Synergy

"'Synergy,' the actual term, means some kind of process or reaction where the sum is greater than the whole of the parts put into it. I noticed that in multi-tracking electronic instruments years ago that combining a couple of overdubs would yield sonic interactions that sounded bigger and richer than the sum of those individual small parts, so I adopted [it] as an appropriate project name," professes Larry Fast, a true pioneer in electronic music, who is also responsible for helping meld synthesisers into pop music, especially on his contributions to Peter Gabriel's first four albums. Reconstructed Artifacts, a compilation of pieces stemming from groundbreaking albums such as Audion and Sequencer, are given fresh voltage and an updated path thanks to modern digital synth technology. With a unique vanguard writing style that recalls memories of the powerful force of composers like Wagner, Holst and John Williams, Fast's dynamic binary music "rocks" just as it mysteriously wisps, yearns and cheers with the ambiance of a full stadium set in an alien landscape. He admits that he is "drawn to the electronic timbres made possible through non-acoustic means. The control freak in me likes that I can make my 'instruments' do what I want and I never have to be embarrassed about what I'm asking them to play. It's my electric guitar to someone else's acoustic. As [technology] gets better, the musical values possible through technology get better." Impressively, Fast's compositions strike the listener's emotions first, appearing to sound more "realistic," but the medium's textures are part of the appeal. "It gives the impression of being realistic, but if you listen closely, none of those sounds are really very good imitations of their acoustic counterparts. They're more like the strokes in an impressionist painting compared to a photograph. Look closely and you would never confuse the two, but step back and the impressionist painter can convey the emotions and texture of the scene without being so literal. That's what I've been trying to do in the electronic arena."