Rolling Synthwave/Retrowave/Outrun 2017 Thread

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/

Oh I just found out It Came From The 80s... vol III is out: https://youtu.be/0b_qqRLDqSw

Just listening to it now... Dance With The Dead Cover of Paint It Black is pretty great, imo.

https://groupees.com/synth7

this is a cracking little bundle for bobbins.

some of it's demoware, but to be honest, it's worth it just for the dance with the dead b-sides collection which is like the recent album, but with more guitars.
and is rather bloody good.

as for the rest, well, these are really good :-

occams laser - similar distressed synth groove as gost
absolute valentine - neon sunset soundtrack
confrontational - excellently produced moody electro goth songs with vocals (features cody carpenter aka son of john, and one of the bloke from dance with the dead)
timecop1983 - mellow electro
meteor - driving through neon lit landscapes soundtrack
robert parker - daft punk/filter house vs synthwave.

not too bad :
moter

shows promise, but needs some more time learning the way around machines/software :
neon shudder.

and as most of the videos for this genre are homemade lo-fi things, it's nice to see something as insane as this :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er416Ad3R1g

Oh I just found out It Came From The 80s... vol III is out: https://youtu.be/0b_qqRLDqSw

just grabbed the three volumes of this series from his soundcloud - ta for the tip off.
thats my weekend sorted.

Yeah these dudes are even trying to crowdfund a Turbo Killer feature film I saw.

new material from gunship.
well, a remix of a track by lionshare.
the video has a lot of the usual visual cliches, but still

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6b8XE5J0PY

could it be that when gunship get around to release their 2nd album it could be the album that brings the genre out into the open ?

* lionface.

ftr : i aint all into that remix.

however, it's obvious as to what gunship have done though (especially before she starts to sing),
and so, gives me hope for their new material.
now if kavinsky got his ass in gear, and made a follow up album, then things could become really interesting.

Das mörtal released a new album, "Always Loved" -- on bandcamp for $10 Canadian. Also streaming on spotify.

I'm liking it, but its cover art is pretty dumb though, not a fan of "oooh sexy naked ladies." style covers. Oh well.

Current favorite track is "Dark Alley Intercourse" (yeah, I know...) -- it has some nice syth lines and a good grove, and also rad oldskool modem sounds as percussion. Overall I like the album but I dunno, it does seem kinda sexist without any subversive/ironic twists like Perturbator has. Not that the lyrics are sexist or anything, on the couple tracks that have them... btw, the one with Ghost Twin has pretty great vocals, which tend to be kinda subpar in synthwave.

I just prefer my synthwave to have themes about like computers and muscle cars and dystopias rather than "I LOVE TO FUCK DA LADIES!" unless it's being self-aware about it. (ie, how "80's Stallone" made a track called "Party At Kitty & Stud's")

But it's really solid stuff, Das mörtal def. produces fun, exciting music!

https://dasmortal.bandcamp.com/album/always-loved
https://open.spotify.com/album/1AfVc3caLiISHB5yzSwbLw

JG Thirlwell (yes, the Foetus guy) has made a synthwave album under the name Xordox; it's coming out next month on Editions Mego. There's one track up on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/editionsmego/xordox-diamonds-emego-240

The whole thing is really good. Much more TD movie soundtrack than 80s video game music, and slightly more ambitious at times than the rest (some of it was recorded at the EMS studio in Stockholm).

yeah, saw that re foetus - no doubt at some point i will order the cd.

in other news : looks like the carpenter brut 'trilogy' set is getting a full release thereby pissing off people who have paid through the nose for their limited vinyl editions !

oh, and you have not see, kung fury, then may i suggest you put aside 30 mins and just enjoy its totally over the top, but clearly synthwave influenced brilliance (scene member, mitch murder is involved in the soundtrack).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS5P_LAqiVg

no idea if this is the right thread for this, but there sort of a chiptune supergroup record feat Disasterpeace and Alex Mauer out now:

http://music.disasterpeace.com/album/ram-son

mostly 1-2 minute tracks, all of which sound like game themes from the 80s

or 90s really

i once saw dj scotchegg live on his gameboy - is that chiptune ?

not my kinda thing.

checked the link : nope, sorry, not for me.
and not what i would put in the synthwave vibe at all, but hey, i am sure there are some that would ..

http://i.imgur.com/CXzBlJ7.jpg

I'm listening to Timecop1983 - Lovers, Pt. 2 EP (more like a short album). It's a companion to the same kind of thing called Lovers, Pt. 1. which I guess I slept on...

It reminds me of FM-84 in a lot of ways - but also close to this thing I already said to describe something that also has the same ~vibes~ (in some respects):

I'd describe it as emo-pop of the 00's mixed with the instrumentation and arrangement of OMD's tender/depressio songs.

But more modulated, gated, and padded. Specifically the song, Girls (feat. Seawaves). It's a highlight of the release. Many of the vocals are really good but many of them I could do without, which seems to be what I think about a lot of synthwave vocal tracks. Projects in general seem to be improving in this area; groups are using more professional (or at least interesting) singers it seems. But also, there's plenty of tracks without vocals on this.

It might be my favorite s y n t h w a v e thing of the year so far!

https://open.spotify.com/album/6oHDr7gQEd7ciyWa5gsptX
https://timecop1983.bandcamp.com/album/lovers-ep-part-ii

Nice one

Agree re: vocals

the timecop 1983 album 'childhood memories' is pretty damn good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT3qf8uW1hg

This is a good one. This stuff makes me feel like I'm 11 years old again.

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

This one's really good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLHlX8A_ReI

Huh, it just hit me that synthwave's a continuation of Italo disco, plus a whole bunch of other stuff.

i found a bunch of this stuff via youtube, appropriately enough. i am a fan of The Midnight in particular.

with the very on-the-nose 80s movie montages and emo-style singing i sort of thought this was a strictly internet-only phenomenon generally. those two things signified pure shut-in to me for some reason. but here's some live footage! people are into this shit!

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

also is it just me or do all these artists have a ton of stuff scattered across a bunch of different youtube accounts? extra confusing and fun.

but here's some live footage! people are into this shit!

yeah US tours by the folks mentioned earlier, are packing the crowds in.
and alongside youtube, the main outlet for this stuff seems to be bandcamp.

other names that have i have enjoyed in last few months : facexhugger, dreddd, elevn, and crockett.

For those compiling your year-end lists, this playlist includes all the available tracks on this thread, organized roughly chronologically in order of mention:

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

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