10 Iconic Synth Bass Lines
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- čas přidán 5. 02. 2020
- A day in the life of a Nordic synth artist and CZcamsr: • 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. - Hudba
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!
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.
2:46 "And you can dance...
for inspiration" 😁🎧💃🏻
Smalltown boy certainly deserves a place in the top 10
That DX7 is just such a beast
And what a keyboard! My favorite.
nu shooz - i can't wait
love the C64 in the background :D
Have you seen the video where I remake my most popular track using only that?
80s were something special!
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.
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
so glad Blue Monday made this
Oxygene is such a timeless piece of music
The pet shop boys bassline wins for me, magical, particularly the main bass hook at the start, love it.
DEPECHE MODE
When this man uses two hands to play a synth it certainly means something.
playing sussudio and blue monday bass lines by hand - wow.
The King of the Synth Baseline, hands down.
I'm glad Oxygene is on here. It was part of my childhood.
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
Sussido’s bassline is so catchy!
West end Girls opens a portal to another dimension
Still love the 80s sounds. Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
Karl Bedford ‘you can dance you can dance, everyone look at your hands’
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. czcams.com/video/8mQgGMAfKEU/video.html
There's a guy named William Kurk on CZcams who does a tutorial on replicating all the synth parts of "Into The Groove."
best thing when you were born early 90's: still got to listen to all the wonderful 70's-80's music on the radio daily, and we're "mixtapes" were basically what the mom of Starlord in GOTG was doing for him.
Did that all the time in the 80s. ;-)
An original DX7. Oh my dream synth!!!!!
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!
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
Imagination JUST AN ILLUSION!!!!!!!!
"hi, I'm Espen Kraawft" love the intro
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!
“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. 👍👍
A really good choice of famous synth basslines.
Cheers!
Love the C-64 and Atari ST sitting in the background.
Sweet!
BLUE MONDAY & West End Girls!! The perfection of keeping it simple!
Hahahahahahaha...........World in my eyes by Depeche Mode man...
Donna Summer - I Feel Love
Oxygène gets an automatic thumbs-up from me! :-)
Part 2
1. Ghostbuster
2. Axel F
3. I can’t wait
4. Mj Thriller
5. Everybody wants to rule the world
(please continue)
6. Donna summer/ Giorgio Moroder I feel love!
Knightrider
Blinding lights - The Weeknd
The bass solo in Daft Punk’s around the world definitely deserves a place
“ 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!
Blue Mondayyy!!!! 💙
Just want him to say
“Bounty hunting is a complicated profession”
You have to sign up for Patreon to hear that. ;-)
That Giorgio Moroder bassline is the GOAT!!! Reminds me of that movie, midnight express.
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".
Glad you included Sussudio
Cheers! :D
Flashlight by Parliament is to me the greatest synth bassline
Thank you so much for including J.M.Jarre, Eurythmics, New Order and Depeche Mode. These are tunes from my childhood ;-)
West End Girls was played beautifully! Thank you 😊
Many thanks! :)
This is literally the first synth bass video I have ever looked up. I feel like I struck gold.
I want one!
Musicians are magicians.
Just so beautiful to put my ears around it. Heaven.
Sweet! :)
One of the most iconic basslines from the 80's for me is from Janet Jackson's "The Pleasure Principle"
Earlier you needed a creative musician to make music, today you buy a synthesizer, press 3 buttons, change some potentiometers and the music is done!
You still have to come up with a memorable melody or something that grooves!
Espen “human arpeggiator” Kraft. Props. The Chase FTW BTW.
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 .
I remember hearing Chase back in the day... brought back good memories!
Michael Carey Chase was transformative for me hearing it as a child!
still have that spooky groove for Blue Monday..
YAZ - don't go
Or Situation, or most Yaz. Lol
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. ;-)
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.
Into the grooves bassline is tough as hell
Insane!
Amazing production for that sing. Possibly the first song to be recorded in two different country’s for one production. I believe they started it in England and finished it in Los Angeles.
"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!
10:42 "You're watching Adventure Call. My name is Falconhoof, and I will be your guide on your quest."
Yoooo!!!
The End Credits from Blade Runner by Vangelis
I just learned I could probably listen to a synthesizer all day lol
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.......
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! :)
West End Girls was too perfect for CZcams. 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. ;-)
Some of my favorite songs! New Order, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, and more.
I need a playlist of 80s iconic synths
There are heaps! Spotify/CZcams both. Just put in a search for synthpop or something. Moog, DX7 and D-50 specific playlists are also prominent.
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.
donna summer - i feel love
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!
Im glad you ended with Jean Michel Jarre. Brought a lot childhood memories. He is the Godfather of synth music
Born in 1969.....I love 80’s music....and this channel. :)
Many thanks! :)
1:20 makes me think Coast to Coast AM is coming on.
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! :)
Jean-Michel Jarre is a great choice to end your video. I have the 33. Thanks for recreating the memories.
I watched just to see if Depeche Mode made the list. Was not disappointed.
I have always loved the Bass line in Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene IV, nice surprise to see it at the end there.
Nice touch of retro with the Commodore 64 and Atari ST in the background ... I remember some superb synth soundtracks for some C64 games back in the day.
Yes, I use these a lot in both my productions, but also in videos. I have a very popular C64 video where I show how it's used to make some of my music. Cheers
A Real Hero and Under Your Spell
Herbi Hancock - Chamelion will always be my fave synth bass line, I think. :)
The first bass line I played when I bought an Arp Odyssey back in the day.
Axel F and 19 would be good contenders as well!
Yes, Axel F i have in my "Top 10 synth riffs" so I thought that was enough. "19" I had almost recorded, but the iconic voice-over felt so wrong to not have in place so I dropped that. "Rainforest" could have been cool though. :)
Espen Kraft ... love how interactive you are with your viewers. 👏👏
neilbradley agreed
Anybody that honors Kraftwerk and Jarre has my vote. So many don't understand how influential they were/are. You the man!
Gary Numan has 2 wicked tunes Are Friends Electric and Cars, with synth bass
Both excellent tracks, but both are anchored with electric bass guitar - not synth bass.
'Wood beez' by Scritti Politti - amazing minimoog line played by David Gamson!
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.
Rush 'Neutrotica' has a pretty sweet opening synth bass line.
That is the best cover of Chase I have ever heard
Many thanks! :)
Nights on Broadway by The Bee Gees,one of my favorite keyboard bass lines.
World In My Eyes would have made such a good Bond theme tune
Not synth-pop but definitely synth-bass:
- Parliament - Flash Light
- Tom Browne - Funkin' for Jamaica
- Also honorable mentions to P.Y.T. and Workin' Day and Night by MJ
Some of the funkiest bass out there!
Bernie Worrell's Minimoog bassline on Flash Light is beyond epic!
Duran Duran
Flashlight!!!!
Tom Browne and Flashlight warm my heart ❤️
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!
Deserving of honourable mention:
Bee Gees - Jive Talkin' (never discount this bass line, it is awesome)
Herbie Hancock - Rock It (brilliant in its syncopation)
Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F (super funky)
Devo - Whip It (never been anything like it)
Depeche Mode - People Are People (so busy)
Yazoo - Don't Go (it's just perfect)
System - You are in my System (very challenging)
Endgames - First Last for Everything (perfect in its simplicity)
Human League - Don't You Want Me (what a hook - or perhaps Sound of the Crowd for its energy)
I'd add Styx - Too Much Time on My Hands but otherwise you got the ones I thought were missing too.
And the Robocop theme by Basil Poledourius
Amazing what an impact this instrument has had on 80s music. Thanks for bringing us back again.
Agreed
@@CraigScottFrost, did I mention the DX7?
As others have said, and mysef in the video description; the DX7 is used here ONLY as a controller. Not one single sound in this video is coming straight out of the DX, but some of the sounds coming off the samplers is DX7 samples to begin with. ;-)
The System "This Is For You" and "You're In My System"
Yes!
Fred I still listen to “You’re in my System” to this day :)
Absolutely!
Flashlight by Parliament, Atomic Dog by George Clinton,Hit and Run by Confunkshun, Wet My Whistle by Midnight Starr, Baby you can do it take your time do it right by SOS Band, Give me the night by George Benson and In the Raw by the Whispers also have iconic synth Basslines.
My cheers to Giorgio.
Saw the title and thought “Sweet dreams has to be on that list”. And there it is, first up...
Howard Jones 'What Is Love?' would have been great :P
Georgery R When Howard Jones found the DX7 he made a big fuss of it on that album, DX Bass on what is love is seismic 👍🏻
Espen Kraft's friend, Woody Piano Shack, is also a die hard Howard Jones fan, and covers his songs pretty well! :)
YES
That Madonna bass groove was straight up dirty
JMJ - Oxygene... is my absolutly favorite... thanks
My pleasure, thanks :)