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Lars Bartkuhn

@larsbartkuhn

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💫 Lars Bartkuhn
Voices of an unquantized mind
Deep musical essays, harmonic breakdowns & sonic architecture.
Join the Inner Circle 👇

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"Unicellular" 🦠✨

I named this piece after its technical core: the entire patch is built around just a single oscillator. Then I added a little beat and a bassline. Just a quick, catchy analog synth jam for your Monday.

🌊 JOIN THE INNER CIRCLE:
For deeper music theory insights, exclusive breakdowns, and my monthly text essays, subscribe to my Substack. Link is in my Bio!

(P.S. If you missed it: My latest 15-minute video essay on Talk Talk’s "Spirit of Eden" is also live on my YouTube channel right now. Find the link on my Substack!)#oberheim #obx8 #analogsynth by @larsbartkuhn

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8 hours ago

Some records aren’t just music—they are the architecture of our souls. 💫

As a 10-year-old boy, I spent hours in front of my father's stereo, trying to stay in that hypnotic state that Talk Talk created with the masterpiece "The Colour of Spring". It was the exact moment the producer in me was born.

In the first episode of my new series 'Works of Art' on Substack, we dive deep into the unique arrangement, sonic architecture, and timeless analogue aesthetics of this incredible album.

I’ve prepared an exclusive harmonic breakdown with my personal notation sheets, exploring the beautiful chord progressions and modal jazz vibes of "Happiness Is Easy". 🎼

Read the full essay and get the score via the link in my bio. Welcome to the Inner Circle.
— Lars Bartkuhn

#talktalk #thecoloutofspring #musicproduction #musicessay #larsbartkuhnacademy by @larsbartkuhn

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3 days ago

New episode of "HOUSE OF ART" (no 2) coming soon. This time some wonderful old classic from Europe...
By the way, on this pic you can spot my biggest and my tiniest, my most expensive and my cheapest (electronic) instruments. I will use both for a little track re-creation and presentation... by @larsbartkuhn

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a month ago

Music that absolutely no one needs nor wants to hear but that I will continue to make anyway. I have NO OTHER CHOICE. by @larsbartkuhn

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4 months ago

Improvisation on the Moog One over a pedal tone ostinato in 7/4.

There is a new synth king in my studio. The Moog One has character, complexity and endless power. Usually not a fan of on board sequencers, I make use of it in this example on Synth 2 with the ostinato. Synth 1 is the sound I am actually playing. Both are linked to my expression pedal to keep things moving.
This piece is just an exercise in timing and harmonic imagination...
#synth #analogsynth #moogone @moogsynthesizers #improvisation by @larsbartkuhn

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4 months ago

Who knows this synth?! I recently repaired my old Yamaha TG77. FM synthesis is one of the three pillars of my work as an electronic music producer. That said, subtractive or analog synthesis and sampling certainly play a bigger role in my creative process. Other stuff like vector or granular synthesis are interesting but not very often used in my studio. But I’ve always loved FM. Not for the typical ’80s bass and bell sounds, but for complex drones, atonal soundscapes, and mysterious pads.
A few years ago, I bought an Elektron Digitone. Even though it’s very user-friendly, it can’t hold a candle to a synth like the TG77. There’s just something different about these old digital boxes. It’s the same with my old Kurzweil (or my Nord Modular). All the newer digital synthesizers I’ve bought in recent years sound so sterile and lifeless. Of course, I can still make music with them, but that instant magic touch is usually missing.
Several people have told me similar things. Most claim it’s the converters. I can’t say anything about that. But after opening up and repairing this unit, I have to say: Maybe it’s simply the sheer mass and quantity of components (including the converters, of course) and how they’re tuned to each other that has an effect on the sound. Most newer devices are just a processor wrapped in a case. But maybe that’s just me being esoteric...

sounds: TG77 and MOOG ONE by @larsbartkuhn

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5 months ago

My fellow Germans from NEEDS had to be part of this two hour Classic House special, celebrating 24 years and 950 episodes of my weekly Deeper Shades Of House radio show ..

▶️ Full tracklist, download, stream, podcast, shirt, and more > Deeper Shades Of House 950 by @larsbartkuhn

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5 months ago

Out now on Bandcamp. My final word in House music and the way I feel and think about it. Wasn't an easy decision to leave all this behind, but now it's time to move on.
Name the key and modes I am using in this song and I'll send you a free copy... by @larsbartkuhn

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5 months ago

SOON ON BANDCAMP by @larsbartkuhn

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6 months ago

BEHIND THE FOREST

Full video on Youtube by @larsbartkuhn

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6 months ago

All Oscillators on Bach

BWV 721 Erbarm dich mein, o Herr Gott / Have mercy on me, O Lord God (Or as we simply say: Kyrie Eleison)

This is the beginning of a new series where I explore the works of Bach on my synthesizers. This choral prelude is one of his finest and most beloved ones, a true masterpiece of harmony and voice leading. For those who don't know what voice leading means: It's not just a sequence of chords but the most elegant solution for each of the four voices to find it's next note. The foundation of real polyphony.

This is a single take of an arrangement for one manual. For sure I am going to record the original arrangement for 2 manuals and bass as well in the future.

The synth patch consists of three pulse oscillators, 1+2 an octave appart (different pusle width on all of them), the third one tuned a third from the basic tone, pluse noise for a pipe kind of feel. Some lfos for movement/vibrato and reverb of course.
#moogsynthesizers #moog @moogsynthesizers #bach #choral #bwv721 by @larsbartkuhn

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6 months ago

PYRAMIDS is one of my personal favourite recording experiences. The piece was literally written while dreaming and in the same dream like state I recorded everything. When listening to it several years after, I wonder how on earth it was possible to connect so many little details, make them interact with each other and overall just have everything breathe so well. The intro is one of the most experimental things I've done in my life, yet it leads so elegantly into the smooth and sensual main part... I could go on talking about it forever.
This tune was also the first time I incoroporated my modular system in one of my dance floor tunes (which explains the intro).#
I made the video with a very difficult to use software. It was painful... That's why I am learning Touch Designer right now...
I seriously think it is a crime that this has never been oficially released on vinyl (probably never will)! But you can find it on my Bandcamp - and that's where you should go right now!!! #needsnotwants #needsmusic #deephouse #eurorack by @larsbartkuhn

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7 months ago