What is Munich Syndrome?
It is NOT the appeasement of Adolf Hitler at the Munich Conference in September 1938
It IS an electro-pop music project founded in the early 1980s by David B. Roundsley.
Where did the name come from? Taken from a scene from the 1982 indie film Android. The key protagonist, Max 404, is a well-meaning but clumsy android on a space station. His primary joy is listening to music broadcasts from Earth. One night, he overhears his creator discussing deactivating him and using his parts for a newer and theoretically better Android. On what he thinks is his last broadcast from Earth, Max 404 overhears of an android uprising in the city of Munich. The Androids rose up against their human masters as they wanted to feel and experience real emotions. They were experiencing “Munich Syndrome.”
This resonated with the burgeoning music project, as Mr. Roundsley utilized technology (synthesizers, drum machines, vocal processing (Vocoders), to elicit human emotions and reactions.
This IS Munich Syndrome.
Munich Syndrome…
While primarily an electronic band, there’s a greater breadth of
styles, ranging from electro-synth pop to downtempo, ambient, acoustic, EDM,
dance, and soundtrack work. With a bit of electric guitar aggression appearing
from time to time.
David B. Roundsley – San Francisco sometime in the ealry 80’s.
Munich Syndrome slowly came together in an attic studio 30 miles south of San Francisco in the early 80’s. The first items acquired were a Korg Poly-Six, a Drum Tracks, and a Six-Track from Sequential Circuits. After a Tascam Porta Studio and a small mixing desk were added, songs were written, and the earliest demos were laid down.
As time passed, more equipment was added, and the songwriting evolved. Toward the end of the ’80s, a few more keyboards were acquired, some rack-mount effects, and an Ampex 8-Track reel-to-reel were added to the arsenal.
Inquiries and searches for potential collaborations and/or partners took place. They came. They went. And at the end of the day, Munich Syndrome was (and still is) David B. Roundsley.
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