On his third foray into his Stored Energies Technology series, UK-based sound designer and retrosynth artist Martyn Stonehouse (AKA DATAStream) dials up the Omega Supremesque synth-funk to 11.
Like fellow Brit Sven Atterton did most recently on The Cove, Stonehouse uses impressive synthesizer soundscapes to craft catchy, even poppy, synth-funk pieces that recall the 80s offerings of Prince and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and all of their various incarnations. There’s even a few hat-tips to freestyle in here.
The standout cut is “Downtime,” which embodies all of the catchy synthpop and synth-funk elements for which Stonehouse seems to be aiming. However, it also incorporates some moody ambiance to add to the emotional characteristics of the work. He does the lead vocals with a vocoder, which helps to make it even more appealing.
I’m left wondering how long it is before Stonehouse finds himself on the Omega Supreme label with Atterton and SaiR, whom the label recently signed. Now all they need is Liquid Pegasus to add the Japanese-infused quirks and they’d have one hell of a supergroup.
