As Chrome Canyon, Morgan Z treads the fine line between Giorgio Moroder inspired soundtrack wizardry and overt retro futurism. The New York based artist became an obsessive analog synth collector after his glammy electro outfit Apes & Androids disbanded. Holed away in his his private Brooklyn studio he began to channel work of Vangelis and Wendy Carlos. He's remixed Phoenix, Passion Pit, and Foster the People, and turned out tripped out disco edits of George Benson and synthpop pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra. Elemental Themes is rife with analog synths, live drums, bass, guitar and Theremin all run through hand-built compressors, composed and arranged into a living, breathing whole. The artists you could call contemporaries to the Chrome Canyon sound would have to be early Air and Johnny Jewel's recent Symmetry project. But Chrome Canyon comes the closest to wholeheartedly embracing the soundtrack work of those legendary 80s synth pioneers. He does not shy away from the soaring leads and slowly pulsing rhythms. In fact he takes them to another place entirely, raising the bar for anyone who dare tread on his territory.

• Music Label: Stones Throw 2012

reviewed by Joey Coco 10/2012