Molten Music Technology’s April Synth Frenzy: Superbooth Hype, Gear Previews, and Community Mayhem

Superbooth is looming, and the synth world is already fizzing with half-baked leaks, blurry photos, and the kind of pre-show hype that only true gear-heads can appreciate. Robin Vincent sets the tone: this is the time of year when every modular nerd and synth wizard starts twitching with anticipation, waiting for the next big thing to drop in Berlin. If you’ve never been, imagine a synth show where the main activities are talking shop, getting lost in modular forests, and drinking yourself sideways—Molten Music Technology nails the vibe.

But don’t sleep on SynthFest France, either. It’s the place where the truly bizarre and under-explained gear gets its first awkward dance in the spotlight. The result? A scattershot of mysterious modules and prototypes, most of which will get a proper reveal at Superbooth. Until then, we’re left with tantalising glimpses and more questions than answers. It’s a glorious mess, and frankly, it’s what keeps this scene alive.

Let’s get into the gear, starting with the Kaona Fractaos—a module that sounds like it escaped from a French sci-fi cartoon. Four voices, eight oscillators, fractal-based sound generation, and a portal-style display that looks like it’s plotting your next acid trip. This thing is all about morphing, warping, and bending waveforms into glassy, digital chaos. It’s got proper CV/gate polyphony, not just MIDI, so you can actually patch it up like a real modular head. The sounds? Digital, wild, and unapologetically weird—just how we like it.

Then there’s the Auxy Mystery Synth, teased by Cuckoo in a video that reveals almost nothing except a wooden cheek, a couple of knobs, and some very creative playing. Is it a synth, a sampler, a piano, or something else entirely? Nobody knows, but if Cuckoo’s involved, you can bet it’s going to be expressive, quirky, and probably a bit bonkers. Expect layers, loops, and a workflow that’s more about capturing ideas than menu-diving. Both of these are set to make waves at Superbooth—don’t be surprised if they end up on your wish list.

Analog Sweden’s SWEN2 is what happens when you take a 90s rave synth, pump it full of steroids, and give it a proper modern overhaul. We’re talking dual oscillators, sub-oscillators, tarted-up filters, and enough modulation to keep any techno bunker happy. It’s a no-nonsense, ready-to-rumble synth that finally brings envelopes and LFOs to the party. If you want a street weapon that’s more than just a nostalgia trip, this is it.

And then there’s the Bob Moog Tribute Minimoog Model D—limited to 500 units, with a new sticker and all the legendary weight you’d expect. Robin’s take is classic: would you drop five grand on this icon, or would you rather chase after some SEM-based monster from NR Synth? Either way, the Minimoog remains the synth equivalent of a classic sports car—timeless, beautiful, and slightly out of reach for most of us. But hey, if you’re going to dream, dream big.