Curated By: Will Bush
Curation is the act of searching, sorting, and selecting from a larger body of work. An art unto itself, the direction of a cohesive collection is determined by whoever is telling the story.
This story has been curated by composer and songwriter Will Bush. As one half of the synth-forward, genre-bending band Immortal Girlfriend, the man behind the cinematic, anti-hero soundtracks of Black Challenger, and composer of production music albums like retro synth inspired Under the Surface v3, Will is an ideal candidate to curate an exhibition of the synthesizer.
After giving Will the keys to the synth-based albums from our catalog, we left him with the simple brief: find tracks that resonate with you and assemble them into a playlist.
Read on for further insight on his relationship with the synthesizer and why he picked these tracks.
Lab Notes: With the synthesizer at the heart of your own music with Immortal Girlfriend, Black Challenger, and the album you created on UNDERscore, what makes synth such an effective instrument? What is your favorite part of using synths to express yourself?
Will Bush: I have been a fan of synths for years, movie soundtracks mainly influenced my love for synthesizers. I started playing music with electric guitar but eventually made my way over to synths. I love the versatility of the instrument, you can create so many sounds with it. Entire scores have been completed with just synths. Their sound is unique and it still sounds futuristic to me.
Lab Notes: What made some of the tracks you selected jump out at you?
Will Bush: I am a fan of arps and drums, but also ambient pads and subtle scores. These songs match the made up sci-fi/thriller movie I have playing in my head!
Lab Notes: Do you have a favorite synth-based film or TV soundtrack?
Will Bush: I was listening to the Challengers soundtrack the other day. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, continue to build amazing scores and soundscapes.
Special thanks to Will Bush for taking the time to curate this playlist. If you’d like to learn more about Will’s music, here are links to a few of his projects: