“DS (Offline)”
“Great Lakes Dungeon Synth exists to unify and exalt the greater regional scene that exists in the greater Great Lakes region (with some exceptions, who are great additions and companions to our circle). There are scattered “dungeon synth”-and-related artists in the United States, but no real “scene,” per se, and we want to make the Great Lakes a central hub for dungeon synth activity in this country. Through regular releases, collaborations, and performances, Great Lakes Dungeon Synth wishes to usher in a new era of dungeon synth oneness through our variety of artists and general fellowship with the global movement.” – GLDS
We started these shows because we knew the people here would love live dungeon synth–people who wanted to experience something other than purely rowdy music in a crazy bar needed somewhere to go and something to do. – Ben
There exists one video of the Lone Sentinel Show on June 3rd of 2023. From a stationary shot, the artist plays a 30 minute set among crowd noise and enthusiastic cheers. About halfway through the set, the creator pauses and talks to the crowd. “This is the first time I’m playing a show, I’m about halfway through my set. Hopefully you all are enjoying yourselves.” There is a moment where you see the enjoyment and relief that things are going so well. There is also a moment towards the end when the crowd starting chanting along to the melodies and for a moment everyone seems so pleased. The 2023 North East Dungeon Siege happened last month in Massachusetts and showed many in the dungeon synth community that a multi day festival of solo synth music could not only happen but be stupidly successful. Now in this smaller space somewhere out in Chicago, artists are just running with the idea. Though the crowd at Coles bar is small, the enthusiasm is bright and booming. Redhorn and Alkilith also played that night and though there are not any videos, this moment seems to be the beginning of a localized scene for dungeon synth.
If one was going to frame the dungeon synth and bookmark watershed moments which shaped the style, it would be the beginning of the live era. During the revival era of the 2010s, dungeon synth was an online genre with forums and social media being the meeting place between artists. Before this in the 1990s and 2000’s, dungeon synth and related style existed in tape circles and MP3 blogs. This online aspect of the dungeon shaped its sound and cultivated its aesthetic as being a solitary bedroom fantasy created by one artist who would only interact with their audience through message boards or other social media. The creator, at the beginning, was a recluse in their bedroom making otherworldly music which would be handmade by tape as if the entire scene of music was operated by magical forest creatures. It is now 2024 and much like other genres of history things have changed. While regional scenes are not a novelty among any form of music, for dungeon synth it is a new frontier in a scene which was mostly digital and global.
Great Lakes Dungeon Synth (GLDS) is a coalition of dungeon synth artists from, wait for it, the Great Lakes Region. The group began in June of 2023 after the Coles show with Lone Sentinel, Redhorn, and Alkilith. “Ni’lok” of Elminster was in attendance and recently back from the Northeast Dungeon Siege broached the idea of a new artistic circle that would be based locally from artists around the region. As with many great things in history, an idea was broached and the rest of the people in attendance said “sure.” Though the roster is large, the center of activity is around Elminster, Lone Sentinel, Sorrowmoon, Kyvon, Hermit Knight, Bruxa, Wallachian Opulence, Nightshade with a handful of record labels connected including Ithildin Tape Production and Weregnome Records. The GLDS scene currently operates out of fort Wayne Indiana with as well as Chicago marking the three hour drive between the points the central hub for midwest dungeon synth.
The Greater Chicago area does not have many initial romantic images when it comes to fantasy ambient. There are a few tourist destinations related to castles in the region including the Clayshire Castle in Bowling Green, Metamora Castle in Laurel, and Laralyn Castle in beautiful Fremont. These structures are nestled within a greater sprawl of the suburban environs and one would likely see more gas stations than effigies of the past. The Great Lakes does have a lot of water and its ecology and climate which has historically been characterized as “frigid” to “fucking freezing.” Even being from the Eastern United States, there exists a joke about the winters in Chicago and the fact their lakes and tops of tall buildings freezes over during the winter. This leads some, including me, to view the area around the great lakes as some sort of winter fantasy setting where the inhabitants like in hollowed out ice caves.
Most of the creators in the GLDS go by their first name or don’t have their real life names obscured in any fashion. Some do have a layer of theatrics but for the most part the GLDS can be fined by its grounding outlook to the work. Sure there are these project names with flowery titles but at the end of the day this is music created by people named Colin, Ben, Nathan, Nicholas, Caylen, Jon, and others with similar non adventurous titles. While the GLDS is maybe without much theatrical presentations, its music and passion for trailblazing a regular live congregation is notable and perhaps the start of a new era of dungeon synth.
For this article I asked the creators for five releases to blurb as an attempt to solidify a cross state scene into a unified vision. I don’t think there is one underlying manifesto to characterize the GLDS. Other than a practical desire to play shows together, the GLDS exists more of a social network for artists operating in the same sphere. Listening to these five records however I started to hear an aesthetic thread which wove itself through each release. Whether intended or not, the GLDS is united in their outlook on the world. Through various aesthetics of medieval imagery and esoteric pageantry, there is a somber lens which is gazed into for these releases. This attitude is not oppressive as it is processed with a feeling of catharsis. Under a surface of melancholy rests a permanent foundation of joy which stems from a feeling that these creators are doing the things they want to do finally unbound by any sense of hesitancy. This music is emotional and exists as both celebratory and ruinous and feels like a group of friends embracing each other after a long period of absence.
Adventure Calls Thy Name is not a debut, rather the third full length in a mountain of material from the Lone Sentinel and also the greater label Hammer and Flail Recordings. Perhaps this is the best way to start into the GLDS with the opening track of “Adventure Calls Thy Name” which starts out with battle fanfare but breaks into a synth groove which is part atmospheric with undercurrents of dance. Throughout its staggering runtime of 72 minutes, the creator urges the listener to take each track as a story and if at all possible read the lengthy description provided for each track. Each of them is its own adventure with its own melodrama woven together in a patchwork of medieval fantasy.
Oaken Dagger is the work of the same person behind Alkilith and what we will eventually cover with Mors Vitaque. You have seen Alkilith’s covers before if you have ever noticed an album cover which looks like a J Card opened all of the way up like some old map on a trail hike. Lunar Falls Gaia crystallizes the direct to tape style synth which embraces little to no post production and a capture of raw dungeon synth onto recording. Lunar Falls Gaia is dedicated to “the old ways” which most certainty means the classic style of dungeon synth with middle gray being the brightest moment. Through quiet images of cloistered labyrinths and howling winds, Oaken Dagger commands symphonies through the most minimal of productions.
Though the entire album is fantastic, the title track from Courtier is most certainly a centerpiece. This track is 16 minutes, right in the middle of the record, and features a collaboration with Lone Sentinel. The accompanying text for the record also speaks of Kyvon and Lone Sentinel as characters in a medieval pageant. It is this backdrop which provides the dreamy atmosphere for Kyvon’s music. Split between CRPG music and new age, Kyvon commands a slow marching army of woodland creatures to some battlefront to vanquish evil. There is confidence in this music and Kyvon’s interest in 1980’s synth music (as evidenced by re-releases of new age music on his tape label) is a testament to the well of inspiration which is drawn upon. Courtier is the third release for Kyvon but also the first in a series of collaborations with Lone Sentinel which continues to build the foundation for GLDS.
Mors Vitaque is a collaboration between the creators behind Alkilith and Nightshade. The duo create somber synth in an old school style with an extremely competent visual presence. Through blazing pink and black design, Another Path pulls from old school dungeon synth, prehistoric Berlin School, and the murky void of dark ambient. The record is a success not only for the in-house collaboration but also for the label / collective as a musical flagship and visual landmark. At the center of Another Path are questions which reflect on mortality and the somber feelings which exist around existence. These questions are answered by whispered vocals and droning melodies which hang in the air like specters.
If you have been around dungeon synth within the last few years you might be aware of Hermit Knight and or Weregnome Records who usually knock on your door and then run away in the night laughing. The giddy prankster attitude of Weregnome is contrasted with the almost morose existence of Hermit Knight. Hermit Knight embraces emotive dungeon synth and Once is a tribute to the companions of the creator throughout their life. While this might sound like a prime real estate for comfy heartwarming music, Hermit Knight embraces the peaks of human emotion bringing both despair and jubilation in lofi synth. Once was technically released before the GLDS existed but has been released through the labels page thus making it canonical a part of the scene forever.