Martin Rushent, 1948-2011

“Martin wasn’t content that synthesizers produce weird noises; he did his best to use them to convey musical ideas. These days when you listen to music you don’t even hear the synthesizers. That is due to Martin, who was at the vanguard of making electronics work for the music.”
 — Pete Shelley discusses Martin Rushent, the British producer who died this weekend. Rushent “made his mark in the late Seventies with the guitar-led punk bands The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks, and rose to prominence as the person responsible for the crystalline computer-driven production showcased on The Human League’s synth-pop 1981 album Dare. Propelled by the hit single Don’t You Want Me, the album sold millions of copies worldwide, influencing the way pop was recorded — and in particular how the drum sound was achieved — over the rest of the decade.” Rushent was 62.