Memorymoog LAMM
With the Oberheim OB series and Sequential Prophets, the Memorymoog defined the "American" synth sound that redefined popular music in the 80s. The spirit of that sound was that bigger was better, and the Memorymoog is probably the biggest of the trio in sound, with 3 oscillators for every voice, all played through Moog's luscious lowpass filter. Like the Prophet T8, it was years ahead of its time, and the engineering compromises entailed in cramming so much circuitry into a relatively small case made it prone to overheating and going out of tune (Moog attempted creating a polyphonic synth of similar capabilities again only decades later, with the Moog One). Our version suffers none of those problems: it has been comprehensively overhauled and upgraded to stabilise its tuning, add dozens of extra features, and extend its MIDI capabilities, all without sacrificing the amazing — and HUGE — sound that made it the pinnacle of 80s popular synth design. It's probably our desert island synth, if we ever get stuck on a desert island with a power supply and a decent studio.
Classic: Lots of the usual 80s suspects from Harold Faltermeyer to Prince used the Memorymoog, but for our classic selection here we're going for something a little more recent, but equally retro. French duo Air used many vintage synths on their first 3 albums, and in Lucky and Unhappy, the Memorymoog is featured particularly prominently.
Contemporary: Originally a jazz pianist, Matthew Bourne switched to synths in the mid 2010s, creating a series of unique works featuring mainly or entirely the Memorymoog — including 2016's Moogmemory, which proves that the instrument is capable of extraordinary delicacy as well as girth.
Club: Steffi has been a mainstay of Berlin's Berghain for many years, as well as a prolific remixer of artists from Christine and the Queens to St Vincent. Her own work for Berghain house label Ostgut Ton is equally varied, with the Memorymoog being one of the main instruments used for the retro 90s sounds on World of the Waking State.