Here's a blast from the past I haven't heard in decades - Ghosts by Japan. Amazing that this reached no.5 in the UK charts in 1982 - you don't hear anything this inventive or quirky in the charts these days. It's a fantastic piece of 80's synth pop, and all of those bell-like FM sounds work surprisingly well with the vocal. Nicely mixed too - the young EDM crowd could learn a lot from listening to how synths were mixed back in those days. 
 

 

I love that track, and Nightporter, really atmospheric. Oil on Canvas is one of my favourite live albums.

That whole album (Exorcising Ghosts) is good.  Or, as a friend of mine used to call it, "Exercising Ghosts" - LOL.

here's some clinic

 

Good job Andy!  Sounds like old Tangerine Dream with guest musician Brian Eno! 

craigb
Good job Andy!  Sounds like old Tangerine Dream with guest musician Brian Eno! 

Ha! Thanks Craig! You been checking out some of my stuff then haha!
 
I had fun with that one, playing with Reaktor 6 which I had only just purchased...
 
 
Anyway! Back to some proper music heh! 
 
 

Lol
 

That's better Mesh

synkrotron

craigb
Good job Andy!  Sounds like old Tangerine Dream with guest musician Brian Eno! 

Ha! Thanks Craig! You been checking out some of my stuff then haha!
 
I had fun with that one, playing with Reaktor 6 which I had only just purchased...
 
 
Anyway! Back to some proper music heh! 

 
Eventually, when I a) get my guitars back and b) have enough extra money to buy more toys, I intend to create some fun synth background textures that I can noodle over with a nice, over-saturated, creamy, gooey, guitar sound. 
 
It sounds like software-based synths have come a long way since I last looked at them (12+ years ago!).  I used to have hardware-based synths back then.  Now, I think a nice balance of both is probably the way to go.
 

sharke
Here's a blast from the past I haven't heard in decades - Ghosts by Japan. Amazing that this reached no.5 in the UK charts in 1982 - you don't hear anything this inventive or quirky in the charts these days. It's a fantastic piece of 80's synth pop, and all of those bell-like FM sounds work surprisingly well with the vocal. Nicely mixed too - the young EDM crowd could learn a lot from listening to how synths were mixed back in those days. 
 

 

Mick Karn went solo, David Sylvan put out some awesome ambient stuff and Richard Barbieri ... went to Porcupine Tree ... and his keyboard work was always really good all around.