Synthwave – Retrowave

Carpenter Brut

Synthwave (also called outrun, Retrowave and Futuresynth ) is a genre of electronic music influenced by 1980s film soundtracks and video games.] Beginning in the mid 2000s, the genre developed from various niche communities on the Internet, reaching wider popularity in the

early 2010s. In its music and cover artwork, synthwave engages in retrofuturism, emulating 1980s science fiction, action, and horror media, sometimes compared to cyberpunk. It expresses nostalgia for 1980s culture, attempting to capture the era’s atmosphere and celebrate it.

Style

Musically, synthwave is heavily inspired by many 1980s films, video games, and cartoons, as well as composers such as John Carpenter, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream. The subgenre name “outrun” comes from the 1986 driving arcade gameOut Run, which was known for its soundtrack that could be selected in-game.According to musician Perturbator (James Kent), the style is mainly instrumental, and often contains 1980s cliché elements in the sound such as electronic drums, gated reverb, analog synthesizer bass lines and leads, all to resemble tracks from that time period.
This aesthetic has been incorporated into retro themed movies and video games featuring synthwave artists. According to Bryan Young of Glitchslap, one of the most notable examples of this is Power Glove’s soundtrack to the 2013 video game Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

Background

The Midnight

Synthwave originates from the mid 2000s. French acts including David Grellier (College), Kavinsky, and Justice are recognized as the pioneers contributing to the early synthwave sound. These early artists began creating music inspired by famous 1980s score composers;

music which was, at the time, largely associated with French house.
Popularity
The release of the movie Drive in 2011, whose soundtrack featured several synthwave artists, helped drive new fans and artists inspired by it toward the genre. Following the various influxes of new artists into the genre, several of these artists gravitated toward specific aspects of synthwave carved out by the early artists, leading to a wide variation in styles between artists who are associated with the genre.[original research?] Nerdglow’s Christopher Higgins cited Electric Youth and Kavinsky as the two most popular artists in synthwave in 2014. Since 2015, synthwave has reached a broader audience from outside musicians and popular media.

List of artists

Carpenter Brut
Mega Drive
Confrontational
Dan Terminus
Com Truise
Danger
Droid Bishop
Dynatron
GosT
Futurecop!
Gunship
Highway Superstar
Kavinsky
Miami Nights 1984
Magic Sword
The Midnight
Mitch Murder
Perturbator
Dana Jean Phoenix
Power Glove
Robert Parker
Scandroid
Dance With The Dead
Protector 101
FM-84
Electric Youth

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