At 1980’s Beginnings in Synthwave / Synthpop

At 1980 is the wonder-duo of England-based Josh Dally and Madrid-based  Adrián Quesada Michelena. Michelena originally started At 1980 because he was born in 1980. He contacted Dally for vocals and the two enjoyed working together so much that they began producing together. Josh Dally is known for his amazing synthpop vocals, and continues to deliver on track after track on “Late Night Calls.” Frequently featured alongside Timecop1983’s wonderfully well-produced synthwave, Dally has also worked with a number of other heavy hitters. He’s been featured on numerous classics like FM84’s “Atlas.” A true powerhouse of synthpop vocals.

From an interview with Retro-Synthwave:
“It started out as my personal project. I was born in 1980, hence the name. I contacted Josh for a vocal performance on a more or less finished track (Now), but we enjoyed working together so much that we decided working on another track (ended up being Have a heart), this time co-writing it. The creative match was further confirmed and we decided to embark on an album project together.” – Adrian Michelena.

Together, they created their first release,  “A Thousand Lives” and instantly became retrowave fan favorites. Fun Fact: At 1980 joined NRW after Ollie Wride introduced them to us. Thanks Ollie! (Read a full interview with Ollie Wride here.)

The Dreamy Synthpop Continues with “Late Night Calls”

Now At 1980 is back with “Late Night Calls“- what shaping up to be another synthwave / synthpop smash hit! Only the first three tracks are available to hear for now until the album drops – ‘Maria,’ ‘California Nights,’ and ‘Caroline.’ These endlessly catchy upbeat synthwave tracks are filled with nostalgic crooning vocals and a huge emphasis on nostalgia. “Late Night Calls”  instantly tugs at your hearstrings, playing them like a wistful instrument of the past. We’re incredibly excited for this release, and we hope the fans are too!

Grab a listen to the “Late Night Calls” singles and purchase physicals Here!

The France-based synthwave wizard Morgan Willis dropped the original “Sophie Teenage Dream” way back in 2017 as a digital self-release. Then, after growing attention from fans, Morgan Willis went through two rounds of successful Qrates crowdfunding to get it pressed on vinyl.

All this attention makes perfect sense when you realize this album is an absolute instant classic! “Sophie Teenage Dream” is a pensive, uplifting mix of immaculately produced synthwave and dreamwave that perfectly encapsulates the lush and reminiscent 80s retro synthwave sound. Something about this mix of sounds is just so incredibly nostalgic.

If you missed out on the original presses, now’s your chance! Don’t buy from overpriced resellers on Discogs, get your own copy here today!

Los Angeles-based The G has been producing synthwave since way back in 2015, and has been playing synths since he was 12 – so he’s no stranger to the keys. His previous releases –  “Cosmopolis” and late 70’s based concept album “Concrete Island” – were released on TimeSlave Recordings, but “Wanderers” marks his first release with NewRetroWave – and it’s perhaps his best work yet!

It’s not often that a release comes along that instantly transports me back to the early days of synthwave, so I was absolutely hooked from my first listen. Every track on this album screams early 2010’s synthwave and dreamwave. Seriously – from the pristine dreamy melodies to the thrumming basslines and pitch-perfect vocals, each track’s arrangement just feels quintessentially synthwave. The G has also knocked the production out of the park here as well, as the album’s overall mix and master are brilliantly shiny and about as close to flawless as you can get.  “Wanderers” also features several other amazing artists on vox, like JJ Mist, Vampire Step-Dad, Vandal Moon, Michelle B, and Dimi Kaye! “Wanderers” really is the whole package – and then some!

Perhaps the most interesting part of this album is how The G masterfully crafted tracks that feel so classically synthwave and dreamwave, without falling prey to the pitfalls of repetition or ever feeling derivative. Each track is well crafted in The G’s own unique style, so even while being strongly reminiscent of the best classic synthwave albums they still sound fresh and new. This creates an interesting effect of feeling nostalgic for the recent past, amplifying those wistful feelings into outright bliss.

We recently spoke with The G in an interview, and he explained part of how he kept “Wanderers” feeling so fresh:

“Most synthwave albums give you ten songs with one vibe. Chill, dark, dreamy or whatever. And there’s nothing wrong with that approach – Concrete Island is like that too, after all. But when you go back to classic albums of the ‘80s, that’s almost never the case. You get upbeat songs after downtempo songs, or angry songs that fade out into ballads – all in 45 minutes. The best albums of that era take you on an emotional journey, the kind of journey most people go through in life. I wanted to make something that had an emotional range. Something that takes you on a journey.”

 

In short, “Wanderers” is easily one of the best albums I’ve heard in quite a while. It’s a fantastic blast from the past, but also a look ahead to the future.  Grab a listen here – you won’t be disappointed!

Although he’s been producing music since at least 2015, “Wanderers” is The G’s first release with NewRetroWave (his previous fantastic releases “Cosmopolis” and “Concrete Island” being released on TimeSlave Recordings.) To celebrate this astounding album, we reached out to The G for an interview to get a peek behind the scenes at his equipment, production style, and how he makes the magic happen!

The G’s Background and Production Style

Thanks for doing the interview! Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I’ve been making synthesizer music since I was 12. My parents got me a Roland D-50 from one of those guys who’s always selling stuff out of the garage – unopened and still in the box! Who knows where it came from.

Anyway, I had no idea how to program it so I just did stuff until it sounded cool. Then I got more into guitar and started playing in bands. Later, in college, I discovered techno and house music and decided I wanted to do that. So I took a bunch of studio engineering classes and taught myself how to spin records. I started DJing at local clubs in Michigan and producing a bit. So I’ve been working on stuff since then. 

A couple years ago I went back to some of those old tunes and realized they are basically me trying to make synthwave before I knew what that was. It’s all ‘80s synth sounds and LinnDrum samples. It’s just that I was trying to shoehorn it into a techno framework back then.

“When I first listened to those, I knew I’d found what I was looking for.”

What initially drew you into Synthwave and its subgenres?

I was working on a thing called Cyberpunk Revisited for a science fiction blog. It was a retrospective on the cyberpunk literature of the 1980s, as well as related media. I wanted to find music that could go along with writing. I’ve always loved Cybotron, and eventually, I found a Spotify playlist that had the whole album “Enter“ on it. It’s basically cyberpunk itself – “Enter” came out at almost the exact same time as “Neuromancer.”

Anyway, the playlist also featured “88:88“ by Makeup & Vanity Set and “Skull and Shark” by Lazerhawk. When I first listened to those, I knew I’d found what I was looking for. Not just music to write to – this was the sound I had always been looking for. I went down the similar artists’ rabbit hole and discovered all the other big names of that era. Then the smaller ones. After a few months, I was spending more or less every night trying to make some of my own.

What is your go-to production gear?

I use a combination of hardware and software. Basically, hardware is more fun but software is more convenient. On the hardware side, right now I have a Roland Ju-06, Sequential OB-6 and ASM Hydrasynth, but when I did “Wanderers” I was also using a Roland JX-3P. It’s all over the record – that opening arpeggio in “Wanderers” and the chords in “Can’t Wait,” for example. I’ve got a few guitars and a bunch of pedals. I’m obsessed with pedals. 

All that said, I do use a lot of software. Logic is my main DAW, though I sometimes produce in Reason too. I love U-He’s plugin synths, like Diva and Repro. They sound so big and full, though also a bit too clean – but you can always dirty things up with effects. I really like TAL’s U-No-Lx, which is a Roland Juno emulation, and I’m a big fan of OP-X Pro II by Sonic Projects. OP-X doesn’t sound exactly like the Oberheim synths it’s trying to emulate, but it does a great job capturing oscillator drift and the “warming” effects of age that you get with vintage analog hardware. For creative effects and sound processing, I use a lot of stuff by Soundtoys, FabFilter, UAD, Softube, Brainworx and BABY Audio. A bit of Waves too, but I find their plugins are really hit or miss.

“A lot of pros will tell you that’s ass-backwards…”

How do you go about creating music – what’s your process?

So I usually start with an arpeggio or chord progression – something I get in my head. I throw a kick drum underneath it, then a snare. Then I start messing around with bass progressions to see what hooks. I usually build that up to a loop, then decide if I want parts (like a pop song) or shifts in pattern (like a dance track). I do both. The arrangement I choose is determined more by the vibe than anything else. Whatever works, basically. 

I’m a tinkerer – so I’m working on the mix as I go along. A lot of pros will tell you that’s ass-backwards, that you should put the track down and then mix as a separate process. But I’m an audio engineer at heart, so I can’t help myself. It’s just fun to me. And I can’t focus if the mix sounds off.

How “Wanderers” Came To Be

“Wanderers” takes synthwave back to its roots. What made you want to go in that direction now, when so many others are branching out and incorporating new genres into synthwave?

I’ve always loved synthwave in its purest form. “Deja Vu” by FM Attack, “Plug and Play” by Betamaxx or basically anything from Timecop1983. The synths are so lush and shimmery, the music so evocative – it’s like you’re being transported to another place and time. A place and time that may never have really existed, but it’s also capturing something genuine. Steve OSC recently said on Twitter that synthwave isn’t reflective of the actual ‘80s, but the ‘80s how people remember it. That rings true for me, and I think it fits “Wanderers” pretty well. The ‘80s were really the last time when people dreamed big about the future. And in the end, that’s what the album is about. Staring up at the stars and dreaming about the future, and the futures lost. 

At the same time, I am bringing in some external influences that aren’t that common in synthwave. A few of the songs – like “Away” or “Spiral” – incorporate sounds, textures and techniques from Dreampop, which is another one of my favorite genres. “Gardens of the Moon” and “Remember” have elements of post-punk, specifically The Chameleons. About half the songs feature guitar – and acoustic drums aren’t something you hear much in synthwave. So in that sense I am trying to do something different. But I’m not saying you’re wrong – for me at least, “Wanderers” sort of is and isn’t purist synthwave at the same time. Like Schroedinger’s cat I guess!

“I’ve always loved synthwave in its purest form.”

Your last album, “Concrete Island” had a much darker, more late 70s early 80s vibe with nods to Vangelis – why the change in tone now?

I get a lot of ideas, but only some of them gel. For “Concrete Island” I had something really specific in mind – I wanted to score the soundtrack to an imagined film, a post-apocalyptic art film set in 2017 but made in 1983. The kind of thing David Cronenberg would have directed. Black and white, slow-moving and atmospheric as hell. 

As much as possible, I tried to only use sounds and effects that were available at that time. Old Oberheim, Roland, and Sequential Circuits synths, mainly. Analog delays and plate reverbs for the effects. Most of the drums were generated on a Roland Jupiter-8 and a Prophet 5, then sampled.  

“Wanderers” emerged more organically. I had a couple of pop songs and a couple of harder, darker tunes. They didn’t have the same energy or vibe, but I was making them with the same sounds – so they did kind of make sense together. And then it occurred to me: most synthwave albums give you ten songs with one vibe. Chill, dark, dreamy or whatever. And there’s nothing wrong with that approach – Concrete Island is like that too, after all. But when you go back to classic albums of the ‘80s, that’s almost never the case. You get upbeat songs after downtempo songs, or angry songs that fade out into ballads – all in 45 minutes. The best albums of that era take you on an emotional journey, the kind of journey most people go through in life. I wanted to make something that had an emotional range. Something that takes you on a journey.

Did any of your gear or process change when creating “Wanderers?”

Definitely. I started the album way back in 2017, and was originally planning to release it in 2018 – before “Concrete Island.” But what I had at that point was fairly primitive compared to “Wanderers.” So I’m definitely glad I took my time. 

There was also a big delay in the middle, which sort of reset the production process for me. Basically, in mid-2018 I moved back to LA from Singapore. There was a lot going on and I had to sell a bunch of gear too. Stuff that just wasn’t going to make it in a cargo container across the Pacific. Plus I had access to some vintage synths when I was in Singapore, which I didn’t have anymore after the move. So I spent a lot of time sampling into Logic. Then, after I arrived in LA, I got some new gear – like the OB-6 and Hydrasynth. I wanted to really learn them well, and that took time too. 

Process-wise, well, I’d done one vocal track before, “Stars that Fade,” which is a collaboration with Vandal Moon. “Wanderers” has five vocal tracks – two with Michelle B, one with JJ Mist, another one with Vandal Moon and then one where I’m singing myself. Producing and mixing vocals is one of the hardest things to do well. At least, it is for me. 

And the album features a lot of elements I’ve never done before on a synthwave record. The drums are a mix of electronic and acoustic, there’s a ton of guitar and I consciously borrowed some effects techniques from shoegaze, which you can hear most clearly on “Away” and “Spiral.”

The Future

People are saying “Synthwave is Dead” nowadays – and yet here you are creating really fantastic tunes that remind me of the early days of the genre. Where do you think the genre as a whole is headed?  

Appreciate that! I have a lot of love for the genre’s early history, so I definitely take that as a compliment. 

To answer your question, I don’t think synthwave is dead, dying, fading, or anything at all like that. It’s thriving, actually. Off the top of my head, I can think of 30+ synthwave artists making fantastic music right now. It’s just that the scene has been around for a while now – so the thrill of newness has faded, and you’ve also got an avalanche of releases. As a listener and fan, that can get fatiguing.

I think a few things have been going on the last few years, all of which are related to that. First, the idea of synthwave has been growing more diffuse. There are more things synthwave can be and still be considered synthwave. A lot of the best records these days are mixing in stuff from outside the genre, but it’s still recognizable as synthwave. 

Second, the scene has started coalescing around labels that do physical releases. It’s hard to get noticed if you aren’t on one of those platforms. It’s not impossible, just harder. And you probably have to pay for professional services. Meanwhile, traditional netlabels are dying. Collectors want something tactile: vinyl, cassettes – even minidiscs are back.

“I don’t think synthwave is dead, dying, fading, or anything at all like that. It’s thriving, actually.”

The most successful labels right now all do physical releases. NRW, Fixt Neon, Timeslave Recordings, Electric Dream Records, Electronic Purification Records. There are probably more but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. You also have the big independent acts like The Midnight, Gunship and FM-84, but I think it would be harder to embark on that path in 2021 than it was in 2015. At a high level, I expect both of these processes to continue. I also expect that we’ll start to see more nostalgia for first wave synthwave. Kavinsky, College, the Valerie Collective, early Miami Nights 1984 or FM Attack. We’ll probably start seeing acts that are specifically trying to sound like that.

Besides your previous releases Cosmopolis and Concrete Island, what other synthwave related projects have you worked on?

I’ve also got an EP out on Timeslave Recordings called The Pacific Coast. It’s palm trees and pool party music that I made in 2016. Sounds fairly primitive when I listen to it now, but simplicity can be fun too. Looking beyond synthwave, I’ve got a shoegaze project that I’m working on. I’m very excited about where it’s at right now, but we won’t launch it until 2022.

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Siamese Youth is a truly righteous duo, comprised of Mark Gritsenko and Christoph Hassel. Although this is only their second full-length album, their experience as musicians is immediately evident. Prior to Siamese Youth, Mark Gritsenko was the lead singer for the German rock back Marakesh, and Christoph Hassel is a seasoned songwriter, having acted as writer and producer for several different acts. The result of this experience is the high production value we hear on “Echoes of Tomorrow,” which almost seems to glisten as you listen.

The Siamese Youth Sound Get’s An Iconic Synthpop Upgrade

This album isn’t just shiny though, it’s better all around. The Siamese Youth sound has definitely had an upgrade, taking the best elements from their debut album “Electric Dreams” and improving on them. The tracks here are much more groovy, and they play with space more as well, with many of the tracks feeling very wide and impressive. “Electric Dreams” had its fair share of amazingly upbeat catchy tracks, but overall it seemed a bit laid back at its core. Siamese Youth have really come out of their shell, and take it to a whole other level in “Echoes of Tomorrow,” with certain tracks like ‘Can I Be Me,’ and ‘Young Nights’ sounding downright iconic.

Don’t get me wrong, “Electric Dreams” is a fantastic album, but “Echoes of Tomorrow” absolutely knocks it out of the park! All of these elements and vocals blend together even more to make an even better release, and the result is absolutely gorgeous, groovy, iconic synthpop and dreampop!

Similar to their debut “Electric Dreams,” “Echoes of Tomorrow” draws on elements of dreamwave, synthwave, and catchy pop vocals. This combination makes for some excellent dreampop, but with “Echoes of tomorrow,” the arrangements are even more upbeat and poppy – and also now infused with some chord progressions seen more in anthemic alt-rock. The additional influence of that stadium busting alt-rock iconic U2 sound plays extremely well with their synthwave and dreamwave roots, elevating it just that much more.

Siamese Youth recently explained a bit more about the transformation to their sound in an interview with The Big Takeover:

“I think our sound has developed a lot. Our approach was to make Echoes Of Tomorrow more mature, stronger and a bit rockier than Electric Dreams…Our first album was very introverted, dreamy and nostalgic. But on Echoes Of Tomorrow we extended the topics we write about a lot…. In many tunes, it was like writing a synthwave song and producing it nearly as a rock song. While our first album was more dreamy and we would even say a bit shy, this one is more of a clear sonic statement.”

“Echoes of Tomorrow” Almost Sold Out!

Overall, this is a truly fantastic album and not one to be missed. If you’re a fan of synthpop acts like The Midnight and Michael Oakley, or enjoy the rock, pop, and synthwave influences from Wolf Club, you will likely absolutely love Siamese Youth’s “Echoes of Tomorrow.”

Sadly, MiniDiscs and cassettes are already sold out – but Vinyl and CDs are still available! But they won’t be for long – grab your copy here today!

It’s been three long years since Timecop1983’s last full length, with the darker “Night Drive” dropping way back in 2018. Timecop1983, aka Jordy Leenaerts, has definitely been busy, spending a lot of time on tours like the “We Are Dreamers” tour with Arcade High + Korine, and releasing some fantastic singles and collabs – so we’re super stoked to finally get another full album!
(Side note, Arcade High and Korine both have physical merch left from their latest releases, here and here – go grab them before they’re gone, they’re awesome albums!)

Josh Dally is also back in “Faded Touch,” lending his amazing synthpop vocals to almost half the album. Frequently featured alongside Timecop1983’s wonderfully well-produced synth, Dally has also worked with a number of other heavy hitters. He’s been featured on numerous classics like FM84’s “Atlas” and also comprises half of At 1980 as well, who debuted on NRW last year. This dynamic duo are a match made in synth heaven, and they continue to astound in “Faded Touch.”

Dreamwave Written During a Dark Time

All that touring mentioned above was, of course, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Leenaerts explained in a recent interview with Vinyl Writer Music that he was actually working on his live show when the virus struck. The extra time he found himself with allowed him to work on “Faded Touch,” and perhaps this explains why the album is so emotive, as some of it seems to have been written during that dark time.

As we mentioned before, “Faded Touch” really wears it’s heart on it’s synth. This album feels particularly passionate and profound, even compared to other Timecop1983 albums. That makes perfect sense, considering it was created at least partially during the pandemic lockdowns. The album deals with themes of heartbreak, regret, and perhaps most telling – loneliness. Several tracks on the album directly reference failing or unhealthy relationships, and one track is even simply titled “Alone.”

All of these sentimental themes combine perfectly with the experienced vocals of Dally and some truly top-notch synthwork from Leenaerts, and make for one of the most memorable releases we’ve heard recently. “Faded Touch” is a plaintive mix of synthwave, dreamwave, and synthpop that blends together to form a remarkable release. While we’ve heard tracks about relationships before from Timecop1983, (He has two EP’s titled “Lovers Part 1” and “Lovers Part 2” after all,) I don’t think we’ve heard quite as much hurt before. Something about the nostalgia of the synthwave and dreamwave genres really blends well with these themes, making this album feel very poignant.

But It’s Not All Heartache

But, it isn’t all heartbreak. There are certainly more upbeat anthemic tracks on “Faded Touch” too. Cuts like “One Night” and “Chemical” really help break up some of the wistful elements of the album. The instrumental tracks also deliver well with some very interesting and instantly memorable melodies.

Overall, “Faded Touch” is a beautiful album, partly created during a tumultuous time in history. The album reflects that through the lens of nostalgia and loneliness, creating a sense of lachrymose longing that pairs well with the synthwave aesthetic. We hope it sees a physical release soon! In the meantime, you can download your copy here.

Well, the wait is finally over as “Echoes of Tomorrow” is set to release later this month on March 26th. “So Far From Home” and the other singles have offered us a taste of what the full album will be, and we’re pretty stoked! Filled with deliciously crafted synthwave and a breathy dreamwave vocals, “Echoes of Tomorrow” sounds like it’s going to be a fantastic release. Each of these tracks are chock-full of catchy leads that just feel like full on instant-classics – and judging from their beautiful NRW debut, “Electric Dreams,” this new album will be well worth the wait.

Siamese Youth recently did an interview for The Big Takeover, where they explained a bit more about the album:

“I think our sound has developed a lot. Our approach was to make Echoes Of Tomorrow more mature, stronger and a bit rockier than Electric Dreams…Our first album was very introverted, dreamy and nostalgic. But on Echoes Of Tomorrow we extended the topics we write about a lot…. In many tunes, it was like writing a synthwave song and producing it nearly as a rock song. While our first album was more dreamy and we would even say a bit shy, this one is more of a clear sonic statement.”

New To The Scene…

The first thing I noticed about this project, as I did a deep dive for this review, is that DRYVE is fairly new – in name, at least. After releasing a few (admittedly great) singles on soundcloud, bandcamp, and youtube, he’s slapping out a big release on NewRetroWave. The singles on bandcamp only just started to be released in 2020 too – although tracks on DRYVE’s soundcloud reach back to 2018.

However, it’s easy to notice that even DRYVE’s very first tracks are high-quality, well thought-out productions. The farthest back I could find was a 2018 remix of Mitch Murder’s ‘Taken.’ Although we can hear some minor production improvements since then – it still absolutely slaps.

DRYVE also released a collaboration track, ‘Trauma‘ featuring brothel. – a pretty well known witch house artist – who is currently scoring a Netflix series. So, it is pretty clear Ross Ryan Edsall has some great production chops and has likely been producing music for some time before the DRYVE project. A bit more digging, and sure enough – I was able to find a series of musical projects DRYVE is involved with: Lucy Daydream and Zombie Americana.  Both of these projects are fantastic – though not necessarily synthwave based – but you should definitely check them out anyway!

…But Not New To Production.

So, DRYVE may be new to the synthwave scene, but he is certainly not new to production. This stands out in the “DRYVE” EP , which floats through various synth subgenres with ease while still retaining a mature and developed sense of cohesion. ‘Looker’ has a strong bend of cyberpunk with its strong synth bass line and almost eerie leads, while ‘Online’ feels more traditionally synthwave and outrun. The Hunz features ‘Mirror,’ ‘Synth on Fire,’ and ‘Come Undone” have killer hooks and synth that seems to have its roots in dreamwave and synthpop – at times almost reminiscent of The Midnight. This should come as no surprise, as Hunz has offered vocals on quite a few notable project so far – like Futurecop!’s 2017 “Return to Alvograth” and the 2014 “Fairy Tales.”

While DRYVE is new to the scene, the “DRYVE” EP is a pretty fantastic release that offers something for almost every kind of retrowave fan. Although half of this release is vocal-backed dreamwave and synthwave, DRYVE’s previous release with brothel. and the Mitch Murder remix also show DRYVE has a lot of potential in the cyberpunk and darksynth subgenres as well. This is certainly an artist to watch, and I’m excited to see what he has in store for the future.

Grab a listen here!

Filled with sensational vocals and perfectly produced synths (courtesy of Oscillian, Richard X, Ricky Wilde and Till Wild,) “Synthian” is  stunning synthpop and dreamwave release. We featured the fantastic single, “Automatic Call” back on our youtube page last November, and we’re happy to see the rest of the album lives up to the hype of the single.

This album feels a bit more mature than “Sleepwalking,” NINA’s first release. You can really hear the vocal complexity with ‘The Distance (feat. LAU)’ which is a bit lighter on the synth but replete with a high pitched near-falsetto performance that absolutely nails every note. Almost every track on this album also features Lau, a terrific up-and-comer in the retrowave circles.

Grab a listen to “Synthian” here!

“Take On Me Too” is the first single from another album in the works – planned to release some time in 2021 on NRW Records. This track  features Siamese Youth’s signature extremely catchy and laid-back synthpop sound – this time with a more upbeat attitude. This track also features some exquisite production, really knocking the ball out of the park with some supreme retrowave synths and loads of delicious gated reverb.

If “Take On Me Too” is a good preview of  the album,  Siamese Youth is really cooking up something great!

Grab a listen here!