The second entry for Numan. Let’s face it, he’s responsible for more than a few great moments in electronic music, with his ability to combine lyrical coolness, live performance and deliver a great synth hook when required. And, with the use of sampling, his back catalogue has been plundered for that elusive synth magic.

Basement Jaxx borrowed the fantastic big bass riff from Numan’s M.E. for their hit Where’s Your Head At.

Listen: Gary Numan - M.E.

How to get the sound

Our money’s on an ARP for this one, although Numan also used a Minimoog and Polymoog at the time. To recreate this sound we turned to the often-overlooked Steinberg Monologue.

The essential component here is the subtle phasing quality of the two oscillators ‘beating’ against each other as well as the use of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). The Attack and Release are both quite fast, with Sustain on max. The filter should be fully open to allow all the higher harmonics to shine through. To add extra stereo width, some chorus has been added.