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Neon Through Eons: from 1980s to this day

Milena Kojović — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 20:17:57 +0000

Neon Through Eons: from 1980s to this day

Fluorescent pink, light green, electric blue and cold silver are just some of the colors that marked the 80s but it seems that they keep coming back to our utmost pleasure.

If we take a look at the contemporary trends we can help but notice a strong influence of neon colors that were all the rage back in the day, especially in the late 80s. The history repeats indeed and it’s one of those universal truths that also applies to fashion, given that neon trends keep persisting a last couple of seasons. The only things that change, however, are celebrities sporting them as well as inevitable reinventions of fashion styles and cuts of course.

Then – Madonna

desperately seeking susan

The fashion icon keeps introducing new and bold trends, even to this very day. And even though Madonna’s current style could be described as more geometrical and inclined to darker colors and edgy fabrics, it was all about neon back in the day. It’s worth mentioning that the diva never exaggerated in terms of combining neon pieces. A little bit of flashy pink here, a hint of electric blue there and there’s no danger of being mixed up for a scoreboard. Atta girl!

Now – Lady Gaga

Even if we entirely disregard the fact that Gaga’s stage originates from Queen’s undying hit, there are still so many retro influences both in Gaga’s visual style and music that one must be blind not to notice them. She might have entered a somewhat reduced phase now, but she has gone through a ton of experiments with various fabrics, cuts and neon colors that truly made a great statement about her unique personality.

Then – Prince

During his 80s phase the legendary singer cherished a unique style that consisted of baroque shirts and jackets that came in strong neon colors… Except for when he was shirtless of course!

Now – Katy Perry

Now, this is a true 80s gal that offers a great material for the case study on how to combine neon pieces perfectly. On the other hand, it seems that her love extends to spandex and lycra as well. In words of Bill and Ted: Excellent!

Then – Whitney Houston

Whitney was more than just a drop-dead gorgeous lady, she was an exceptional musical talent whose death is still mourned all around the globe. Her neon makeup choices back in the day can really tell that a beautiful face is always beautiful, regardless of the color choices.

Now- Nicky Minaj

It is even hard to imagine Nicky in anything other than neon – from hair and makeup to provocative outfits that basically became her personal signature!

Then – Paul Stanley

Kiss really rocked during the 80s. This was the time when they decided to leave the prevalent black and white combos behind and wash off the makeup from their faces, which resulted in some pretty excessive neon clothing choices, additionally “enhanced” with tons of pearls and sequins. Some might hate it but we retro lovers find it quite interesting.

Now – Kelly Osbourne

Ozzy’s daughter went through some really different phases and ultimately become one of the fashion influencers of today. And if she says that neon is okay, who are we to judge?

Then – Boy George

According to Culture Club’s timeless hit, karma is a chameleon, but so is the frontmen of the band, a famous Boy George, at least in the terms of the multiple colors and neon new wave makeup he was wearing fearlessly at the same time.

Now – Leona Lewis

A hot singer really knows how to strut her stuff, especially when wearing a cropped neon corset paired up with a deep waist tight skirt and we can’t help but to approve.

Then – Olivia Newton-John

Everyone wanted to get physical with Olivia and we firmly believe this neon outfit is to blame!

Now – Jessie J

Blue overalls in combination with goldish black jacket with discreet but noticeable shoulderpads? It is called retro where we come from!

What do you think of our list? Did we forget to mention someone? Feel free to spill your thoughts in the comment section below!

10 Things You Should Know About GLOW

Joey Edsall — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 17:34:02 +0000

What is GLOW?

GLOW is an upcoming Netflix original series about GLOW premiering on Friday, June 23.

So what is GLOW?

GLOW, or Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, was a televised women’s wrestling promotion that premiered in 1986. Despite the fact that some people (me) think that wrestling is utterly captivating as both a sincere form of low-brow entertainment and fascinating post-modern expression (it is), it can seem alienating or uninteresting to dive into a TV dramatization of one of the most overly dramatic entertainment mediums from the mid-80’s. If the trailer is an accurate portrayal, GLOW is a show that lives by its character work. To help with the rest, here are 10 Things You Should Know About GLOW.

1. The First Televised Women’s Promotion

While the late 70’s through the early 90’s were arguably the second best time for women’s wrestling not counting the past year or so, it didn’t have a TV presence, and the various successful women’s wrestling company’s of that time period didn’t have the television exposure. GLOW was the first televised women’s wrestling program, and as such the women on the match cards would have matches that were just as long as matches by male performers in other promotions, a far cry from the doldrums of 2-minute evening gown pool matches that followed in the WWE just a decade later.

2. Trained by a Guererro

The head trainer of GLOW was Mando Guerrero. Does that name sound familiar? It should. Mando is from the Los Guerreros wrestling dynasty and older brother of Eddie Guerrero, one of the most beloved and respected wrestling talents of all time. If you have a promotion full of wrestling blank slates as Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling did, you can’t do better than having a Guerrero as a teacher.

3. Sir Miles Headlock

GLOW was never really concerned with realism in its storytelling or presentation. This was perhaps at its zenith with commentator Miles Headlock (a play on Max Headroom). Sir Miles Headlock was played by Douglas Dunning and billed himself as the first computerized commentator in history. While Headlock was certainly unsettling, the most impressive part of Dunning’s performance is that it somehow fails to shatter the suspension of disbelief.

4. That’s A Rap

It’ll be interesting to see how the upcoming show chooses to handle one of the most easily identifiable aspects of its source material; one which is at once hilariously endearing and cringe-inducing. Each of the performers had to perform a rap to the same backing beat. The results are… well… just watch.

5. Fiction or Fictionalized?

Alison Brie’s character, Ruth Wilder, is an out of work actress who happens upon GLOW. While this seems believable and is close to the truth of several of the women involved in the promotion, Ruth Wilder never existed. In fact, every character is not just a fictionalization, but completely fictional. In a way, this frees the writers to explore the story in any way they see fit. On the other hand, fans of the original program may be surprised to see that characters they remember fondly are being presented in a very copyright-friendly way.

6. Kayfabe Is For Lovers

Okay, so kayfabe. Let me give you a quick ELI5. Kayfabe is the fiction that a wrestling promotion and the wrestlers present as the truth. Stone Cold Steve Austin assaulted his boss in kayfabe. CM Punk lost his UFC debut in real life. Does that make sense? Good! In the 80’s, kayfabe was in a much different place than it is in an age of Twitter. It wasn’t uncommon for wrestlers to fear for their life leaving a venue if they played the heel (bad guy) in an angle (storyline). As mentioned, GLOW never had the most serious fiction and was more than a little absurd. Like, did anyone thing Matilda the Hun was an actual Hun? Well, the performers had to stay in character 24/7. Faces (good guys) and heels (you should know this one) weren’t allowed to associate in public and breaking kayfabe would result in a $50 fine.

7. Novelty

Women’s wrestling was popular before GLOW, but not really. When one of the larger American wrestling companies would put on a show that featured a women’s match on the card, it often sold tickets but as a novelty. Women’s wrestling had a very carny-sideshow feel to it. While several women’s wrestling promotions existed to dispel this perception, none had the wide reach that GLOW had.

8. A Stallone Was Involved

Do you want to know who we can thank for GLOW? Sylvester Stallone’s mother. GLOW grew from Jaqueline Stallone’s women’s fitness gym, with Momma Rocky herself serving on the production team. Not content with a behind-the-camera only position, Stallone would go on to serve as the on-screen manager for the stable of the Good Girls.

9. Season’s Greetings

It operated on a season by season basis, making it more like Lucha Underground than WWE. This allowed for an ever-evolving cast and the opportunity for more arc-based storytelling. It also meant that premiers and finales were going to feel more like substantial events than just another night of weekly wrestling.

10. Watch The Pilot

The pilot is the most 80’s thing you have ever seen. I know we throw that sort of thing around a lot, but it really is. I honestly don’t know what to write about this to accurately convey the glory of the thing. Watch it, won’t you?

NewRetro Game Review: NeoAngle (Yan Sokalau, 2017)

bryan.eddy@newretrowave.com — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 14:55:31 +0000

It’s been too long since I’ve used this article space to showcase one of the fantastic retro-themed contemporary games currently available for modern systems. I’m guilty of focusing so sharply on the console days, spending so much effort digging out the strange relics of the in-betweens, that I all too easily overlook what’s being produced right now by a crop of talented young developers. Some of these new titles are designed for a computer or a console; some you can hold in the palm of your hand on an Android device or an iPhone. They present themselves in a familiar light, be it pixels, structure, or just the timeless aesthetic feel of our favored era… but they are undeniably modern in what they bring to the table in terms of gameplay experience.

NeoAngle, developed by Yan Sokalau for Android/mobile devices, is just one such game. On its surface, it seems like another puzzle game. Most puzzle games do. To be direct, the core idea of the game is one of clever simplicity. What makes NeoAngle enjoyable is not only its striking 80s-neon visual theme and its ease of play, but the fact that it does trick you… it makes you think you’ve just installed another routine time-killing puzzle game. It quickly proves you wrong, leaving you scratching your head but unable to walk away without solving one more geometric riddle.

The game mechanic works like this: you are presented with a field/plane/irregular area of translucent panes, one of which contains a softly highlighted section. By tapping your screen in a given direction, you must chart a path for the pink triangle, capturing a set of triangular pyramids on the game map as you go towards that highlighted section. The trick is not to trap yourself or block off a pyramid without picking it up; the bright green areas you leave behind you as you move become impassable, so doubling back is not an option. Therefore, each puzzle involves a good deal of deliberate forethought. You are not rushed; there is no time limit or pressure. There is also no limit to how many times you can try solving a level or start over. NeoAngle is a casual-type puzzle game, meant to be pursued at your own pace. The game will even keep your progress, so that you can shuttle between real life and the neon puzzle-world with little worry. Its casual pace and relaxed style of play, however, render it no less stimulating or exciting.

I found the game relatively simple during the first three levels, which I suppose are there to acclimate the player to the way NeoAngle works. Starting with the fourth level, however, I was quickly placed in a challenging position that both mildly frustrated me and captured my attention. I was able to make progress, but I was made to earn it, and not in a way that ever made me want to quit or stop playing. As I’ve gone on, teleporters and “switches” have been gradually introduced, along with other elements meant to layer the complexity of the playing field. None of these seem superfluous; in fact, they do what such new elements should do in any game… keep me on my toes. NeoAngle is a game of geometry, of plotting, and of adaptation. I’ve only been playing it for about a day on and off at the time of this writing, and it’s already become an enjoyable and convenient foray into the cerebral.

The visual style of the game is crisp and sharp, but has the well-established soft neon edges of the 80s-synth visual motif. The graphics themselves are not complex, but it is plain that great care went into preparing them. The color scheme is reminiscent (at least to me) of old-school CGA computer graphics, but without the grainy low-res scrawl. The soundtrack only consists of a couple pieces of music, but they are long loops that fit very passively into the background of the experience and never irritate. No sounds in the game are grating or bothersome, fitting nicely with every other smooth aspect. NeoAngle is notably different from most other puzzle games, but what truly sets it apart is its polished overall presentation (not to mention how well thought out the puzzles are).

I gladly grant NeoAngle 9 out of 10. I rarely go over 8, but it gets that extra push for being a puzzle-type game that I can enjoy, as someone who doesn’t usually favor the genre. It also definitely belongs featured here, on our site, for being another superb blend of old and new. I highly suggest you visit the site and get ahold of it for your Android device. The best part about this retro-tastic puzzle odyssey? It’s currently free.

Cyberpunk Star Wars – A Dark Jedi and a Renegade Princess

NewRetroWave — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 18:45:53 +0000

Prepare your eyes for greatnes!!! Jeronimo Gomez created a masterpiece entitled “A Dark Jedi and a Renegade Princess” depicting Luke Skywalker, along with R2-D2 and C-3P0, with a lovely cyberpunk Blade Runner twist.

The method behind Jeronimo’s vision:

“Here is my 2d submission for the “Re-Imagining Star Wars” CG Plus challenge – decided to mix my two favorite movie franchises: Blade Runner and Star Wars. I used a bunch of different techniques – (a lot of them learned from Maciej Kuciara’s Learn Squared class). I still see a bunch of things I can be nit picky about, but I had to get this thing done.”

Also used in one of our uploads!

How EPIC is this?!

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Top Ten Retrowave Album Covers of 2016

Joey Edsall — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 17:29:30 +0000

While may of us are drawn to this scene by a deep love of the music, it is undeniable that the graphic artists are just as important in giving all of this the identity and presence that it has enjoyed. The artists in the scene are among the nicest, most welcoming, and most talented people that I have had the pleasure of knowing. With that, here are the 10 best album covers of the year! If you haven’t heard of these artists (or listened to these albums for that matter), I strongly encourage you to do so!

Honorable mentions:

Samuel Joseph Kim – Lost/Found, Artwork by Samuel Joseph Kim

Icarus Project – Mothership, Artwork by Samuel Gibbs

Badlands – Locus, Artwork by Rickard Grönkvist

Zombie Hyperdrive – Hyperion, Artwork by Hannstarius

10. Sellorekt/LA Dreams – Night Moves

The blend of abstract influences with a concrete and recognizable focus in the center makes the cover of Night Moves stand out and stay memorable. It’s true strength lies in how it handles blank spaces. While the margins of the cover include a lot of emptiness, things become clustered words the center. This is beyond the presence of the panther, as even the background of the central triangle funnels your eyes towards the center of the cover.

9. Tonebox – Nocturne, Artwork by Derek Rudy

Retrowave art is often neon-focused. While that is true of Derek Rudy’s cover art for Nocturne, it’s worth noting just how much darkness and shadow is allowed to exist in the frame. This allows the neon that does exist to have a very different vibe than it might otherwise. This, paired with the wonderful depth of the picture’s layers, made it one of the first covers I thought of when creating this list.

8. Com Truise – Silicon Tare, Artwork by Com Truise

Com Truise albums are always a big deal. As an artist in the scene with mainstream success, it’s no small feat that his albums are consistently among the best of the year, and that his album covers become synonymous with the music of the scene. Silicon Tare continues this trend by doing an impressive amount with a relatively limited color selection and simplistic shapes. Like Com Truise’s music, it’s never overly showy or technical, but instead captures the spirit of the scene just as effectively as it stands alone as a piece of art.

7. Perturbator – The Uncanny Valley, Artwork by Ariel Zucker-Brull

Perturbator’s music has always sounded dangerous with it’s aggressive rhythms and bombastic melodies. Ariel Zucker-Brull captures this spirit perfectly in the cover of The Uncanny Valley. There is an unmistakable harshness to the lines and edges that is a signature of Zucker-Brull’s work at this point, and the cover sees him in top form.

6. Neon Nox – Beyond Earth, Artwork by Mario Bravo Bulasinski

Mario Bravo Bulasinksi’s art for the Beyond Earth cover is just so pleasing to look at. It’s sharp where it needs to be and soft where it needs to be. With color alone, it captures the spirit of the scene so well with it’s glowing energy juxtaposed with two different night skies.

5. Dead Astronauts – Arms of Night, Artwork by Glenn Arthur

Dead Astronauts artwork has always felt just as much a part of their identity as their music. This was true with Constellations, and is just as true with Arms of Night. A lot of what they are as a band can be found in the Glenn Arthur’s awesome art, from the clear representation of duality, to the ethereal space, to the subtle witchiness. The art is Dead Astronauts.

4. Trevor Something – Soulless Computer Boy and The Eternal Render, Artwork by Trevor Something

We don’t deserve Trevor Something. The man can pretty much do it all and do it all extremely well. Just like he always seems to be two steps ahead of everybody else musically, he’s also future oriented with his artwork. The way that it sits comfortable in what would be an otherwise uncomfortable line between retrowave and vaporwave art is extremely interesting. The art for Soulless Computer Boy is no exception and really reinforces the ambience of the album itself.

3. S U R V I V E – RR7349, Artwork by Bryan Olson

Stranger Things put S U R V I V E on the map as far as the retrowave scene was concerned. RR7349 solidifed them as one of the most unique acts in the scene. Similarly, Bryan Olson’s artwork looks completely original with it’s simple yet effective use of shapes and color. It has the quality of a bargain bin vinyl treasure even in a digital format and compliments the soundscapes of the album quite nicely.

2. FM-84 – Atlas, Artwork by James White

James White’s art for Atlas is one of the best examples of minimalist artwork done extremely well. Rather than throw as much as he could with as many colors as possible, White opted for a simple, shape-based piece. That isn’t to say it doesn’t take tremendous skill. On the contrary, the cover displays the best possible choice at every turn. It’s difficult to imagine changing any hue on any part of it, or changing any location or size to the slices. Everything is as it should be.

1. Waveshaper – Station Nova, Artwork by Sam Todhunter

Sam Todhunter’s work has appeared on a lot of NRW promotional material and has been featured on our clothing line Akade Wear. This isn’t a nepotistic pick. Todhunter’s work is just stellar and at it’s best in the artwork for Waveshaper’s Station Nova. The level of detail and refinement on every part of the cover – whether it’s the control panel, the way that light reacts with shapes, or the impeccably drawn woman staring into space – everything works on it’s own and as a cohesive whole.

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Miami Vice Remix Complete Review

NewRetroWave — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 02:35:19 +0000

I previously reviewed Miami Vice Remix #1. Spoiler alert: I loved it. A long and unruly wait courtesy of Amazon.com prevented me from reviewing the remainder of the series until now. Learn from my mistakes. Support local comic book shops.

The story deals with an influx of a new drug called “Miami Bath Salts” and the efforts of our unconventional heroes Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs to find the source. Almost everybody who tries the new drug becomes, for all intents and purposes, irreversible zombies. The drug lord is a practitioner of voodoo, and is reminiscent of Disney’s Doctor Facilier, albeit much darker. The five-issue run ends on a cliffhanger, so the issue of whether or not the use of voodoo is problematic is hard to gauge. In fact, the only issue (pun!) I took with the series is the lack of characterization of the Big Bad.

I said “almost everybody” because I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my personal favorite sequence in the entire run. Detective Rico Tubbs trips on the bath salts in a controlled (by the standards of the comic) environment. It is absolutely insane. The narration is simultaneously hilarious and awesome and the art is at its best in the entire series. I don’t want to give any specifics, but that sequence is worth reading the comics alone. Also, I officially claim Disco Psychosis as my next band’s name. None of you can take it from me.

The artwork of Miami Vice Remix is assaulting in the absolute best way. It was the standout of my review of the first issue. If you are a casual fan of comic books and also a fan of NRW, I can’t think of a single better comic to start with. It captures the aesthetic of the scene so perfectly.

As I mentioned, the story ends on a cliffhanger. The ending is mostly satisfying, but does wind up feeling rushed. This is not so much a fault in the writing as much as it’s a fault in the short run. The story demands more than five issues can allow. This could have easily been stretched into a phenomenal ten issues. I haven’t been able to uncover any news of a continuation to the series, but suffice to say I will be pretty bummed if it doesn’t get continued. The story throughout the entire run is full of unexpected turns and never feels boring.

Buying individual comics can be daunting for people who don’t do so often or don’t have any shops near them. The good news is that all five issues will be compiled into a graphic novel to be released in November of this year. I strongly recommend it to fans of NewRetroWave; the pages will sync with pretty much any song on our channel.

Miami Vice Remix Complete Review

Joey Edsall — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 01:35:19 +0000

7 OF THE MOST EPIC TWISTS ON RETRO MODERN ART

NewRetroWave — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 21:19:00 +0000

ALL ART BY

PILAR ZETA

INSPIRED BY

OMNI

INCREDIBLE VISION

YOUR THOUGHTS?

EPIC RETRO ALBUM ART – PART 3

NewRetroWave — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 19:45:00 +0000

WITNESS RETRO ART AT IT’S FINEST

ART BY ARIEL ZUCKER

ARTWORK BY COBRA COPTER

ART BY ARIEL ZUCKER

ART BY FAB CIRAOLO

ART BY CRYSTAL LABS

ARTWORK BY ARTHUR DOYLE

ARTWORK BY JUNK BOY

THIS WEEKS MUST LISTEN TO TRACK IS…

NewRetroWave — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 18:32:00 +0000

NONE OTHER THAN…..

COUNT ZERO

WITH A SELF ENTITLED 2 TRACK EP

CHECK OUT THE SYNTHTASTIC VIBES BELOW

Count Zero by Count Zero

NRW IS NOW ACCEPTING DIGITAL ART FOR THE NRW EP!

NewRetroWave — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:49:00 +0000

The time is now. All Digital Graphic Designers and illustrators please take note. NRW is now accepting artwork from graphic designers for our NRW EP. All selected art will be included in the EP as well as featured on the website.

If you are interested in submitting a piece, please send your work to

newretrowave @live.com

Please make subject title read
“NRW EP Artwork Submission”

Must be in JPEG or PNG format!

Please note that there is a two art-piece limit for submission per artist.

Please also keep in mind that the EP is within the scifi feel / futuristic feel. All artwork should have these feels.

The deadline for all illustration/ graphic design submissions are AUG 18th 2014.

-NRW

ANOTHER RETRO GAME TO ADD TO YOUR ARSENAL !

NewRetroWave — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 18:16:00 +0000

IF YOU ARE A FAN OF HIGH ACTION, FAST REACTION RETRO GAMING…THEN THIS IS FOR YOU!