Synthesized goodness from ex-Emeralds keyboardist John Elliott and Andrew Veres, aka Outer Space.
When cosmic trio Emeralds emerged from Cleveland, Ohio in the late ‘00s, they tapped into an American obsession with analog synthesis that hadn’t quite been revealed just yet. In 2016, with S U R V I V E’s soundtrack to Netflix nostalgia bomb Stranger Things normalizing the half-forgotten sounds of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, syrupy Moog bass and haunting sawtooth stabs are almost mainstream, so it’s great to see Emeralds’ John Elliott back again to reclaim his throne.
Elliott has been recording with Andrew Veres under the Outer Space moniker since 2007 and this month they released Gemini Suite, a hazy slab of measured synthesizer drones and tones. It’s an ideal salve for these deeply troubling times.
The duo’s debut FACT mix is similarly foggy, growing from sparse electronic percussion into charming, harmonic synth bliss and evolving into pounding electro, splattery early electronics and more. Anyone who follows John Elliott’s esteemed Spectrum Spools imprint shouldn’t be too surprised, but the scope of the mix is admirable.
Gemini Suite is out now on limited edition colored vinyl via Amethyst Sunset.