At their ID. Entity tour stop, I met composer and keyboard player Michal Lapaj of Riverside for a Synthesizer Live Rig overview.
Synthesizers are versatile instruments. The oscillating instrument is often associated with pure electronic music. However, you shouldn’t limit it to this music. They are also part of rock, metal, and other styles.
Since I’m a big fan of rock/metal music, especially fusion styles like prog or trip-hop, I devoted a video series to live rig tours focusing on rock-influenced music.
In the past, Jordan Rudess, Adam Holzman, and Diego Tejeida already gave me tours of their instrument racks. My latest interview partner is Michał Łapaj
Details
Michal Lapaj is a composer/keyboard player and permanent member of the Polish band Riverside since 2003. They mainly make rock metal music that has strong influences from classic and prog rock.
Electronic sounds also play a big role in Riverside’s always-evolving sound—the new album ID.Entity, in particular, has tons of classic synth sounds.
In parallel to his activity in Riverside, Michal Lapaj has a solo project and collaborates with other musicians. He was recently the support act and guest player at the Tangerine Dream concert in Warsaw.
He devotes his solo project more to electronic and cinematic music. During the worldwide pandemic, he published some live sessions from this studio on his YouTube channel where he showed off his synth-wave soul.
He mainly uses vintage hardware synths like the Sequential Prophet-5, Minimoog and others. He also uses modern ones like the OB-6, one of the instruments he also has in its live rig. In his latest solo album, “Are You There” he explores his love for synths and soundtracks.
Live Rig Tour
Last Sunday, Riverside stopped in my home country of Luxembourg at the Rockhal. I took advantage of this opportunity to look closely at Michal’s Live Rig. I just published an interview and live rig tour video with Michal Lapaj.
You could still see Michal and Riverside live on tour. Today, Riverside is in Berlin (21/09), and then next week, they are going to their home country, Poland. In 2024, we will go on an extensive US tour. If you love rock and prog-influenced music, I can only recommend Riverside. Their live shows are a blast.
Get Michal Lapaj’s music here: Bandcamp
More about Riverside here: website
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