Electronic Sound July 2015 (Regular Edition) | Page 43
READERS'
SYNTHS
Dragging them out of skips, running
cackling with them under our arms from second-hand
shops or cheering loudly when our daft mate decides
he’s finally selling up. Sound familiar? It’s a clear case
of synth love. Send a picture of your pride and joy to
[email protected] with Readers’ Synths as the
subject line and tell us your tale
ROLAND JUPITER 4
Owner: Rod Devonshire
Where: Berkshire, UK
Year Purchased: 1986
Amount Paid: £200
“I have a long history with the JP4. When I was growing up
in the 1980s it was used on so many of the influential albums
that inspired me to start making electronic music: The Human
League’s ‘Dare’, Simple Minds’ ‘New Gold Dream’, Gary
Numan’s ‘Telekon’ and Japan’s ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’. It
seemed natural that it would be my first polysynth.
“By 1986, Roland had stopped manufacturing the JP4, but
luckily I found one advertised in Melody Maker. The seller was
a guy from Slough, who I distinctly remember sported a fine
mullet, as was the fashion among many musicians in those
days. This was the era of the DX7 and early digital synths,
analogue was out of fashion so I managed to pick up the JP4
for the relatively bargainous price of £200. It soon became
a firm favourite, excelling at warm pads, thick lead sounds,
ethereal tones and wacky FX. I could happily spend hours
noodling away and never get bored. The other really cool thing
about the Jupiter 4 is the space-age font proclaiming that the
instrument is “Compuphonic”.
“After owning it for about four years, I sold it to a mate for the
absurdly low price of £50. I’m not really sure why. Thankfully,
he quickly got bored of it and sold it back to me for the same
price. The story doesn’t end there, however. In 1994, I was
a student and strapped for cash so I reluctantly sold the JP4
again. A buyer from Swindon called up, a chap by the name
of Jack Dangers. I would love to know whether Jack still owns
that synth.*
“Fast forward to 2012, and I found myself perusing an online
article about Todd Terje’s studio. I noticed he had a JP4 among
his synth arsenal, which made me insanely envious. So I
rectified that situation by finding a seller in Brighton with one
for sale with a MIDI upgrade, for £1,400 – an eye-watering
price compared to what I originally paid in 1986.”
* We checked with Mr Dangers and he does indeed still own
Rod’s JP4