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Synth Icons
🎹 Synth Icons is the podcast where legendary keyboards come back to life. Hosted by producer and synth expert Andy Whitmore, each episode dives into the world’s most iconic synthesizers — from the lush analog power of the Yamaha CS-80, to the digital sparkle of the DX7, to the unmistakable sounds of the Korg M1.
Andy recreates famous riffs, compares hardware to modern software emulations, and reveals the stories, sounds, and production secrets behind the instruments that shaped pop, film, and electronic music.
If you're a synth enthusiast, a producer, or just love classic hits, Synth Icons lets you hear the legends for yourself.
👉 Follow for more synth deep-dives, blind tests, and studio stories.
🎧 Watch the full video versions on YouTube → @AndyWhitmore
Synth Icons
The Synths That Defined the 80s/90s (10 Hits Recreated: Full Tracks + Riffs)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
You know these riffs — but do you know which synths played them? I recreate 10 iconic tracks/hooks on the original (or closest practical) keyboards: DX7, Korg M1, JD-800, JP-8080, Jupiter-4, Prophet-5 and more — with quick narration before each performance.
This is a performance-based recreation: I’m playing the parts, rebuilding the patches, and giving a quick intro to each track — then straight into the music.
Accuracy note:
Some originals are well-documented; others vary by source or studio method. Where a part is recreated on a closely related synth (or a plug-in), I’ve stated it clearly below.
Watch the full video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eeRGPLkKNEg
Tina Turner — What’s Love Got To Do With It (1 min edit)
Fender Rhodes + DX7 (flute) + Roland MKS-80 pads + Minimoog bass (played live to match the original line) + harmonica solo
The Prodigy — Poison (riff)
Recreated on Roland JD-800 (JD-era Prodigy texture recreation)
Depeche Mode — Just Can’t Get Enough (intro + verse 1)
Roland Jupiter-4 for bass/lead + Korg Rhythm 55B style drums
Usher — Yeah! (riff)
Nord Lead 3 recreation of the classic intro hook
Nightcrawlers — Push The Feeling On (track)
TR-909 drums + 3x Korg M1 parts: sax lick, organ riff, and the string riff from the MK Mix vibe
Prince — When Doves Cry (track)
DX7 mallet sound + LM-1 style drum recreation
D-Train — You’re The One For Me (track)
Prophet-5 parts + LinnDrum drum recreation
Darude — Sandstorm (riff)
JP-8080 recreation of the classic synth string hook
The Prodigy — Charly (track)
Alpha Juno lead + full backing recreation
Mouse on Mars — Future Dub (track)
All parts recreated using JD-800 plug-in (Roland Cloud)
Tina Turner — What’s Love Got To Do With It (full version)
Full-length recreation using the same keyboard/synth setup as Track 1
Chapters / timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:24 Tina Turner — What’s Love Got To Do With It (1 min edit)
1:31 The Prodigy — Poison
1:57 Depeche Mode — Just Can’t Get Enough
2:46 Usher — Yeah!
3:02 Nightcrawlers — Push The Feeling On
3:53 Prince — When Doves Cry
4:29 D-Train — You’re The One For Me
5:58 Darude — Sandstorm
6:34 The Prodigy — Charly
7:11 Mouse on Mars — Future Dub
7:45 Tina Turner — What’s Love Got To Do With It (full version)
9:38 Outro
Thanks @SamB-z4r (YouTube) for engineering
🔧 Work with Andy
· Production, mixing & mastering: https://www.andywhitmore.com/
· Studio: https://greystokestudio.com/
📲 Connect with Andy
· YouTube: @AndyWhitmore
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andywhitmore2014/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndyWhitmoreMusic
· TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andywhitmore9583
Support the show
Comment prompt: Which riff surprised you most — and which synth did you think it was?