Rolling Synthwave/Retrowave/Outrun 2017 Thread

I mean the most immediate precursor is the entirety of italians do it better

I mean the most immediate precursor is the entirety of italians do it better

yup.
well kind of.
the symmetry release is definitely part of this groove.

for those that like the more laid back neon sunset vs vangelis side of this,
then the pre-blood music releases by tommy'86 and dan terminus are very worthy.

https://tommy86.bandcamp.com/ << includes some ILM fave Sally Shapiro collaborations

https://dan-terminus.bandcamp.com/

as someone who bought the neon pink Drive vinyl soundtrack, I think yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxs6YI4yfvE

Search also: Tangerine Dream Thief soundtrack.

^precursor city

amazed that the Stranger Things soundtrack hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet

*mentions things*

Italians do it better aren't as garish and unapologetically maximalist though.. most synthwave has more in common with big room trancey house, just with 80s synth/drum soundz

(IMO/e)

Or you know the loads of hooky spacesynth instrumental cheez that's been churning out of Europe/Russia uninterrupted through the late 80s/90s/00s...

it's not clear to me that groups like Laserdance, Proxion etc ever went away

now it's the kids' turn!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcXh7SIB76A

not officially in the synthwave realm, but this track fits nicely alongside it I think.

Laserdance did disappear for fifteen years or so, but resurfaced a few months ago. They sound exactly like they did in 1987:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A1agXLbn9c

That Ural 13 Diktators track posted above has sent me down a rabbit hole of dark, dramatic techno from the early 2000s. I would've gladly swapped out EBM for that stuff if I had known it existed.

game precursors:

top gear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAMvfv6X8xs

skyroads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjNEtDl0Z4g

wow that Skyroads one is heady

Search also: Tangerine Dream Thief soundtrack.
― andrew m., Friday, March 3, 2017 4:18 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I worked with a guy super into this stuff, chiptunes, game soundtracks, also metal but anyway he had never heard of kratwerk or tangerine dream & was blown away when I played out & told him what years it came out

I honestly didn't know about the dance music stuff like this happening in the 90s. It's great!

xp -- the composer on skyroads was a chiptune/demoscene guy iirc (a lot of the old '90s kozmic music archive stuff is in this vein as well)

most synthwave has more in common with big room trancey house, just with 80s synth/drum soundz

― a but (brimstead)

I actually don't see that at all, the structure and feel is completely different. Yes it has a few modern production tricks like compressed kicks etc, but compositionally it's a whole different thing. No mix-friendly intro/outro segments, none of the tension-release buildups for dancefloors and I don't think a lot of the topline melodies would work in club tunes - if anything this stuff specifically harks back to the mood-setting/'soundtracking' function of pre-dj culture electronic music.

i think any attempt to contextualize this stuff w/o putting video games at the center is misguided

I think there's the stuff that orbits around video game music and the stuff that orbits around John Carpenter and The Terminator

this is one of my all-time favorite games and soundtracks--the whole playlist is worth a listen imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrdorSwShLo&index=1&list=PL8M6xAzX1w_yTSe849rxBQ58sUoGPSe4Z

maybe a little more low key than a lot of the stuff on this thread tho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTE5TmUBAnM

Siegbran, you're much more right than I.. I think I have more to say about electrohouse and plasticity and lasers and stuff but the words aren't there.

Kuedo would probably fit in based on the initial first post description

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wsN9EtzF-o

after another week of the usual suspects i'm still not fed up.

so, todays treat that i have just found on cd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qApOLaLYZb0&t=1232s

more guitars than the outrun side of things, but definitely part of this groove.

bugger ..

https://dancewiththedead.bandcamp.com/album/the-shape

todays other treat from a couple of years ago :

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0111032182_10.jpg

download only this time, as £20 for 3 eps on 3 seperate cds is a bit mad.
some of this is totally outrun eg "L.A. Venice Bitch 80's"
apparently, carpenter brut was approached by blood music to join the labels synthwave roster as they all know each other and have worked/toured together,
but they could not see eye to eye on various things as the CB bloke can be somewhat awkward to deal with, so it all fell through.
would definitely have made for a label of choice had it happened.
will be interesting to see what blood music do when they come back into action.
label head is on a 6-9 month break after the chaos of last year, hence there is nothing available via the labels website shop.

Hasn't the Hotline Miami soundtrack come up here? It's somewhat more laidback but great top to bottom; I haven't heard any other Outrun release quite that satisfying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAM6mG6BWjw

never knew of it, cant buy it.

but will now check out MOON stuff ..

Just found a new single released by Swimware, "2 Days Til Retirement" -- https://youtu.be/LtYSFo-M5kQ

It's got guitars! And it sounds very much like its from something that would be produced by Michael Mann.

ILM's 2017 Rolling ILM's Rolling Synthwave+Retrowave+Outrun Thread 2017 Thread Spotify Playlist

https://soundcloud.com/mixmag-1/premiere-emma-glace

those mentioning Skyroads upthread - do you mean the old PC game? probably came out around...idk 92, 93? cuz I remember the music from that very well, think it fits into this aesthetic perfectly. the game sort of sucked but I played it just to hear the music. quick google search reveals that a lot of people thought the same way.

used to quit/reload until I got this track....so good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRrpyc3Amdc&index=5&list=PLupeXa_RiyeElyS8_az9s63-Lextf1mdA

Is that an additional Spotify playlist? Great work, thanks! Have canes all 326 songs on the other one!

yeah, the old PC game

the game doesn't suck by early-'90s tiny PC game standards, I just suck at it

also, fuck druidia

Outrun, when played in the full moving cabinet arcade scenario, ideally at Blackpool pleasure beach is possibly the greatest arcade experience of all time. Along with perhaps Afterburner.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_Run

old heads would argue
http://www.8-bitcentral.com/images/blog/2013/starWarsCockpit.jpg

Yer arse

Star Wars does not necessarily a good game make

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1714315478_10.jpg

back to the future.
this is a strange album.
2 cds.
cd 1 = retro synth/electro pop gorgeousness.
cd 2 = soundtrack for a film/game which may or may nor exist i care not to dig deeper.

subsequently cd2 = short snippets of synth sounds and effects a la 'stranger things' soundtrack mixed in with a few extended tracks.
the extended tracks are brilliant.
as for the overall effect though ...
not sure, as it's all a bit of a confused mess.
that said, when this band get it right, they really get it right.
swings and roundabouts.

bugger.
no band name on cover art.
band = le matos.

https://open.spotify.com/album/4xMlG8lVUmeselxOxrwi1b

50 tracks?

massive bundle for bobbins :

https://groupees.com/synth7

no idea about most of it, but i have wanted to hear a few of these releases (dance of the dead, occams laser and timecop1983), so this is a crackingly good deal.

yeah, the old PC game

the game doesn't suck by early-'90s tiny PC game standards, I just suck at it

the gameplay was cool, it just had that Battletoads thing going on where you had to basically memorize the layout of the levels or you'd be toast. which kinda killed the fun factor.

this is a really good tune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv2xPzU3zYo

https://open.spotify.com/album/4xMlG8lVUmeselxOxrwi1b

50 tracks?

sorry, don't have spotify, so didn't click on that link.
but yes, it is 50 tracks.
cd 1 is the main attraction, the second a soundtrack hence lots of very short instrumentals.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/23086-digital-dance/