A decade ago, the good-ship Joy Electric embarked on a journey with some synthesizers and a vision. It has sailed a carefully charted course; Ronnie Martin is the bold captain at the helm. He has labored lovingly, maneuvering his vessel searching for synthesized music at its purest form. Along the way, he has left an indelible impression on those who heard him. At the very least, Joy Electric is one of the most unique musical acts around.

Two summers ago, The White Songbook, Vol. 1 came out, followed by a two-disc set of favorites, b-sides and unreleased material. In March 2003 The Tick Tock Treasury will be carrying on the tradition of synthesized storytelling like that of TWSB. “The name comes from a story that is outlined in the sleeve of the record. It's referring to a sort of magical place, where the music for this record was created.” Treasury serves as a sequel to TWSB with the flourishes and lyrical imagery that only Ronnie Martin is capable of. “These records are all interconnected much like a series of novels might be, but each story works as an individual piece.”

Strict methods keep his songs clean and focused. Each song begins on piano or guitar before making the transition to analog synthesizers. “I tried to create a much more minimal, mechanical and direct sound than the previous record, but the whole album was still performed entirely on a Roland System 100 analogue synthesizer, which was how I did the previous one. The production turned out very bright, sharp and clean. The arrangements still retain some of the progressive elements that TWSB had, but they feel a little more fluid and maybe not as strained. I was trying to bring some joy back into what I do, and it worked.”

“I'm dealing with themes pertaining to mainly science and history, but they also relate to the story that is being told as well. Some of the titles are ‘St. Glockenspiel's Science Faire,’ ‘The Chronometers of Switzerland,’‘By Metronome,’ ‘C Minor Miners,’ and ‘(Design) The Blueprints for Joy.’ The sound itself really compliments some of the titles this time around.”

Treasury was finished five months ahead of schedule, mixed by Aaron Sprinkle (poor old lu) at The Compound’s Recording Studio in Seattle. It was a fast, efficient and relaxing process. “This was the most enjoyable time I've ever had making a record, and I think it shows. I really changed a lot of small things going into the album. I limited the number of tracks I could use from 32 to 15, I only used analogue sequencers, and I only did one vocal track per song, amongst other things, so the limitations actually forced me to be more creative. I was excited instead of exhausted after it was finished, so progress was made.”

This year also saw the independent release of a Joy Electric documentary DVD, entitled The Picturebook, produced and directed by Eddie Enciu. The DVD features live performances, and interviews with Martin from The Purple Door Festival. Enciu proposed and spearheaded the project, freeing Martin from the responsibility. “Eddie was so enthused and committed to doing it, so I just thought it might be a neat thing to have done for Joy E.”

The traditional backing tapes from Martin’s live performances are being replaced by re-programmed alternate versions of several songs, allowing him to bring a fresh sound to the old Joy Electric favorites. “I've always wanted to do a live electronic backing for the shows, so I felt it was the right time make it happen, since I'm performing as a one man show now. Of course there are limitations with it just being myself, but it's a very unique set-up. I now get to mix everything myself from the stage, so I have some control of the overall sound for the first time.”

His future is already somewhat navigated, and as the metaphorical wind whips in the sails above him, he muses, “There are either good songs or bad songs. Some are darker than others and some are more beautiful, but I strive for them all to have memorable hooks and choruses. I like them all equally because they're made from the same blueprint.”