Electronic EcstasyAvailable now from:
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CD Baby
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Electro PopAvailable now from:
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Amazon MP3
Sensual AmbienceAvailable now from:
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CD Baby
Amazon MP3
Love & Dancing EP SoundClick
Memories Drift
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Amazon MP3
Munich Syndrome Reviews:
Electronic Ecstasy I can’t think of that many bands who are sounding very close to Kraftwerk without being a failure. I guess Komputer and Dust Of Basement might be an exception, and from now on, you can add Munich Syndrome to that list as well. Munich Syndrome is very clear about it that Kraftwerk is the inspiration (on the cover you can notice those typical robots behind a synthesizer that were used by some lads from Dusseldorf) and yet, Munich Syndrome is a musical project with a very own face. This release comes from an American (David B. Roundsley) and it sounds from the first to the last second very European and that’s cuz this artist has been inspired from everything that sounds electronic. Be it the more commercial European pop (hello Giorgio Moroder) to the more EBM-oriented beats from Front 242, you hear it somewhere in Munich Syndrome. Munich Syndrome is certainly not the first band on this planet who had this humble thought but many other projects are sounding dated where it’s nothing but a copy, but as said before Munich Syndrome resolved this danger into some great songs (or sounds) which makes this album an electronic adventure with both analogue sounds and trancy soundscapes. |
Electronic Ecstasy Munich Syndrome is US-based musician David B. Roundsley & this is his third release of retro-modern synthpop that resurrects the spirit of the late 70s (with Giorgio Moroder being a key influence, I'd guess) while still sounding totally up-to-date. The colourful cover ensures the album will catch your eye & make you curious as to what lies within & it's well worth satisfying that curiosity here with its 16 tracks (13 originals, 3 mixes) & a running time of well over 70 minutes ensuring it's a good value for money offering. The aforementioned Moroder influence is immediately felt during the opening seconds of the title track as those sequences kick in, being joined by the vocodered vocals that, well-used staple that they are, still sound so right. And it's just as well they do as they pop up throughout, proving their worth equally on the more assertive tracks such as 'Dream Sequence 3' & 'Dreams (Or Memories?) which also features some attention-grabbing lead synths & the decidedly infectious 'Watching You', as they do on the more restrained 'Anywhere (But Here) where some faux sax makes for a seriously loungey vibe & the decidedly wistful '2 Whom' where the combination of obviously synthetic vocals & emotive music is evocative of a machine that's experienced the negative side of human emotions (which I still think is cool!). The instrumental 'Metro' does push its luck a bit due to the slightly jazzy piano that has a whiff of Shakatak-style wine bar chic to it which is tolerable in this small dose as long as it doesn't become a habit although 'Random' provides a safer instrumental experience that leads into the remixes which add more elements to various tracks whilst retaining the essential feel of the album before 'Signals' closes the album on a more downbeat instrumental note. Overall, then, this is another fine release from an independent artist that is following very much his own musical path & the fact it is again a self-release from Syndrome Sounds is heartening in that there are still artists who still feel releasing bona fide CDs is still a worthwhile venture & are prepared to put in the hard work to make this happen so if you're looking for a unique synthpop sound that's surely got to be worth supporting, right? |
Reviewed by: Carl Jenkinson
www.hard-wired.org |
Munich Syndrome Uploads Musical Ecstasy Accessing prior We The People Data. Last known encounter with entity Munich Syndrome, also known as m:, also known as David Roundsley, listed as year 2008, June 30. Experience found as no threat. Mood friendly, uplifting, informative. Downloading current sound transmission. Current file cataloged, titled Electronic Ecstasy. Sixteen contents found, including four bonus tracks. Original material found. Recommended highly. Distribute to all active personnel. Accessing personal file, Robert Lawrence, year 2010, March 25. I have in my hands the new CD release from Munich Syndrome. I recall my last visit with this artist as very pleasurable and documented the details on the We The People website. Mr. Roundsley gave detailed information to our readers. The current release shows growth in many areas. Track one, Electronic Ecstasy: the opening track and title cut begins with a NASA type communication and backing sounds that are reminiscent of Donna Summerâs ãI Feel Love.ä Though this common in the Electronica landscape, it is always a welcome sign. There are several breaks, which aid in making the song relevant. The lyrics pertain to going out to the clubs of the world and documenting the feeling. The song closes with a repeat of the NASA type transmission message. I liked this effect and wish it were used throughout the disc with additional verbiage to tie the tracks together. Track two, Always (Alone): keeps the beat from track one, with variation. There is a sadness to this composition as the lyric seems to explore a life of jumping from partner to partner, comparing encounters to grains of sand. Track three, Anywhere (But Here): has some Jazz sounds thrown in, which aid in setting the feeling into another direction. A desperate story of longing for someone, who never deserved ones admiration. "A change of plan, random glance, Walking down the street I catch a glance, of you and him moving into another life, try to recall I want to forget, all the memories singed with regret, and finally knowing you never felt the same." Track four, Dream Sequence #3: instrumental cut, nice bridge to the next song, that steps up the mood. Track five, Celebrate: this cut reminded me of the Human League. A story of finding "the one" and its celebration. Accessing personal file, year 2010, March 27... Track six, 2 Whom: this track reminded me of the Electric Light Orchestra in the 80's. Not their power dance hit singles, but more like their album cuts, which had more depth. I think 2 Whom is an extension of Celebrate, going further into the feeling of finding your true love. Track seven, Endings: this is my favorite of all. Again the ELO presence is felt in the lyric delivery. This track was a fun experience. First it made me think of Bachman Turner Overdrive's Taking Care of Business, then the synth-sounds, threw in a taste of Gary Numan, and out of nowhere in the background, I got ? and the Mysterians 96 Tears. I only wish it was twice as long. To be honest I didnât even pay attention to the lyric, I was enjoying the music that much. Track eight, Metro: instrumental cut, not my thing, background noise, non-threatening. Track nine, Dreams (or memories?): the topic here I felt was infatuation. The sounds were dark and broody, which were a good lead into the next cut. Track ten, Fear Panic Dread: Three simple words in this short break. A nice introduction into· Track eleven, Watching You: Another dark tale and the android influence very evident here. In the automated future who will be watching us? Very possibly it wonât be a human. The backing sounds are tailor made for any Sci-Fi thriller. Accessing personal file, year 2010, April 6. Track twelve, Random: instrumental cut, closing theme to the project. Tracks Thirteen-Fifteen (Bonus tracks): remixes of Electronic Ecstasy (nice to have more of this one in its extended version), Always (called the Full Orchestral mix, mostly extended, but a with a slight livelier feeling, Anywhere (titled the Here and Now mix, finds the song expanded and surprisingly flowing better than the original version), and a new cut Signals (instrumental, was really wishing for an extended version of Endings, but again, thereâs nothing better than leaving the listener wanting more). Closing data: I found Electronic Ecstasy a fresh adventure into the realm of Munich Syndrome. You can pick up a copy at CD Baby and visit the website at www.munichsyndrome.com for more information along with links to unique merchandising. End of transmission log, Robert Lawrence, back to Hibernation pod.
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| Reviewed by: Robert Lawrence www.gaysonoma.com |
Electro Pop Ever since my local, trance radio station got the axe (San Francisco's Energy 92.7), I've been starving for new music to listen to when I commute to work. Other radio stations are fine but you can only take so much Nirvana, Rihanna and Gaga. Then, I happened upon all 3 Munich Syndrome CDs about 3 weeks ago and my car's CD player hasn't stopped spinning yet. What makes "Electro Pop," "Electronic Ecstasy" and "Sensual Ambience" so enjoyable is that they each evoke a separate mood while still feeling musically tied to the same artist. Some tracks feel slightly 8-bit retro with hints of 80s synth sounds. Others are flat out chill, ambient trance. "Dance" is probably the most pop track and I dare you to not nod your head along to the beat. There is some obvious skill here. My applause goes to the artist. On this CD, my favorite tracks are Dance, Love & Dancing and Analogue Life. Check 'em out. You know a CD is good when you'd rather hit an extra red light on the way home from work just so that you can finish a song. Thanks for making me look forward to my commute again. |
| Reviewed by: R. Royce www.amazon.com |
Electro Pop The name might lead you to think that this is yet another German artist but, in fact, Munich Syndrome is the solo project of American musician David B. Roundsley. MS was born in the 80s & it's clear that this is where Roundsley's heart still belongs, his music being heavily influenced by the European synthpop/europop heroes such as Giorgio Moroder (the title makes this a prime example of an album that does exactly what it says on the cover!) &, on a more obscure note, Koto & Lazerdance with a consistently strong melodic feel that pays dividends throughout, starting with the opening 'Manifesto' which immediately impresses with its mix of vocodered voice & rhythms that resemble Kraftwerk circa Computer World (& thus the hiphop styles that that album inspired) & catchy melodies that just scream 'THIS IS REAL SYNTHPOP', something which can only ever be a cause for celebration. After this fine start the quality is maintained as a pleasing combination of voice effects & soaring synthleads make 'Dance (Ah Eeh Ya Ya Ya') another instantly exciting piece while the dreamy saxophone voice that adds an additional funky edge to 'Revenge' as well as both versions of 'Love & Dancing' (the extended version of which could well gain widespread club appeal if it were promoted in the right circles) & 'Electro Bop' which boasts some rather, er, boppy rhythms but is otherwise quite a laidback piece, testifies that Roundsley is not afraid to look outside the normal synthpop influences for inspiration which is all to the good, of course. Like the aforementioned bands, this isn't an album big on variety although the combination of appealingly gritty guitar sounds & emotive synth riffs make 'Come Out & Play (Peaks & Valleys Mix)' another worthwhile number while the almost freeform-sounding 'Space Age Bachelor Pad Music' sounds appropriately laidback & loungey. With 14 tracks on offer & a running time of well over 70 minutes as well as some excellent computer artwork, this is an all-round excellent package, making Munich Syndrome a musical infection well worth catching
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Reviewed by: Carl Jenkinson www.hard-wired.org |
Krafwerk-ian electro with Daft Punk deftness Munich Syndrome is a Kraftwerk fan's dream come true. Perfect for either the dancefloor or the robot assembly line, synthesized vocoder vocals dominate this CD, with modern electro touches that recall Daft Punk, MSTRKRFT and Justice at their best. Turns out I enjoy this CD better than those 3 bands combined, which is no small compliment! Anxious to hear more from Munich Syndrome. |
| Reviewed by: Tony Gryner www.CDBaby.com |
Sensual Ambience Whatever you might think of David Roundsley's music, you can't say that the titles are in any way misleading. Like the Electro Pop album (which the music here predates by up to 6 years), the potential listener is given a very clear indication of what they'll find here, namely slow, mellow, dreamy &, at times, quite romantic electronic music that, in places, resembles the sensuousness of Enigma but fortuntely avoids the cliched monks chants in favour of a smooth melodic approach that is much more appealing &, in the case of the excellent piano work that graces 'Quiet Atmosphere' & "Cathedral Interlude' (the titles, for the most part, also act as a description of the music!), shows Roundsley's musicianship to be of a very high standard. The sax voices that added a touch of class to Electro Pop again prove their worth by adding an additionally sensual edge to several tracks, most notably the instrumental 'To Whom It May Concern' & 'A Night In Paris' which is alive with Gallic flair while this style is taking to its logical conclusion during the 18-minute title track where the extended duration makes the most of the richly-textured melodics on a piece which expertly unfolds at just the right pace, creating the perfect soundtrack to a romantic evening as nothing is rushed or out of place, it's mood music of the first order that one can really get lost in. After this the addition of the 'Electro' EP brings Roundsley's more up-tempo leanings to the fore with 'Regret' showing the style that would later become his forte & while none of the remixes (of tracks that would later appear on Electro Pop) add anything startlingly new, the release as a whole gives a good demonstration of the artist's versatility & considerable musical skills. |
| Reviewed by: Carl Jenkinson www.hard-wired.org |
Munich Syndrome - Electronic Ecstasy David Roundsley proviene da San Francisco Bay e con questo terzo album autoprodotto esplora nuovamente ambiti eletttronici di varia natura, esattamente come suggerisce l'istintivo desiderio di sperimentazione insito nell'artista. "Sensual Ambience" del 2006 trattava perlopiù orientamenti downtempo e trip-hop supportanti brani ambient e jazzy precedendo il successivo album "Electro Pop" del 2008 più incline a soluzioni idm, techno, dance ed ebm coniugando il linguaggio binario di "zero" e "uno" a sonorità sempre più perfezionate e variegate. Il nuovo full lenght svela in pratica ciò che sarebbe potuto scaturire dalla combinazione tra il dance-system di Moroder ed il suono razionale dei Kraftwerk contaminando inoltre i risultati con microrganismi Art Of Noise, New Order e frammenti elettronici di matrice 80's. Le tracce, sedici, si strutturano su pulite basi di key e vocoder incominciando il percorso proprio con "Electronic Ecstasy", ibrido tra il concetto Moroder e l'electro germanica al quale succede "Always (Alone)", lineare electropop song dalle romantiche curvature di tastiera che rapiscono istantaneamente. "Anywhere (But Here)" esalta leggere sonorità alla Pet Shop Boys mentre "Dream Sequence #3" scandisce il ritmo con drum machine ben cadenzata su eterei tocchi di key. "Celebrate" gioca con danzabili soluzioni 80's e vocoder concedendo l'ingresso della suggestiva "2 Whom" sempre animata da drumming sequenziato e voce robotizzata che caratterizzano questa fascinosa traccia. Si procede con l'easy listening di "Endings (Rock remix)" ed in seguito con "Metro", pianistica ed elegante. "Dreams (Or Memories)" dirama ulteriormente lo spartito electronic-minded disposto fin'ora procedendo con "Fear.Panic.Dread." oscurata da un minimale flusso di key. Synth in primo piano anche per "Watching You" che riattiva le inflessioni post-Kraftwerk di cui l'album è pregno, raggiungendo le disimpegnate procedure tastieristiche di "Random". Appaiono nuovamente i chiari riferimen ti moroderiani nella prima delle quattro bonus tracks, "Electronic Ecstasy (Extended Ecstasy Mix)", adattata ai dancefloors più cool, il remake della già ottima "Always (Alone)" quì in versione Full Orchestral Mix, la ricostruzione Here And Now Mix della metropolitana "Anywhere (But Here)" ed infine l'inedita "Signals", pacata esecuzione strumentale di prog e synth. Lavoro non accostabile all'electropop più in auge e riferito ad un ascolto meno specifico e tantomeno di tendenza. Un disco che potrebbe comunque rasserenare i lunghi kilometri percorsi in auto sotto l'imminente, torrido sole estivo. Se l'idea vi stuzzica.. -|-|-» Sperimentale rivisitazione di sonorità retrò senza irrigidimenti o pretenzosità: nulla a che vedere con altri progetti electro fin'ora ascoltati dalla maggior parte del pubblico. Lo stile MS si differenzia per leggerezza e disimpegno, elemento che terrà distanti da esso i cultori dell'electro-noise più oltranzista. Per tutti gli altri, la Sindrome attende di essere sperimentata. |
| Reviewed by: Max for theDSide www.theDSide.it |
David Roundsley Makes Electronica for the Masses MUNICH SYNDROME - electro pop - Syndrome Sounds Music Back in the early 70's two recordings were key in changing the face of popular music, Son of My Father by Giorgio (1972) and Autobahn by Kraftwerk (1974). These were the pioneers of Electronic Music in the pop scene. Giorgio went off to become a major force in the Disco-era with Donna Summer and Kraftwerk stayed true to their form and became the forefathers of Electronica Music. At the end of the 70's Yellow Magic Orchestra and Telex emerged and laid the ground for every synth artist that followed in the 80's new wave dance format. The most successful in this computerized electronic sound, in the pop market, were the Pet Shop Boys. Munich Syndrome is the one-man band, David Roundsley. Munich Syndrome takes the template forged in the 70's and incorporates it into today's technology. I ran across David and Munich Syndrome on SoundClick (a nifty website for up and coming independent artists). I found his sounds to be combination of all the artists I've mention while having a voice of his own. He had been searching for quite a while, looking for a vocalist for his compositions and found the perfect fit in his own, through vocoded harmonies. "electro pop," his second release, seems more like a debut as it incorporates early tracks with new tracks and displays Munich Syndrome as it stands today. Along with what I refer to as "Space Age" symphonies, clubbers will be drawn to the free-loving bop of "Dance (Ah Eee Ya Ya Ya Ya)," the complicated and rich "Love and Dancing," and the hard-floor stomp of "Go Away." Since I really enjoyed what I heard I wanted to share his sounds with our readers. There wasn't really a whole lot of info about David on the site, so I contacted him, to give him the opportunity to introduce himself to you.
Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: At this point, music was primarily guitar driven and I didn't see a correlation between the piano at home and the new music I was listening to. At one point I was trying to rally some friends into starting a band. While there was a "yeah, a band would be cool" vibe, no one seemed interested in going beyond the "wouldn't it be nice" talking phase. One of the sticking points was no one played bass, so I volunteered and went out and bought one and took some lessons. Two things became apparent very quickly: even with a bassist, no one was willing to move beyond the talking phase of starting something, and more importantly, I found the bass to be a very boring instrument to practice alone. I really had no aptitude for the instrument. Fast forward a few years: I found myself listening to the new electronic music coming out of England and Europe. Two bands that really moved me beyond just listening were "the Human League" (Things That Dreams Are Made Of) and "Soft Cell" (Memorabilia, from Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing). I was impressed with the full sound only a couple of people were creating vs. being dependent on having a band or group. One day out of curiosity I went down to a local music store and they had a drum machine and synthesizer that weren't out of the question financially. More as a lark than anything, I bought them and started playing around with them. Fairly quickly I felt limitations with playing a single keyboard along to a drum machine, and soon purchased a second keyboard, so I could play a bass part with one, and a lead with the other. The next evolutionary step was a Tascam 4-track recorder that allowed me to play a base track on one and then overdub on three other tracks. While this didn't lead to the best audio fidelity, that is when I started writing and recording in earnest. After a couple of years and eventually upgrading to an 8-track, I felt my playing wasn't really where it should be and retired the equipment. Music at that point had swung back to more of a "rock" format, and was a bit less interesting to me. At this point I had re-channeled my energies into graphic and web design (what I had studied in college). After doing web work and graphic design for a while electronica seemed to be cropping up everywhere and then the electroclash movement evolved out of that. It sounded familiar and new at the same time and I felt myself getting inspired again. At one of the jobs I was on everyone was sitting around talking about their interests and hobbies and I mentioned the music I had done and one person said "why aren't you pursuing and putting your music out there?" I didn't really have an answer for that. My partner was very encouraging and pushed me into exploring the various working environments available at the time. I started working with ProTools, but things weren't clicking for me. Feeling the need for a deeper understanding of the program I found a musician who tutored people. He mentioned that for the type of music I'm doing, Logic would be a better choice. Skeptical at first and after a readjustment curve, that's when things fell into place. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: One day he overhears his master talking about dismantling him and using his parts for a new and improved android. Sadly he goes to listen to his last broadcast from earth and the show is interrupted with the news bulletin that the androids in the city of Munich were tired of being machines and wanted to feel and be human. They rose up against and killed their human masters. They were exhibiting "Munich Syndrome." This resonated with me on a lot of levels. When it came to finding a name for the project this just felt like the right name. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: Another reason for developing the single letter was the name itself is fairly long, and in some graphics situations (thumbnail album covers come to mind) having a graphic element that will still be visible when shrunk that much was a concern. So far I've not heard of any confusion with "M", as "M" was always an upper-case "M" and stylized like neon, while ours is lower-case Helvetica and always followed by a colon. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: There is still a bit of a disconnect watching someone stand in front of a laptop or a bank of synths singing through a vocoder (though much less than in the days when the Pet Shop Boys first toured America and were told by their record company they HAD to have a drummer, and possibly a guitarist). I think there will be further evolution that will result in more of a hybrid, much in the way genres like country and pop merged with an artist like Shania Twain. A lot of the production techniques that were in the realm of "new wave" (drum machines, synthesizers, etc.) in the early 80's, can now be found in almost every mainstream song (be it hip-hop, rap, country or metal). What sounded alien and foreign 30 years ago has become commonplace. Overall I think what's going to win people over is what always won people over: a great song. If a truly great and memorable song catches the cultural zeitgeist and it happens to be more "futuristic" in sound, then it's possible (even probable) that it will lead to a trend towards that style. Sadly, we live in a word where people tend to hedge their bets and follow more than lead when it comes to music and movies. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: The last 4 tracks (the "Electro EP") was the direction I intended Munich Syndrome to go from the start, stylistically these songs don't mesh with the previous nine ("Sensual Ambience"). I had been putting songs up online as I finished and developed them, and was getting requests for an album, but I discovered I didn't know "which album" people were asking for (the down tempo material or the electronic pieces). Also, I wasn't sure at that point if a second album would follow so it was my attempt to maximize that release. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: If a certain song presented itself that I could reinvent and reinterpret in a unique way, I'd give it a shot. Soft Cell certainly made "Tainted Love" their own. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: I wasted a lot of time looking for a musical partner in crime. I've always had a soft spot for electro pop duos like Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys), Dave Ball and Marc Almond (Soft Cell), and Charly Brown and Myke Reily (Voice Farm), Vince Clarke and Allison Moyet (Yazoo), but it never happened for me. But never say never. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: The original mix didn't have the sax lead, but rather an analog synth lead, and it wasn't quite gelling for me. I didn't have any lyrics at this point and was playing around and dropped the sax lead in. The phrase "We took the Autobahn, to Echo Beach" just popped into my head. I was then going to write a love letter to all the clubs I used to frequent in San Francisco, but then I made the decision to make the lyrics entirely out of bands, albums and songs from a period of music I have a particular affection for. This is possibly the largest track I've ever done in terms of total tracks and the longest I've worked on a single song. This was also the first time I worked on an extended mix concurrently with the single mix. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: When I first got into a lot of electronic music it was often a white label 12" single, no logo, no image, just the name of the artist and song (if that), or it was listening to college radio, where you were lucky to get the name of the band. Even with releases that have album art, a lot of the time the artist is no where to be seen and It's easier to create an image in my mind that complements the music. I do think It's also a handicap when it comes to getting word out on new music (actually any music, or project) as we're a very "celebrity driven" society, and having a "face" to match to the music seems to make it more marketable. Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: Gaysonoma: David Roundsley: First up is exploring the video medium. For better or worse, we live in a visual world, and people often need to see something to accompany the song. I would like to do a video for "Dance" and "Love & Dancing", but as I'm doing this myself, another learning curve is involved. I've already got several songs written for the next album, so I should start pre-production on that in the not-too-distant-future! Gaysonoma.com thanks David Roundsley for his time and openness. You can visit Munich Machine's website at www.munichsyndrome.com and you can find the "electro pop" disc at CD Baby. |