MUSIKMESSE 2015: Rumours of an Elka Synthex revival began circulating earlier this year, when Generalmusic, owner of the Elka brand, announced that new products were in the pipeline.
Now, at Musikmesse, the reissue has been confirmed. An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign has been set up, and the 'new' Synthex is projected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Generalmusic was actually purchased by Soundion, a Finnish company, in 2013, and the acquisition is said to have included warehouses full of original vintage components. These will be combined with new ones to create the revived Synthex models. The instruments will be hand-built in Finland.
The Synthex is an 8-note polyphonic synth that was originally produced between 1981 and 1984, but it remains popular today. "There's clearly a demand for Elka Synthexes, which outstrips the current vintage supply," says Soundion CEO Jukka Kulmala. "People are searching for these instruments high and low, and paying too much. I think the music industry and synth fans in particular will be overjoyed that we're bringing the Elka Synthex back."
If you want to be part of the revival, you can pre-order a synth at the Elka Synthex Indiegogo page. $3181 will get you one of the first instruments to roll off the production line, though only 25 are being offered at this 'early bird' price.
Find out more on the Elka website.
