A Look into Retrowave

Retrowave, or Synthwave, is a genre of music that emerged in the mid 2000's. Retrowave is inspired by music created for soundtracks of 1980's movies, video games, and television shows. Typically Retrowave is strictly instrumental, but there are few exceptions in which there is a limited form of lyrics or sound bites. The emulation of this type of music is often brought out through 80's music cliches such as electronic drums, analog synthesizer basses and leads, and gated reverb (used to make drums sound more impactful). From an aesthetic standpoint, Retrowave aims for a retro-futuristic approach, using 80's science fiction, horror, action, and sometimes cyberpunk media for references. Some common artists associated with Retrowave are Carpenter Brut, Waveshaper, Perturbator, Power Glove, and many more. In recent media, Retrowave can be heard in games such as Hotline Miami 2 and Furi, as well as some of the score for the TV show Stranger Things. Examples of Carpenter Brut's songs are "You're Mine", "Wake up the President", "Sexkiller on the Loose", and "Roller Mobster". Some Waveshaper songs are "Wisdom of Rage", "A Monster", "A Picture in Motion", and "Crystal Protocol". Some of my favorite Perturbator songs are "Welcome to Nocturne City", "Retrogensis", and "Complete Dominance". Two examples of Retrowave songs with lyrics are "Make This Right" and "My Only Chance", both by The Toxic Avenger.