "It" and its supernatural ability to keep you chasing after that vibe carrot that you're never gonna get...)
LOVE your videos! Let us know how we can support you if things evolve for you in that direction.
Thanks!
I appreciate funk, as a listener. I do not have it in me to do funk. I'm almost entirely "pop" as you might have figured out by now. ;-)
I can only do the kind of music that speaks to my heart and has the right "color". Euro/Brit 80s synth-pop is my main vocation. ;-)
@@EspenKraft Oh goodness, Euro/Brit 80s synth pop is the gold standard and was a GOD SEND to kids and teens in trapped in the black hole in the US known as the midwest. We were endlessly dazzled by the shimmery exotic sounding synths and the colorful characters that came with them from across The Pond. My absolute favorite from then is still ABC's Lexicon of Love and its gorgeous mix of bells and sparkly sounds in arrangements that interact nicely atop the rock solid rhythm section....and even the lyrics are clever in content and perspective. Thanks again for the work you're doing here - and the gear videos!! It's like you are providing a glimpse into a secret magical world that younger people never even knew existed.
Thanks! I'll just make what I love, ;-)
Seriously, great replicas you have made
Thanks! :)
West End Girls was played beautifully! Thank you 😊
Many thanks! :)
When this man uses two hands to play a synth it certainly means something.
What a beautiful, futuristic and scientific music........ These inventions were ahead of 80's, and that's why they don't make you feel like in 80's or rather transport people's mind into distant hi-tech future.......
fantastic iconic songs - many really were groundbreaking and pivotal points of electronic music. One that I truly love is the get into the groove bass... I wasn't a Madonna fan back in the day but that bass has stuck in my head forever.
Human League," Don't you want me "...
Yeah +1 for Don't You Want Me! Also "Don't Go", Yazoo.
@@macronencer ...and almost any song Vince made
Thinking more The Black Hit of Space.
Now thats too old :(
Definitely Don't You Want Me should be the first on the list!
There are so many good bass lines from the 80’s. You could probably make a video a day for weeks covering them. Give it up to Phil for the best one in this group.
I could only chose my top-10, but there plenty more that is great! :)
Jean-Michel Jarre is a great choice to end your video. I have the 33. Thanks for recreating the memories.
Smalltown boy certainly deserves a place in the top 10
Donna Summer - I Feel Love
I would add Visage's "Fade To Grey" and DM's "Enjoy The Silence"
Ian Wilson Visage’s Fade to grey is epic!
No, not Enjoy the silence, but everything counts.
@@MrQuatale
Photographic is an iconic one
Fade to grey without doubt .
Not a major fan of the Pet Shop Boys, but I knew that if that killer bass line from West End Girls didn't make it into your video, I would've lost hope in humanities taste for great synth bass lines. Hope lives on!!! Nice.
Thanks! It was one of the "musts" on this list. ;-)
Glad you included Sussudio
Cheers! :D
“When I Think Of You” Janet Jackson. “I Can’t Wait” Nu Shooz. “Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)” Scritti Politti. “Borderline” Madonna. “I Feel For You” Chaka Kahn. “Lessons In Love” Level 42. “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” Michael Jackson. “Things Can Only Get Better” Howard Jones. “Neutron Dance” Pointer Sisters. “How Will I Know” Whitney Houston. “Freeway Of Love” Aretha Franklin.
My guess is that Mark King played bass on the Level 42 song. His bass playing is so quick, punchy; and precise that it can sound like a sequenced part. 🙂
Agree about M. King. But LOVE “FEEL FOR YOU” on here!! 🤘🤘
Derek Baker this is so funny. I am currently watching a video of Mark King playing that bass part - he says it is one of the hardest things to play live. It DOES sound like a programmed bass line, and the effects used on the bass (and even perhaps the choice of strings and instrument) make it sound to my ears like a digital synth. But it’s not! I’ve been wondering about this for 33 years. Mystery solved.
AJ Constantine yes, I was wrong about Mark King, kudos to him for playing what sounded like a sequencer. Also, for I Feel For You, Wikipedia says: “bass synthesizer and programming by The System's David Frank using an Oberheim DSX sequencer, which was connected to his Minimoog via CV and gate”
@@IrnBruNYC Wow! Thank you for sharing that info. 👍👍
The bass solo in Daft Punk’s around the world definitely deserves a place
This is fire!!! Great vid Herr Kraft!
Thanks!
My goodness, you sir are AMAZING
Sweet!
Just so beautiful to put my ears around it. Heaven.
Sweet! :)
You have seriously good precision! I can improvise blues and a little jazz, but it takes real discipline to play a deceptively simple-sounding synth bass line and not screw up the rhythm. Much respect to you.
Thank you for saying! :)
Those quick riffs don't seem to perfectly match the playing we see. Pretty sure it's just playback to a sequencer.
@@viperhd70 Jealousy is a terrible thing to taste!
No jealousy at all. Just hate fake. See my other post with the time stamp that clearly shows what you see is not what you hear.
@@viperhd70 Will do. Perhaps it was just me that was jealous then! Have to admit that the timing did seem just a little too perfect.
Siempre es bueno volver a ver estos videos...
JMJ - Oxygene... is my absolutly favorite... thanks
My pleasure, thanks :)
I remember hearing Chase back in the day... brought back good memories!
Michael Carey Chase was transformative for me hearing it as a child!
West End Girls was too perfect for TH-cam. One of my favorite songs!! Nice
Thanks man! It helps to have the same string patch on my Emax as they did use on the Emulator. ;-)
Oxygene is such a timeless piece of music
Same here!! LOVE synth bass.... Like the Atari shirt man!
BLUE MONDAY & West End Girls!! The perfection of keeping it simple!
Hahahahahahaha...........World in my eyes by Depeche Mode man...
nu shooz - i can't wait
playing sussudio and blue monday bass lines by hand - wow.
"you are the one" by a-ha has a pretty catchy bassline. i have spent ages trying to figure out "die roboter" and never got there so thank you for that one. :)
Thanks! Yes, "you are the one" is great.
@@EspenKraft thak ou for the reply. it made my day .Im so happy that a youtuber noticed my comment i can't thank you enough!
Michael Cretu - Samurai. The bassline of this track is so unique and so characteristic.Hope to see you playing it in your next videos.
The Imagination track by him has an underrated synth bass as well
a LOT of what Michael Cretu/Sandra/Hubert Kah/Enigma did had amazing basslines, thats his real skill. The Sandra tracks - Maria Magdelena, You'll be mine, Hey Little Girl, Breakup of the world, Hi Hi Hi - alone are a full education on basslines.
Two of my all time favorite synth bass lines. Early ones, yes, but still iconic:
- Ultravox - All Stood Still (Minimoog)
- Liaisons Dangereuses - Los Niños Del Parque (Korg MS20)
Both played over a C Minor chord.
Wow, man. Did we grow up together???
All stood still is a great bass line from a great track and I'm sure it was ripped off by Bauhaus on "Departure". I also really like the bass line on Ultravox's "We came to dance".
Wonderful video, legendary songs. Great T-Shirt
Cheers!
I never leave comments but had to say its nice to see a synth enthusiast actually play in time with such precision! very impressive
Thanks!
One of the most iconic basslines from the 80's for me is from Janet Jackson's "The Pleasure Principle"
Absolutely outstanding, and a really enjoyable sound. Very nice!
Thanks! :-)
I hope you will have many sequels to this topic. Excellent playing of excellent bass lines.
Thanks! I might do a follow up!
Never Let Me Down Again-Depeche Mode
Behind The Wheel-Depeche Mode
Much Respect To You
Thanks For Sharing
10:42 "You're watching Adventure Call. My name is Falconhoof, and I will be your guide on your quest."
Yoooo!!!
I have always loved the Bass line in Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene IV, nice surprise to see it at the end there.
Blue Mondayyy!!!! 💙
Wow, you are a wonderful find, just posted this and the previous track on 10 best synth riffs that shook your world on my FB story page !Such wonderful memories you bring to my 72 year old brain,and love watching you play,thanks so much !
Sweet! Thank you so much for saying, I appreciate it very much. Enjoy your day! ;-)
“ into the groove “ what a complex baseline :)
To analyze the rythm of this baseline , you can get silly.
It’s not about the complexity.....it’s about the sound!
...but if Madonna is the example, i'd prefer "vogue"
that looked HARD!
Great choices! My alternative suggestions:
DAF - Der Mussolini
Skinny Puppy - Smothered Hope
Joe Jackson - Stepping Out
Front 242 - Headhunter
Clan of Xymox - A Day
Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
NIN - Closer
"DAF - Der Mussolini" -> Absolutely!
Smothered Hope, great record. Just before Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly became separate bands. Still got Remission and Bites and Disorder somewhere... What about Nitzer Ebb's Lightning Man? Top bassline!
this is my sugestion Love Missile F-1 11 By Sigue Sigue Sputnik The Duel By Giorgio Moroder Running By Information Society Out Of Space By The Prodigy
Wondering if this is known outside Germany. If I recall correctly it was banned from playing in the radio.
Thank you, Espen! Perfectly played!
Kleeer---"Intimate Connection" or "Tonight."
80s r&b were killing synth basslines and often get overlooked for pop songs.
Great video. Very nice work.
Great Espen , I think that AHA : take on me is an ICONIC bass line with the famous DX7 BASS1 patch
Thanks, yes that's a great example. ;-)
Danger Zone
Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F and a-ha's Take On Me, of course.
Since I have both these in my "top-10 synth riffs" video I didn't include them here. ;-)
Great selection of songs!!!
Thanks!
Came to the party late on this one, but wow, this was good; thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
OMG this is soooo good! 80s retro chills all over!! Excellent!!
Cheers!
Some of my favorite songs! New Order, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, and more.
You can beleive it or not, when you begin to play the madonna tune, my tears began to flow, knowing that tune, but not aware what great music this was...
I appreciate you telling me man! :)
You crushed it!!!
Flashlight by Parliament is to me the greatest synth bassline
As a guitar player, I always find myself loving synths. Your video is a great rendition of all of the classics! I really enjoyed the Kraftwerk and Phil Collins...really good stuff here!
Thanks man!
Woooow. Sir this is good. Please don't stop.
Cheers!
That is the best cover of Chase I have ever heard
Many thanks! :)
Im glad you ended with Jean Michel Jarre. Brought a lot childhood memories. He is the Godfather of synth music
Wow! You chose really good ones. I'd love to see a second part. Thanks!
Thanks! I have more recorded, that didn't make the cut this time. ;-)
@@EspenKraft we want more...we want more ...we want more !!!!!
This was a bop and a half great job
Excellent video. Very nice selection. "Into the groove" is my all-time favorite.
Thanks! :)
You nailed very well most of these! I see most of my personal favorites are already listed below or played by you, but here they go again with some additions: Crockett's Theme, Axel F, Enjoy the Silence, Halo, Policy of Truth, Nothing (Depeche again), Antarctica, Blade Runner end Titles, Love Comes Quickly and many more... Synth bass is my obsession just as with you..
There are so many ;-)
1:20 makes me think Coast to Coast AM is coming on.
Dead on with your choices. Such a cool instrument!
Great playing thanks. Synths are so much fun especially when you play old 80's stuff. Enjoyed that thank-you.
Many thanks! :)
still have that spooky groove for Blue Monday..
I don't think I've ever appreciated the baseline for Get Into the Groove as much as I do now. It's the perfect amount of simple, funky, and groovy: baselines like that are legendary!
AMAZING VIDEO! Absolutely loved every bit of it. connected me with a song ive been wondering the name of for so so long (oxygene pt.4) too, thank you for making this video Mr Kraft
Many thanks Javid! :)
I’ve been trying to recreate the sound and feel of a bass guitar on keyboards with varying degrees of success. This video has brought me back home. Synth bass will always be awesome!
Cheers! :D
You did a fantastic job on blue monday:)
Thanks! :-)
Np:)
Stone Robinson glad someone said it
Excellent! No word can say it better.
Sweet, thanks! :)
"Yazoo - Don't Go" has one of my fav synth bass, but most i like "Visage - Fade to Grey" and the funny thing on it is, it based not on a Bass, it based on the Brass Section from the Polymoog Keyboard Version, from which also came the iconic "Vox Humana" synth line and yes, its the same famous preset as on "Cars" by Gary Numan. Greetings from Germany and keep going! 🥳
Love the Atari ST in the background!
Have you checked out my videos where I actually make music with these, just like I used to back in the late 80s? ;-)