Glorious synths of the workers' state

Okay, so maybe I just have the USSR on my mind right now: I'm racing through Matthew Brzezinski's "Red Moon Rising," a compulsively readable account of the geopolitical intrigues that spawned the Space Race. And nobody ever accused our Soviet friends of having much of an eye for design. But -- is it me? -- these Soviet-era synthesizers are sort of beautiful in a stodgy analog way, aren't they? Of course, there's an online "museum" devoted to them. I'm particularly partial to the warm, woody Retakord and the trippy green Unost' 70. Yes, it's endless choruses of "Take On Me"... for victory! (Via Retro Thing.)

• [Karmadrome]

  Ah, but “Take On Me” used the glorious Casio CZ-5000.

• [dan_coop]

  I own a Polivoks, but it got dropped at a festival! Need to get it repaired.. :(

• [bassplayinben]

  In Russia, synthesizer programs you!

• [schmod]

  Don’t forget the granddaddy of the russian synths — the Polivoks.

• [Anonymous]

  supposing that soviets didn’t have an eye for design is… a serious mistake. check out constructivism.

  • [audaxaxon]

    sheesh, no ‘eye for design’! seriously, folks should peep constructivism, that badass moon lander from a few posts back,

    … or Ekranoplans!

    … beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all …