Synthwave
"A Lesson in Neon, and Cyberspace"
So I am actually not very informed on the nuances of electronic music. I could tell you the differences in rock music or a little bit of metal, but I got nothing on electronic styles. So with the push of some members here on this site, I have decided to dive into synthwave. Quite the interesting genre as it represents two major movements. One in the early to late 80s, the other from the later 2000s into the 2010s.
To start off, the early 80s movement actually represents a much more minimalist synthesizer based sound. The origins of the 80s movement can be found in the popular new wave and dark wave movements of the latter part of the 1970s. Overall the sound represents some of the earliest forms of techno music. Bands such as Depeche Mode and Psyche were adopters of this sound in their music.
The 2000s movement is quit a bit different. Synthwave nowadays means to embody the 80s futuristic vibe in all of its neon glory. Taking 80s science fiction and video game aesthetics to create quite a bombastic and epic sound. Quite intriguing is the liberal use of 80s references and styles especially when the original movement started in that time frame. Games such as Hotline Miami and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon embrace the style and sound of modern synthwave. Current stars of the genre include Perturbator, Mitch Murder and Carpenter Brut. This is the style I will be primarily focusing on but I will still touch on the 80s style.
Artists I plan to explore (Note: these do not include those in the suggestion box, I am not obligated to review or listen to anything in the suggestion box.)
Perturbator
Mitch Murder
Carpenter Brut
Wasted Doom
Fortification 55
Drown for Ressurection
Electric Youth
I will be posting album impressions (not full blown reviews, otherwise this would take forever) for everything I listen to. I won't be going in chronological order. However, I will mark which era they are from as well as any extra genres they fall under when providing impressions. This genre dive will be pretty organic in the same way one would explore any genre they are getting into. So I shall begin my journey. I hope to see you on the other side of cyberspace with neon lights flashing behind me.
I just want to say that the style and aesthetics of this genre really catch my eye. Hopefully the book matches the cover.