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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.
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Synth Icons
Roland Jupiter-8: 40 Iconic Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Know Were Jupiter-8)
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Roland Jupiter-8: 40 Iconic Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Know Were Jupiter-8)
Andy Whitmore explores 40 iconic riffs played on the legendary Roland Jupiter-8, recreating famous brass hooks, pads, leads, basses and sequences from classic tracks by Europe, Harold Faltermeyer, Billy Idol, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Journey, The Human League, Depeche Mode and more.
In this episode, Andy dives into the unmistakable sound of the Roland Jupiter-8 by recreating 40 famous riffs you almost certainly know but may not have realised were played on one of the most legendary analogue synths ever made.
From The Final Countdown and Axel F to Rebel Yell, Relax, Save a Prayer, Obsession, Mirror Man, 19, A Question of Lust and more, this is a fast-moving tour through the brass sounds, silky pads, biting unison leads, basses and sequences that made the Jupiter-8 such an important part of late-70s and 80s music.
Everything you hear is played on Andy’s original Roland Jupiter-8. No software, no emulations, just the real instrument.
If you love classic synths, iconic records, and finding out what was really used on famous tracks, this one is for you.
What you’ll hear in this episode
Huge Jupiter-8 brass sounds
Classic analogue pads and strings
Unison leads and synth hooks
Basses, drones and arpeggiated parts
40 famous riffs recreated on the original synth
Featured artists include
Europe, Harold Faltermeyer, Billy Idol, Duran Duran, Animotion, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Journey, Tangerine Dream, The Human League, Paul Hardcastle, Depeche Mode, Blancmange, Queen, Howard Jones, Simple Minds, Michael Jackson and Tears for Fears.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:54 Europe - The Final Countdown - Brass Lead / Pad
1:23 Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F - Main Riff
1:38 Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F - Brass Stab Riff
1:48 Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F - Bell Drop / Swell / White Noise
1:53 Animotion - Obsession - Brass
2:15 Animotion - Obsession - Flute
2:31 Billy Idol - Rebel Yell - Plucked Sound
2:39 Billy Idol - Rebel Yell - Sequence
2:51 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax - String Intro / Sync Lead
3:22 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax - Deep Bass Drop / Brass Riff
3:36 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax - Bass / String Drop
3:56 Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf - Sequence
4:16 Duran Duran - Save a Prayer - Intro Arpeggiator / Unison Lead
4:46 Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Intro Sequence
4:58 Tangerine Dream - White Eagle - Random Arpeggiator
5:37 The Human League - Mirror Man - Pad / Swell Pad / String Line
5:54 The Human League - Mirror Man - Stab Part
6:11 Paul Hardcastle - 19 - Bells / String Pad
6:32 Depeche Mode - My Secret Garden - Brass Lick
6:44 Depeche Mode - A Question of Lust - Sound FX Intro / Bass
7:05 Blancmange - Blind Vision - Flute
7:24 Blancmange - Blind Vision - Brass Lick
7:27 Queen - I Want to Break Free - Strings Intro
7:44 Queen - I Want to Break Free - Jupiter-8 Synth Solo amped through Fender Twin Reverb
8:14 Howard Jones - What Is Love? - Brass
8:31 Howard Jones - What Is Love? - Synth Solo
8:45 Simple Minds - Don’t You (Forget About Me) - Brass Lick
9:06 Michael Jackson - Thriller - Intro Brass Pad
9:25 Tears for Fears - Mad World - Bass Intro
9:43 Tears for Fears - Mad World - Organ Part
10:02 Tears for Fears - Pale Shelter - Bass Arpeggiator Intro
10:36 Outro
Listen / watch more
For more synth breakdowns, famous riff recreations and classic keyboard content, visit Andy Whitmore online.
Andy Whitmore: https://www.andywhitmore.com/
Hello and welcome. In this episode, I'm diving into the one of the most legendary synths ever made, the Roland Jupyter 8. I'm gonna take you through 40 iconic wrists you probably know instantly, but made me never realize they were played on this classic synth. From huge brass hooks and silky pads to biting leads, weighty basses and unmistakable sequences, the Jupyter 8 helped define the sound of countless records. Everything you're hearing is played on my original Roland Jupyter 8. No plugins, no software, no samples, just the real instrument. So whether you're into synth history, famous records, or just love classic keyboard sounds, you're in the right place. Let's get into it. Don't you forget about me? Michael Jackson, thriller. Tears for Fears, Pale Shelter. So there you go, 40 iconic riffs played on the Roland Jupiter 8. Put together, they show exactly why this synth became one of the most celebrated and recognizable instruments ever made. It could be huge, elegant, aggressive, warm, punchy, or completely haunting, and that's a big part of why it turned up on so many classic records. I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, make sure you check out my other episodes and videos covering famous Riffs of Classic Synth, DX7, D50, Prophet 5, Minimo, CSAT, Clavinet, Wurlitzer, and many others. These are the sounds behind some of the most recognizable tracks ever made. And do let me know which riff surprised you most, which one of these is your favourite, and which synth you'd like me to cover next. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you on the next episode.