Farewell to 2021

Collage of images from 2021, including the new album, Sam Sam and Big Merp, San Francisco, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree

I have remarked on numerous occasions that this year seemed to go by exceptionally fast. There was hope, excitement, optimism giving way to a mixture of frustration, cynicism and resolve as the pandemic and political situations dragged on and darkened. I have seen the goodness in many people, while I have witnessed the worst in others. But our personal year at CatSynth was a rich one filled with many experiences.

Most notably, the new album Meow Meow Band is out. I am really proud of the music, the presentation, the collaboration with other musicians and everything out it. Please do take a listen if you haven’t already. It was also a chance to reconnect with the city, go out on the road and into the desert, and start experiencing live music again. Of course, most of the time this year was spent here at HQ with our music, Sam Sam, and Big Merp. I always value time alone with my cats, music, and ideas and this moment in time has provided ample opportunity for that.

It’s been another strong year of growth for CatSynth TV. The most popular videos continue to be our synth demos and tutorials, but I’m also proud of music videos, highway videos, and expanded review series. There were fewer videos total this year. We took more time to get them right, but also time off to focus on other things (like the album). Trying to find that balance between the drive to always do more and the limits of time and resources will always be a challenge. We close out the year of videos by spending some time with Sam Sam and Big Merp.

We at CatSynth are grateful to all of you who chose to join or continue this journey with us in 2021, whether here on the blog, on CatSynth TV, or on social media. It is a fool’s errand to guess what will happen in the coming year, but we do have many goals, aspirations, and hopes; we will take each day as it comes.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and health and joy in 2022.

Fang with Roland Juno 106, JX-3P, Aira

Fang hold court in the middle of a studio featuring vintage Roland Juno 106 and JX-3P synthesizers, as well as a more recent Roland Aira system on top. From @moonrunner83 on Twitter.

Fang wishes everyone Merry Synthmas! Musical keyboard

(He’s obsessed with this drum throne)

Synthmas may be over for the here, but synths and cats live on all year long!

White Cat, Rob Hordijk Modular, Modcan and MOTM

This cat is having fun playing atop a massive modular system. In front we modules from Rob Hordijk’s 4U offerings, including the Node Proc and Mini Matrix. There are also modules from Modcan and MOTM is this system. It must be fun to play for human and feline alike.

From 1000cables via Instagram.