10. Mega Drive

Presenting us with not one but two full-length releases this year, Mega Drive shows no signs of stopping, thankfully. We honestly can’t decide on whether we should listen to The Grid or Seas of Infinity. Both are well crafted and make Mega Drive more than worthy of a spot on this list.

https://soundcloud.com/megadrivemusic

9. Solar Storm

Nearly making you believe you’re living in a high tech, low life vision of the future, Solar Storm blasted into action with Exodus. Devout followers of our Youtube channel will likely already have heard “Homesick” which, like the rest of Exodus, is a treat to our ears.

https://soundcloud.com/solarst0rm

8. Futurecop!

No list of great synthwave artists would be complete without Futurecop! Making an appearance. August of this year came with it the highly anticipated release of Return to Alvograth and Futurecop! delivered tenfold with this one. A pioneer of the genre itself, you need to listen to this album if you somehow haven’t had the chance yet.

https://soundcloud.com/futurecopofficial

7. Night Runner

Earlier this year the duo that is Night Runner treated us to another full-length album in the form of Thunderbird. If you’ve listened to their previous release, Starfighter, you won’t want to miss this.

https://soundcloud.com/nightrunnermusic

6. Kalax

In early April, Kalax unleashed a self-titled album that was just what we needed, chock-full of rolling synths and dreamy vocals.  Its release has since been followed up with a vinyl and two cassette releases.

https://soundcloud.com/kalax

5. Lazerhawk

In last years roundup, we had just been treated to a teaser for Dreamrider, the highly anticipated next release from everyone’s favorite, Lazerhawk. Early this year, we got it. From “Neon Dawn” to “Dreams in the Dusk” we were not disappointed. This co-founder of Rosso Corsa Records continues to soar.

https://soundcloud.com/lazerhawk

4. Daniel Deluxe

The master of dark synth easily makes this list with his latest release, Instruments of Retribution. This titan of darksynth has also toured consistently throughout 2017, treating fans all over Europe to his synth repertoire.

https://soundcloud.com/daniel-deluxe

3. Nightstop

Hailing from Finland, Nightstop followed up last years Streetwalker with the exquisite release, Dancing Killer. Quickly followed by a wonderful vinyl release on Electronic Purification Records, Nightstop has proven that they’re one of the best time and again.

https://soundcloud.com/nightstop

2. The Midnight

With the release of Nocturnal this year, the duo that is The Midnight showed us that they are completely incapable of a bad release. Hot off the heels of a sold-out performance in Los Angeles, The Midnight has proven to be a powerful force in concert. With more dates planned for 2018, we’re chomping at the bit for more.

https://soundcloud.com/themidnightofficial

1. Meteor

The alter ego of Jorge Reyes, 2017 saw the release of Inner Demon by Meteor. Incorporating scathing guitar licks with masterfully crafted synth beats, Inner Demon is an instant classic. Don’t be surprised if you magically end up in a fast car flying down the highway with the windows down while playing this record. We can’t wait to see what Jorge is up to in the coming year and beyond.

https://soundcloud.com/whoismeteor

Nothing excites us more than new artists entering the scene. Though the list is basically endless, these are the artists that excited us the most in 2017. They embody the rich nostalgic sound that we all know and love, each furthering the genre in the best way possible.

10. Lazer Station

Coming in strong with Exit as the third in a series of EP releases, we couldn’t be happier with the unique sounds each track from Lazer Station provides.

https://soundcloud.com/user-72918358

9. FAVORIT89

With The Beginning released in early December of this year, FAVORIT89 has already proven to be a force to be reckoned with through tracks such as “Interception” and “Memories”

https://soundcloud.com/favorit89

8. NINELITE

Hailing from France, NINELITE with Under the Nightsky brings us soothing ambient sounds perfectly suited for letting the beauty of the city wash over you on a cool night.

https://soundcloud.com/ninelite-music

7. Water and Bridges

Inspired by classic films of the 1980s, the first release from Water and Bridges dubbed Neon Skyline perfectly captures the feeling of nostalgia.

https://soundcloud.com/water-and-bridges

6. Neon Driver

Yet another more than worthy addition to this list, Neon Driver comes at us with the EP Outrun Overdrive that’s filled to the brim with high octane sounds.

https://soundcloud.com/neondriver

5. 87Super

Coming in with Tyranny in October, 87Super treats us to a wonderfully retro sound with fantastic tracks like “Night Wave” and “VHS”.

https://soundcloud.com/87super

4. Polygrid

Debuted in October of this year, Polygrid hit the ground running with the extremely solid release, Infinite. Filled with wonderfully nostalgic sounds, you will especially want to check out “Castles Above”.

https://soundcloud.com/skylight-glare/sets/polygrid

3. Jeremiah Kane

Hailing from Poland, it wouldn’t be possible for Jeremiah Kane to miss this list. Enough good can’t be said about The New Dawn, the first full length album for this artist that truly knocked our collective socks off.

https://soundcloud.com/jrmh-music

2. Magnavolt

An inspiration to all synthwave artists, Magnavolt from Sweden has been able to perfectly demonstrate a mastery of the signature style and sound that this genre has to offer. Be sure not to miss Missing Call.

https://soundcloud.com/magnavolt88

1. Undervatten

Finally, we have Undervatten with Politics, an album that spans a wide range of the genre and shows off a sound that we can’t wait to hear more of. This is one release this year that you absolutely will not want to miss.

https://soundcloud.com/undervatten_official

Photo by Cristen Golle

Doors opened shortly after 9 PM where the stage was already set for the Globe to become the center of nostalgia for the night. Opening with a bang, FM-84 had clearly put careful thought into the tracklist for the night. Each track changed the mood, tossing the audience left and right with a synth assault that the LA synthwave scene will always remember. This set was of course accompanied by a fiery performance from Ollie Wride who almost single-handedly cultivated the entire crowd and the extremely talented Chris Huggett on guitar. Finishing with “Running in the Night”, the FM-84 set was truly an unforgettable experience.

Photo by Cristen Golle

After thunderous applause, FM-84 was replaced on stage by Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle of The Midnight, prompting an equally as excited reaction from the crowd. There really is a magical chemistry between these two groups that makes them the perfect match up for a single concert. The Midnight proceeded to nail all of the tracks that we wanted to hear. The crowd was utterly in awe of Jesse Molloy and his mastery of the saxophone during “Vampires” and “Crystalline”. The performance, of course, wouldn’t have been complete without the appearance of Nikki Flores, sounding great on tracks from Nocturnal.

            All in all, a better show couldn’t have been put on by anyone else. If nothing else, this particular concert showed that independent music can be a force to be reckoned with and we simply can’t wait for where these two will perform next. We’ll be there.

_________________

Article was edited 12/1/2017 at 11:58am to correct the live saxophonist. It was Jesse Molloy who performed live. Thomas Edinger performed on the albums. Correction made by Boback Shahsafdari.

It’s rare to be able to name an artist that so definitively defines a genre. All great synthwave artists strive to embody what makes it great; rolling synths, hard hitting beats, massive leads, and that unmistakable feeling that you could go on listening to it all night long. An artist that gives us all of this and more is none other than Garrett Hays, the man behind Lazerhawk. To date, he’s released four full albums, all chock full of their own style and brimming with that unmistakable synthwave and outrun sound. Just in case you somehow aren’t familiar with his work, we’ll take a look at what made these releases so important to this genre.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, and a founding member of Rosso Corsa Records, Lazerhawk has
quickly risen to the forefront of the scene due largely in part to his unique style that blends all of the best aspects of what makes music from the ‘80s so great along with everything we love
about modern synthwave. Jumping right in, Lazerhawk started us off in 2010 with his first
release, Redline. True to its name, this album can best be described as a high-octane thrill ride laced with fast paced synths that you simply can’t sit still for. Right off the line with the titular track “Redline” and its followup “Overdrive”, you can’t help but feel you’re putting the pedal down in a blood pumping car chase through a big city at night. Later tracks on Redline such as “Interstellar” and “So Close” show off Lazerhawks’ ability to slow things down and deliver soothing synths on top of smooth and catchy drumlines.

Around two years later and perhaps from another galaxy, the journey continues with Visitors, a slight departure in style compared to Redline but one that can’t be confused with the already timeless sound we’ve come to attribute to Lazerhawk. We’re given a taste of what to expect from this album with the opening track, “Lazerhawk’s Theme” which consists mostly of slower paced and dreamlike synths. This continues in “Visitors” and is done to perfection in “Distant
Signal 001”. It would not be an exaggeration to call Visitors one of the best sophomore follow up releases to an album in recent history. We can clearly see the influence that Redline had on the Lazerhawk sound with new innovations brought into it, all invoking that feeling of nostalgia that we crave.

Once again showing us that he can keep a signature sound while innovating with each new
release, Lazerhawk treated us to Skull and Shark in 2013. Displaying some of the best
production value yet, this release is pure horror-inspired electronic bliss. Out of any Lazerhawk
release so far, Skull and Shark is easily the album that is capable of making you feel like you’re
in another world. Each track feels hand crafted to tell a story. Just looking at each track title
almost gives us an idea of the events of this story. Required listening here is without a doubt
“King of the Streets” and “The Looks That Kill” that show us what hard rock style guitar mixed
with classic rolling synths sounds like.

Really, this album demonstrates what is essential for any artist; to show that they can use their signature style to create a diverse range of sounds. Finally, there is no better way to finish out this look at Lazerhawk than by highlighting his most recent release, Dreamrider. Out just this year, Dreamrider sounds like you may expect from its title. We can hear the influences of chill wave in tracks like “Cruise” and “Cool Breeze” that instantly transport us to another world. This
album gives us visions of beautiful vistas both earthly and otherworldly. As you can see, Lazerhawk has proven time and again that he is truly a titan of outrun synthwave. He constantly innovates and reminds us what this genre is really about. Even though Dreamrider was released very recently, we already can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next.

This duo nearly needs no introduction. If you’ve been a NRW follower for any length of time you have undoubtedly heard the marvelous sounds brought to you by Futurecop! The growth of the synthwave genre is due in large part to the dedication and skill of this group. As the scene was taking off in the mid-2000’s, many artists experimented with a range of different sounds, all looking to find their voice. No voice was heard more loud and clear than that
which was formed by Manzur Iqbal and Peter Carrol, known as Futurecop! With the release of their new album Return to Alvograth imminent, let’s take a look at what turned Futurecop! from an idea in the minds of Iqbal and Carrol into the synthwave titan that it is today. Inspired by their mutual love of everything that makes the 1980s and 90s great,
Manchester duo Iqbal and Carrol had no difficulty gaining a significant following quickly with early hits such as “N.A.S.A.” from their debut EP The Unicorn & The Lost City of Alvograth, “The Only Way (feat. Keenhouse)” from its follow-up The Adventures of Starpony , and “1988 Girls” from the 2012 release The Movie OST .

The core of the retrowave genre is about capturing the emotion and the feeling you get when
remembering something great and turning that into music that can transport you back to that time. For Futurecop!, 2010 gave them the opportunity to harness the power of a professional studio where they collaborated with other artists to create It’s Forever, Kids , released in Japan. Each track features silky smooth vocals layered on top of crisp and dreamy synths. Throw on “Venice Beach (ft. Cavaliers of Fun)”, close your eyes and you’ll be soaring. This record firmly cemented this duo as a pioneer of the genre and with it they made it clear to us they were a force to be reckoned with.

It’s at this point in their career that Carrol and Iqbal got truly creative, releasing their next feature length album The Movie OST , a soundtrack to a fictional fantasy movie like something right out of the 80’s. If you didn’t know any better, just looking at the album
art would take you right back. For these guys the visuals are just as important as what you’re hearing. Their entire discography invokes an 80’s vibe and the same is true for
their live presence. For their 2013 followup Hopes, Dreams & Alienation , Futurecop! looked to collaborate once again with a number of different vocalists and soundly delivered a record
that is catchy to no end. Featuring fiery synths that hit you left and right and an uplifting nostalgic tone that almost forces you to dance along. The core of the Futurecop! sound comes from their refusal to follow a popular trend or do anything with their sound that doesn’t come naturally to them. Their creative freedom is what allows each consecutive release to sound fresh but still but still carry with it their own distinct style. It is this dedication to creating music that moves and inspires us that keeps us hooked and we can’t be more excited for their upcoming release, Return To Alvograth and where it will take us.