A playlist of the unmistakable sounds of the Suzuki Omnichord
“For the hidden musician in all of us, Suzuki brings you the exciting new OMNICHORD,” exclaimed a 1984 newspaper advertisement. “If you love music but don’t know one note from another, Omnichord now makes it possible for you to sound like a pro… Strum the ‘SONICSTRINGS’ just like a guitar!”
Clearly, the American marketing team behind this major breakthrough in Japanese machine music didn’t see its future potential as a beloved tool of actual ‘professional musicians’ – especially those from the irony-loving worlds of art rock and indie pop.
When the original OM-27 model of the Omnichord was introduced in 1981, it was indeed envisioned as a sort of “training wheels” electronic instrument for young people; created by a company, Suzuki Musical Instrument Manufacturing, that had a long track record in that field (this Suzuki, it should be noted, is not connected with the more famous car and motorcycle brand). The compact design offered up the convenience of a portable, laptop synthesiser with various preset beats, 27 push-button chords, and a unique strum-plate that simulated the playing style of an old-fashioned autoharp.
The sound that came out of those so-called “Sonicstrings” was probably violently offensive to a lot of actual stringed instrument players of the time, but it felt perfectly natural to a new generation of musicians, or wannabe musicians, growing up in the age of video game arcades and synth-focused pop music.
Unsurprisingly, synthesiser-friendly groups like Devo and Eurythmics were quick to adopt the supposed “toy” as an amusing new tool in their arsenals, but it was the 1983 hit ‘This Is the Day’ by The The that really put the Omnichord on the map as a legit, instantly recognisable instrument.
Over time, the somewhat childish, “plinky plonky” tones of the Omnichord collected an added weight of ‘80s nostalgia, and by the 2000s, many artists developed an intense appreciation for the genuinely pretty, almost ethereal sound of the Sonicstrings, which created an effect similar to hearing a full-sized classical harp played through a Nintendo NES.
This 21st-century Omnichord revival has been great for lovers of these quirky, battery-powered music machines, but not so great for the buyer’s market, as prices for original 1980s models have skyrocketed into quadruple-digit territory.
So, is it all just a case of hipster hoopla over a piece of ‘80s kitsch? Is the Omnichord really that easy to distinguish from other, considerably more advanced synthesisers from its time period? Well, if you’re like me, you might not even realise that you’re already an Omnichord believer. For years, I would hear the Sonicstrings pop up in various tunes, instantly enjoying that unique sound without having much thought as to what was creating it. It probably wasn’t until I saw Flight of the Conchords playing their Omnis on the song ‘Carol Brown’, in fact, that the code was retroactively unlocked, and dozens of other plinky plonky songs from the past were suddenly given their proper context.
For the uninitiated, or for those who just like the idea of basking in 75 minutes of Sonicstrings, please enjoy this introductory Omnichord Playlist below.
An Introductory Omnichord Mixtape:
- Cotton Jones – ‘Sail of the Silver Morning’
- Kim – ‘Omnichord Song’
- Jenny Lewis – ‘You Are What You Love’
- Damon Albarn – ‘Pigsy in Space’
- The The – ‘This Is the Day’
- Arcade Fire – ‘Modern Man’
- Ambrose – ‘Omnichord’
- Flock of Dimes – ‘Curtain’
- Flight of the Conchords – ‘Carol Brown’
- Black Moth Super Rainbow – ‘Twin of Myself’
- Sharon Van Etten – ‘Break Me’
- Pictish Trail – ‘Bad Algebra’
- Wilco – ‘War on War’
- Ben Walsh – ‘The Omnichord’
- Thomas P. Heckmann – ‘Amphetamine (Omnichord Version)’
- Bat For Lashes – ‘Honeymooning Alone’
- Peter Bjorn and John – ‘The Chills’
- The Magnetic Fields – ‘I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again’
- Gnarls Barkley – ‘Blind Mary’
- Robbie Robertson – ‘Somewhere Down the Crazy River’
- Beach House – ‘Pay No Mind’
- Black Box Recorder – ‘I Ran All the Way Home’
