The sheer scope and diversity of modern music means that all kinds of genres are thriving at the moment. As our album reviews section shows, the effortless cool of synthwave in particular is an area where many artists continue to thrive. Whether it is Com Truise or College, artists are continuing to push boundaries and uncover new layers and depth in electronic music.

One of the many joys of music is hearing songs taken out of their original context and placed into a different genre, whether it is a gentle acoustic ballad being given a heavy metal makeover or a dance anthem slowed down to a torch song. Such a transformation is often said to be the mark of a good song – if it can survive a switch in genre and work in different ways, the track must be a classic.

Considering our obsession with synthwave and the almost mainstream popularity of retro vibes in general, it is perhaps unsurprising that there are a number of music enthusiasts on YouTube, Soundcloud and beyond who spend time giving mainstream hits a distinctly 80s makeover. Here we take a look at just a few which have caught our eye in recent weeks.

Retro ROAR

The self-empowerment sentiment of Katy Perry’s 2013 hit Roar means that it is not hard to think it might work with a power ballad makeover. However, Rafael Ben Ari has done something much cooler with the track and given it a sparse synthwave makeover underpinned with a throbbing bassline. The accompanying artwork is another VHS-style cracker which seems to have been inspired by both Tron and classic arcade game design. If you are looking for a more sugary Katy Perry cover, you could try Tronicbox’s take on Firework. The cover has a backing track which sounds like something Go West might have come up with, while it also features rather fetching artwork of Perry mocked up in 80s neon fitness gear.

Going Gaga

The original version of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face might have already featured a fair few synths, but we love the way that D.A.M.I.A.N has reinterpreted the tune with a thumping groove. Poker and casino games have inspired countless hits down the years, from Kenny Roger’s The Gambler to Elvis’s mighty Viva Las Vegas, to name just two. Gaga’s hit uses poker bluffing as an analogy for a relationship and this cover breathes new life into the 2008 classic, which reached number one across the globe including on the US Billboard Hot 100. Plenty of Gaga’s back catalogue has had the 80s remix treatment, with this take on Bad Romance also being pretty good.

A New Look For Justin

While the Gaga cover features a fairly impressive fake vinyl sleeve for the song, there are a host of synthwave versions of songs online which include some pretty brilliant visuals to fit the music. One of our absolute favourites is Tronicbox’s reinterpretation of Justin Bieber’s 2015 hit What Do You Mean?, which includes a brilliant VHS-style video with Biebs looking like a cross between George Michael and A-Ha’s Morten Harket. The version itself is not bad either, with a spot of twangy guitar adding flavor to the intro and twinkling synths creating a bit of magic throughout. We can guarantee that nothing will prepare you for the sax solo which comes roaring out after the second chorus though.

Synth It Off

By calling her phenomenally successful 2014 album 1989, you get the sense that Taylor Swift was just asking for the songs that it featured to be reinterpreted in the styles of that year. Shake It Off was the record’s lead single written with Max Martin and Shellback and was a huge global smash, hitting the top spot across the world. Aestheticz’s take on the song features artwork in which pop megastar is reimagined in the style of Debbie Gibson or Tiffany, with the track itself being driven by a propulsive drum machine beat. It is a decent take on the song, but unsurprisingly not even a synthwave cover can save the strange rap middle eight bit.

Adele Meets Pete

As with Roar, you would expect that many songs in Adele’s back catalogue would be perfect for an 80s-style power ballad remake. However, this remix of her 2011 single Set Fire To The Rain takes the song into a totally new direction, revamping it in a style more fitting of a Pete Waterman act or even someone like Chaka Khan. The page on YouTube actually references that this version sounds a lot like Say I’m Your Number One by Princess. We’re also big fans of the artwork, which takes the usual stark black and white shot of Adele and adds a simple splash of glittery lipstick. A classy touch.

Discover More

The covers above are just a handful of the fascinating and actually quite good synth-inspired covers you can find on NewRetroWave, YouTube and beyond. Remixes of this nature show that retro influences remain as popular as ever and tracks like this could well be an ideal way for you to introduce your friends to 80s style and synthwave. After all, who can resist the sight of Bieber with a mullet?

Editorial References (2017):

• musicpsychology.co.uk/gambling: Read more about Music & Gambling
• betway.com/casino-culture: Read more about casino gaming and popular culture
• billboard.com/top-100: Read more about Top US hits of today
• pwl-empire.com/step-back-in-time: Read more about Pete Waterman Ltd

By Rhys Pearce

10. Le Cassette – Left to our own devices / Released on 10th July 2014

ARTWORK by Crystal labs

‘A real basic design here, but really effective. This kind of art was super popular during the 1980’s and I like to imagine that Prince has wallpaper like this throughout his house’.

9. Timecop1983 – Journeys / Released on 10th June 2014

artwork by timecop1983

‘Another simplistic design that goes to show that album art doesn’t always have to be complicated and complex to be visually appealing. This cover has a super classic retro vibe and always leaves me wanting to play Out Run’.

8. Void Vision – Sub Rosa / Released on 11th November 2014

‘Definitely one of my favourite records released in 2014. This grey scale cover spoke to me before I’d even heard a note of the music and I felt it captured the essence of Void Vision’s sound in a single photo’.

7. Dead Astronauts – Constellations / Released on 16th October 2014

artwork by j3 concepts

‘Lets be honest, if you bumped into this creature on the street, you could pretty much guarantee that you’d shit your pants. But, no need to worry guys as its just just the product of someone’s imagination….at least I hope so”.

6. Mild Peril – Matter / Released on 3rd July 2014

‘First time I saw this cover, I was expecting to listen to some old British Metal band from the late 70’s. Turns out that ‘Matter’ is an awesome Medieval inspired Synth album Programmed & Performed by the talented C Gilbert’.

5. Muscle – The Pump / Released on 17th March 2014

Artwork by Youp Wehnes

‘The ultimate soundtrack to get your pump onto, ‘The Pump’ features an oiled up honey flexing her guns, what’s not to like about this cover?’

4. Perturbator – Dangerous days / Released on 17th June 2014

artwork by ariel zucker

‘This beautiful post apocalyptic image from Perturbator is totally bad ass and I’m convinced is something that even SLAYER would be proud of’.

3. Monomer – Labyrinth / Released on 6th November 2014

artwork by rufus blacklock

‘The artwork on this cover was designed by, Rufus Blacklock, of whom I’m a big fan. This incredible design was clearly born in the mind of someone with incredible skill and vision’.

2. Ron Cannon – Blue light murder / Released on 13th June 2014

‘This could have easily been the front cover of a Slasher Film in the 80’s and is without a shadow of a doubt something I would have rented. ‘Blue Light Murder’ is my unsung hero of 2014′.

1. Starcadia – Saturdaze / Released on 26th September 2014

‘This beautiful design fills me with nostalgia and takes me back to those feelings of being a kid back in the day. On this album, ‘Starcadia’ take classic themes from 80’s shows such as ‘Dance Or Die’, ‘Cody Laser’, ‘Lethal Response’ and spit out amazing remixes. I listened to this one constantly for over a week’.

***CORRECTIONS: ART IN #2 IS TAKEN FROM A LAMBERTO BAVA FILM ENTITLED “YOU’LL DIE AT MIDNIGHT” RELEASED IN 1986.

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