Synthwave Music

I’m sure we are all aware of this so called “new genre” of electronic music. If not, or even if you have I’d like to open a discussion about it.
Retro 80’s in nature, heavily laden in synthesizer sounds mostly FM, it consist of various subgenres from very light vaporwave and synth pop to darker darkwave.
One leading trait is definitely the sound of the 80’s synths, drum machines and even 8-12bit samplers.
I love it and have begun doing a little experimenting in producing some of it myself.
One of the bigger labels releasing this material is
New Retro Wave.
What are your thoughts?

Why have synthwave when you can have Simpsonwave :sunglasses: :weary:

In all seriousness, I like this genre and it’s interesting to see electronic music diverge into scenes on both ends of the spectrum from chillwave to trap.

3 Likes

Simpsonwave!!? Im afraid I don’t follow, but I want to because it’s probably going to be fricken hilarious! =]
Yeah music genres and it’s many subgenres. I doubt there will ever be an end.
The thing that catches my fancy the most about “synthwave” is it’s replay on anything 80’s. I was born in the late 70’s was a kid in and influenced by the 80’s and was a young adult in the 90’s making techno music. I’ve spoken to and meet a few of these synthwave producers…they are all young mostly in their mid 20’s born in the 90’s.
So I find that kind of cool how they are paying homage to the 80’s.
If my memory serves me correctly, didnt everyone diss and talk down about anything 80’s especially the music? But here we are now and it’s come back by popular demand.
Very interesting to say the least.

1 Like

Simpsonwave is this trend of vaporwave songs set to Simpsons clips with retro visual filters (such as VHS) over them. It blew up a couple of years ago.

And yeah, it’s basically something college kids watch to feel nostalgic, lol. As one Simpsonwave video maker puts it:

I think The Simpsons and the vaporwave/synthwave/retrowave movement go hand in hand because the latter is so nostalgia-driven and The Simpsons is pretty unique in that it’s something that almost everyone born between the late '80s and early '00s grew up watching. It’s something that’s very easy to sit back, enjoy and connect with.

1 Like

I try to learn something every day, and today it’s this. Thank you.
So much for Tron and Night Rider…lol it’s the Simpson wave!!

1 Like

Espen Kraft is my favorite Synthwave artists right now. I love almost all of it though. But Espen has a great Youtube channel with lots of great tutorials where he shows exactly how he produces music from start to finish, though he makes it look entirely too easy.
I also love Daft Punk. I think the culture of music has created a new unique turn in music styings, of course I say this from a very self centered point of view. Because all these great movies (IMHOP) of late such as Ready Player One, and Thor Ragnarok, Dead Pool, Blade Runner, and even Tron using this type of music as the sound track or just backing tracks. The 80s were so innovative, and the art that came out of it… well i think I could write a book about how I feel about it. So I guess you can see I am a big fan.
Thanks for the topic.