Episode 003 : Synthesizers and Synergy with Larry Fast

It doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve heard of Larry Fast before. If you’re a fan of any sort of music that was on the radio in the 1970s and 1980s, chances are you’ve heard his keyboard and production work. While the names of acts both well-known and more obscure that he's worked with are numerous, the two ventures for which he’s best known are his solo albums under the Synergy name and as sideman for Peter Gabriel on the former Genesis frontman’s first four records. In this Progtopia podcast, host Mark Ashby – a long-time fan – speaks with Fast by phone from his home base in New Jersey. You’ll learn what it took to be an electronic musician in the early days of the technology, the interesting story behind his linking up with Gabriel and how he contributed to some of the singer’s more popular tracks, why his music at times sounds quite Gershwin-esque, and what projects he’s been up to (some of them anonymously) in the ten years since the most recent Synergy album. Visit him on the web at www.synergy-emusic.com.

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Featured tracks/excerpts:

As Synergy:
“Delta Four”
“Legacy”
“Slaughter on Tenth Avenue”
“Classical Gas”
“The World After April”
“The Jupiter Menace”
“Metropolitan Theme”

With Peter Gabriel:
“On the Air”
“Games Without Frontiers”
“No Self Control”

(Originally posted 4 Mar 2012)