The Synths Behind the Songs: CS-80

The most obvious one in the list but it’s so iconic we couldn’t leave it out… One of the foremost champions of the CS-80, Greek composer, producer and musician Vangelis used the synth within much of his scoring, most famously on the Blade Runner soundtrack. 

The warmth of the CS-80 can be heard throughout the film but the patch on ‘Blade Runner Blues’ is considered by some as Vangelis’ most ever expressive use of the CS-80. 

He sadly passed away this year, but as arguably one of the most talented synth players to have ever lived, his impact and legacy will live on through his incredible discography.

As an extra, here’s a video of Vangelis jamming on the CS-80: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoEkyBX7qsg

The CS-80 definitely lent itself well to Electric Light Orchestra’s sound. The group, fronted by Jeff Lynne, formed in 1970 gained global success with the release of a string of hits including ‘Livin’ Thing’ and ‘Mr Blue Sky’, but as they reached the decade they Bega to turn their focus more to concept albums.

With this new musical direction came the introduction of synthesizers which replaced the band’s dominant use of a string section heard on their earlier releases. Their move to a more electronic sound was underpinned by the use of the CS-80 which appears on ‘Here Is The News’, one of the most recognised tracks on ELO’s concept album ‘Time’, released in 1981.

A timeless classic from Kate Bush. She plays the CS-80 (her second favourite synth) 0n this track, as well as on ‘All We Ever Look For’, but with ‘Babooshka’ it’s blended with other instruments to create layers of texture.

The melody on the CS-80 is played alongside a piano and a Russian stringed instrument called a Balalaika, which together are a match made in heaven.

It wasn’t just composers and artists of the 1980s who were exploring the possibilities of the CS-80…

Bringing things into the present day, Aussie electro group Empire Of The Sun are huge fans of the synth. Having apparently found one in a church in Brooklyn, the CS-80 has subsequently made an appearance in most of the band’s tracks, particularly on their leads and strings.

On their most famous track, ‘Walking on a Dream’, it’s used specifically for its inbuilt chorus which serves to thicken the sound of the synth patch.

Warp stalwart Squarepusher picked up a CS-80 about a decade ago but it was completely out of character for him initially.

He mentions the limitations and the price tag, he’d thought of the synth as something only collectors bought, but after getting his hands on one he found it helped him push himself and stretch his limits.

This limit stretching appears on his 2012 LP, Ufabulum, with the synths and strings on the opener ‘4001’ created by the CS-80.

Canadian indie band Metric are contemporary users of the CS-80, particularly on their sixth studio album Pagans in Vegas, which was released back in 2015.

The CS-80 takes centre stage on lush ambient closer, Part II of ‘The Face’. Recorded in just one take, the chords are beautifully stirring, with a definite nod to the soundscapes that Vangelis dreamed up on Blade Runner.

English multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood employed a lot of synthesizers on his solo work, which was a departure from his blues rock influenced output as part of Spencer Davis Group and Traffic in the late ’60s.

After his eponymous LP in 1977, which marked the beginning of his relationship with Island Records, Winwood released Arc of a Diver, a soft rock album that used the CS-80 for its orchestral violin sounds, as well as a Prophet, a Multimoog and a Minimoog.

Pioneering electronic producer Jean-Michel Jarre has kept it no secret that he loves the CS-80. Dubbing it the best polyphonic synth and “one of the fattest sounding analog synths around”, it’s no surprise it’s played a part in many of his albums.

He used it’s smaller and cheaper sister, the CS-60 for his early albums, including Equinoxe and Concerts in China but managed to get his hands on a CS-80 later down the line in 1997 for his acclaimed Oxygene 7-13 LP.

Of course the original of this legendary theme tune was made before synthesizers were widely available, thanks to the skills of Radiophonic Workshop members Delia Derbyshire and Dick Mills, but in 1980 a new version was born.

Created in season 18 of the programme, when Tom Baker played the Doctor, the updated theme saw fellow Radiophonic member Peter Howell employ the CS-80 for the bass line and the “sting” sound.

We’re book-ending this list with another stone cold classic and infamous example of the CS-80 at play. Keyboardist Steve Porcaro is the man responsible for the lush synth work across the band’s releases. He bought the CS-80 as his first ever synthesizer and became a devotee to its distinctive, expressive sound.

Toto’s ‘Africa’, released in 1982 as part of their seminal album Toto IV, sees keyboardist Steve Porcaro use the synth for its main brass part.