GANYMEDE

The synth-pop duo Ganymede may have released their first album in 2000, but their sound reaches fondly into the past, namely the early '80s. Named after Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede consists of Patrick Runkle (vocals, synthesizers) and David Friede (synthesizers). Runkle and Friede met at film school in Los Angeles. At the time, Runkle was writing a movie-review column and dreaming of becoming a director. However, Runkle decided to quit film school and moved to Louisiana to teach special education students. Runkle had started experimenting with synthesizers in college and wanted to collaborate on songs with Friede, but the distance between them made it difficult. Nevertheless, the two continued to communicate with one another, and Friede flew to an inexpensive Louisiana studio to record tracks they had written. But the recording sessions were a failure. Everything the duo recorded on the first day was accidentally erased by the studio's owner; on the second day, another mishap led to the same results. When Runkle returned to California, he and Friede reworked the songs on Runkle's own computer and with new equipment. In late 1999, they sent a demo CD to the president of the independent label Ninthwave Records. In 2000, Ninthwave Records released Ganymede's debut album, After the Fall.