A-HA - TAKE ON ME (a Lorxst Mix)

A-Ha - Take On Me (a Lorxst Mix) by celestinocamicia
Righto, here is the first Lorxst Mix, for the unforgettable 1985 hit by Scandinavian popsters A-Ha.
"Take On Me" is a little piece of pop genius, sporting one of the most innovative video clips ever, a keyboard riff to die for, and of course Morten Hacket's multi-octave chorus performance.
I was utterly surprised when I listened to the separate tracks and found out that this seminal synth-pop number also features a guitar track (and an acoustic guitar to boot!) as well as a funky little palm-muted electric guitar bit from Mr Waaktaar-Savoy in the last verse!
But the real gem of this song is the keyboard track: when you listen to it on its own, it has a dreamy, magical quality to it; it features some jaw-dropping spacey pads courtesy of the two most popular digital synthesizers of the time, the PPG Wave and the Yamaha DX7, arranged in an excellent way and, most of all, played LIVE in the studio by Pal Waaktaar-Savoy and Mags Furuholmen, as opposed to the common practice at the time of sequencing keyboards via midi or CV sync, which is what instead happens with the drums and synth bass in this track.
I decided to emphasize these little hidden jewels by building up an extended quasi-acappella intro and some instrumental breaks which bring these moments of magic and genius to the fore.
Enjoy it and stay tuned for more Lorxst Mixes!