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The Origins of Synthwave – PART 1

NewRetroWave — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 14:44:25 +0000

What was the first track you ever listened to in the synthwave/retrowave genre? Was it a
track by Kavinsky, Tesla Boy, College, or Electric Youth? Odds are that it was and while you
may not have known it at the time, you were listening to the artists that pioneered this genre and
helped to make it what it is today. We focus a lot on the latest tracks from the hottest new artists
but today we’re going to take a look back at the artists that started us on this journey and how
they influenced the scene. Those listed above are our primary focus and the ones who we felt
left the biggest impact.

Starting off strong, we’re talking about Kavinsky. Even for those who aren’t devout
followers of synthwave, this name might ring a bell. Born Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey and
arriving on the scene in early 2006 with his EP Teddy Boy which immediately set the tone for his
future work with standouts like “Testarossa Nightdrive” which was followed up by the legendary track “Wayfarer” from his 2007 EP 1986. Most will have become familiar with Kavinsky with the 2011 release of the movie Drive, featuring the now iconic track “Nightcall”. With Drive itself being a major influencer on the synthwave scene itself with its gorgeous aesthetic it is no wonder why the two go so well together. Like many artists in this scene, Kavinsky is heavily influenced by his favorite movies and we can definitely feel the nostalgic vibe in each track. Widely considered one of the greatest
tracks of the entire genre, “Nightcall” cemented Kavinsky as a titan of synthwave and set the
gold standard for how music in this genre should sound.

Next up is another artist brought into the mainstream spotlight by Drive for most listeners. We’re talking about Electric Youth. Consisting of Bronwyn Griffin and Austin Garrick, the synthpop duo Electric Youth is perhaps most famous for the track “A Real Hero”, which basically
became the theme song for the main character of Drive, The Driver. Written about the crash landing of US Airways Flight 1549 it became an instant classic with its rolling synths and silky smooth vocals. This track single-handedly showed what Bronwyn and Austin are capable of and it is no question that “A Real Hero” will continue to be remembered as a staple of the genre for years to come. While “A Real Hero” was arguably the standout track on their 2014 release Innerworld it is just one of many memorable experiences on this album. You would be remiss to not lose yourself in the soothing synths of “Runaway”, “Innocence”, and “WeAreTheYouth”.

Having collaborated with Electric Youth on “A Real Hero”, the spotlight now falls onDavid Grellier hailing from Nantes, France. Known to many around the world for his musicalproject, College. Grellier is a member of many different projects each with their own unique sound. Like nearly all artists in this genre, Grellier was inspired by the aesthetic of the ‘80s and shapes his music around these influences. Through College, Grellier has consistently released great material always following his own unique sound but managing to make each release fresh and interesting. Many of his best work as College can be found on the 2008 EP Teenage Color, especially the opener “Can you kiss me first” featuring sounds that deliver instant nostalgic callbacks. Contrast this with the track “Save the Day” featuring Nola Wren from the 2014 release of the same name and we can hear the same soft consistent beats and vocals that he is famous for. The list of artists that pioneered the synthwave genre goes on and is nearly endless. No matter how long you have been creating music, each artist can honestly be considered a pioneer all working to deliver an experience of their own through this style of music. We’re proud to consider Kavinsky, Electric Youth, and College to be the golden standard and it goes without saying that we will continue to watch all of their careers with great interest, as always.

The Top 10 Most Impactful Moments of 2015

NewRetroWave — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:51:51 +0000

Let’s start of by saying that 2015 has been a MAJOR year for the Retrowave scene. Spanning from the introduction of new sub-genres to certain songs making their way into television and the big screen, to gaming, Retrowave has exceeded last years accomplishments and has never been so alive! So we can now showcase all the most impactful moments the scene has had this year.

There have also been some MAJOR upsets that have hit the scene hard this year, but we want to focus on all the positives and revel in Retrowave! Sit back and witness the top 10 most impactful moments in 80’s revival and Retrowave culture.

10. Taylor Swift acknowledges RWR’s Freshness.

This was entertaining, and RWR is the man for catching her attention! Not an easy task in an online world that is so saturated! This daring feat brought some well deserved attention to RWR and helped to trickle in a few more female listeners for the scene to cater to!

9. Hotline Miami 2 Sountrack

This has been a huge directive force for the scene. Many of the fans this year found out about the scene through this games monster soundtrack including Perturbator and Megadrive. It deserve a mention on our list.

8. Turbo Kid

Another gore movie with deep retro roots hit our screens this year. Turbo Kid not only spanned a cult following in a short period of time, but it also boasts an immense soundtrack composed by the amazing Le Matos. If you haven’t seen it, please do so. It is worth it.

7. The Synthwake wiki resurfaces

Finally!!! Please feel free to edit this wiki page and make it everything we ever desired!! Shameless promotion and all! 😉 Lets build this legacy people!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthwave

6. Key and Peele Aerobic Sketch

This GIF says it all. One of the most hilarious sketches these guys have put together. The snapping necks skit was also a close 2nd to this. lol. Key & Peele successfully spoofed an already hilarious “NationalAerobic Olympics” viral video on YouTube, and because of this brought in a flock of new 80’s nostalgia seekers into the scene.

5. Gunship’s Music Videos

GUNSHIP single-handedly owned the music videos of 2015 for the Retrowave scene. Quality production and editing really made this project stand out and get a well deserved mention on this list. You have to see these 4 videos to understand the levels of awesomeness!

4. Moonbeam City

Comedy Central

It’s amazing how much the scene has reached people this year. Another outlet that is attracting people to Retrowave is Moonbeam city. A slick comedy on Comedy Central which literally came out of nowhere and made a firm footstamp in CC’s line up. The music from the show may not be as “Synthwavey” as we would like, but the 80’s Nagel visual aesthetics, witty dialogue and overall execution really reaches the core of the retro lover and we couldn’t be more thrilled with this show. Moonbeam City brings back the fun from the 80’s and opens up a whole new world for the Retrowave scene to be discovered. We were very fortunate to talk with the creator of Moonbeam City and hope this gets a 2nd Season.

3. Power Glove EP 2

This release caused a LOT of controversy about PG’s direction. Too many fans wanted 80’s synth, but PG created something completely new and unprecedented in the scene. This effortless fusion of 80’s – 90’s electronic club and cyberpunk influence set PG aside from all artists yet again. Power Gloves sound is probably the most influential sound in the scene. They have influenced Lazerhawk, Mega Drive and many more Synthwave artists you listen to today. This direction definitely shook up the scene, opened up more doors for sub-genres, and gave more artists encouragement to be experimental with their sounds. Wonder what new sounds we will be hearing in 2016.

2. Florian Renner’s “Retrowave” Video.

This video embodies everything that is retro-cyberpunk retro-future. The visuals are so astounding that we promise it will leave you in complete awe. This video set a new bar for video creators and editors in the scene. This quality is unmatched!!

1. Kung Fury

Everything about this project screams a HUGE success and accomplishment for 80’s nuts. From the movie, to the soundtrack, to the even more incredible music video, Kung Fury OWNED 2015 hands down. The success and attention Kung Fury received really helped to bring in an ENOURMOUS fresh new set of fans and retro admirers into the scene. Kung Fury was so essential to the scene growing this year that David deserves a HUGE award for this.

Kung Fury #WINNING

Kung Fury was a visual, and audio masterpiece that still continuous to bring new people into the scene. Let’s hope a full length sequel in in the midst!

Honorable mention:

Back To The future Day. A very memorable and monumental day, not only for the Retrowave scene, but for the world!!!

The Worlds First Jetpack is Finally Here!

NewRetroWave — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 16:56:38 +0000

As we progress into the future, we are getting seemingly closer to meeting the worlds first flying car. It will happen folks, mark my words. Now, we are at the official Jetpack. Those invented before either failed to meet expectation or were just complete duds, like the RocketBelt.

Just marvel at these shots of the future that awaits us

Dan Terminus – The Wrath of Code

bryan.eddy@newretrowave.com — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 17:01:33 +0000

Ah, here we are, right where I love to be: back on the dark side of retrowave.

Dan Terminus, pseudonymous darkwaver extraordinaire from Lyon, France, has released a real earful with Finland’s Blood Music, The Wrath of Code. And let me tell you, it’s a dizzying doozy of a musical ride. The album opens nice and strong, with a kicking piece titled “Cherenkov Blue Overdriver,” that’ll have listeners putting their foot on the gas. Everything is nice and heavy, but crisp and razor-sharp enough to appeal to any retrowave fan. The energy stays high throughout, with “Heavy Artillery” and “Death By Distortion” standing out early on in the tracklist. The latter of those two, in fact, has echoes of newer GosT and his predecessor Danger throughout, a real treat for yours truly! And that’s not to say he’s cribbing their work, he’s simply writing his own delightfully nasty poem with a similar pen. “Eternal Annihilator” and “It’s Too Bad She Won’t Live” are about as mellow as it gets on this album, which is to say, they barely slow down. That’s just how it should be; this is an excellent high-power album for those of you who listen on the road or while grabbing a workout. I’d also like to mention the album art. I don’t usually have much to say about album covers here on NRW (I tend to focus right in on the music), but this one will suck you in. It is a bright yet phantasmagoric riot of color, and would almost be at home on a solid classic prog-rock album… but it is perfect for the music it represents here. Also worth its own mention is the final, titular track, a team effort with the legendary Perturbator… it is definitely the best track on the album, powerful and gripping. I wasn’t prepared for it; it sawed through me like a death machine and I was delighted.

There is so much good crunchiness in these tracks, but none of it is overpowering or sour. The rough distortion never drowns out or downplays the more airy treble instrumentation, which can happen in some cases when things get really grungy. The overall production is laser-tight and unforgiving; both Dan and the folks at Blood Music have seen to it that you’re listening to a top-notch creation when you press play on Wrath of Code. It’s a delight to listen to, and not only has it inspired me to go back and look at Dan Terminus’s previous work, it’s left me hoping he has tons more to put out for the future. I gladly bestow a well-earned 8 out of 10 stars upon Wrath of Code.

The Wrath of Code by Dan Terminus

COMMUNITY RATINGS

Class of Nuke ’em High (1986)

Sam HaiNe — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 17:03:20 +0000

Dear Retro-viewer,

From Troma the studio that brought you New Jersey’s first superhero franchise The Toxic Avenger and other films such as Surf Nazis Must Die, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, Poultrygeist, Tromeo & Juliet and Cannibal the musical is this tale of irradiated hormones cotton swabbed with a drip of green juice; and pre-jizz. With Nightmare music by biohazard.

Directed by Haines, Herz & Kaufman. And starring no one you remember: Janelle Brady, Gil Brenton and Robert Prichard. Class of Nuke ’em High is the modern day teenage apocalypse story of young love defying the odds of social decay, government corruption, toxic holocaust, mutant creatures that thrive on violence and fat obnoxious local leaders – yes I am talking about the garden state of New Jersey.

It’s the Twilight of the northeast; The molecular Harry Potter; the Mister Wizard to your Bill Nye; it makes more sense then NOAH. It’s dumber than a surfboard in space and harder than Mickey Mouse’s donger in a cheesy fleshlight. This ain’t the made for TV version, no, this is the Directors Cut.

Somewhere in New Jersey, in the shadow of the Tromaville Utility Plant is the Tromaville High School just a stone throws away. Imagine the setting like you would your congressman’s worst fears about the Keystone Pipeline. The air is barely fit to breathe, the drinking water is impure and the looming threat of utter catastrophe is ever present. The students themselves aren’t safe from the green danger. The honor society has mutated into a sex crazed gang of cretins, ordinary average teens are granted superhuman strength and teenage pregnancy is just a walk in the park. Filmed exclusively in Tromaville, NJ and featuring some milestone baguettes of exceptionally practical special fx. There is not one pixel of computer graphics in this film (PCs were really expensive then). The fight scenes are fantastic. The accents are thick. Krissy’s hot. It’s good vs evil and screaming out loud from the wax museum of my memories staying awake and up late. Toxie Lives!!!

In summary – There are hot Jersey girls going to a school where the hideously bad kids prey on the really ugly kids and the shit hits every fan in the house.

Does the awkward kid get the girl? Who can stop the mutant-cretin menace? Will the world end as we know it? Will anyone get laid? Does Boehner’s tan ever fade? What have we become as a society and where are we going if not the drive-thru??

So in the meantime, put the soap in the basket, give up some chon chon, wax off the wax on, get comfortable and don’t look at me Little puppet, the shows about to start. Keep your fingers firmly pressed on that rewind button. Because, I guarantee you that the upcoming few months will get rocky as I explore the Nega-verse of movies you thought were good but were just too young and too stupid to spot a lemon.

See yous soon retro-troopers!

Sam Haine.

Sam Kuzel – Angel Of The City

bryan.eddy@newretrowave.com — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:14:15 +0000

Angel Of The City is an independent film made as a nod to 80s vigilante/action movies. I have not watched the entire thing, but as part of this assignment I did watch a couple of trailers. The film looks promising, and I’m excited to see it in its entirety. But what I’ve been asked to do is talk about Sam Kuzel’s soundtrack for the film, and the soundtrack is more than good enough to discuss on its own.

On its own, the music is high-quality and I can tell a lot of effort went into authenticity. There are plenty of recognizable bits of 80s style. Kuzel is clearly influenced by John Carpenter’s film scores, and he definitely could’ve picked a worse soundtrack writer to emulate. Notably, the second track, “Posturing,” seems to be a nod to Escape From New York, with a steady arpeggio and bass tone creating the backbone of the track. The overall tone is appropriately gritty and grim, suitable for the city night backdrop that seems to dominate the film. While definitely retro, the music doesn’t completely avoid the modern; there is a crispness to even the softer tracks that makes the listener aware they are listening to something new. A group called Wind-Up Fascist contributes a track called “Doublethink,” and while it’s not awful, I’m going to be honest – I didn’t much care for it. The vocals seem, well, lazy, but the musicianship overall isn’t bad. I’d say Wind-Up Fascist needs some more time to gestate, to polish their sound, and they could do well.

Clumsily inserted rock tracks aside, this soundtrack is colorful and illustrative, well suited to its subject matter, and very professional-sounding. I’d give it a solid 7 out of 10, more than acceptable and worth examining by itself. Sam Kuzel has produced something worth being proud of here, and I look forward to viewing Angel Of The City in its completion.

COMMUNITY RATING

5 of the Best Horror Villains From the 80’s

NewRetroWave — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 14:58:00 +0000

As Halloween approaches, what better way to celebrate than with a top 5 list of some of the scariest movie villains of the 80’s! Don’t forget to list your top 5’s in the comments section below, we’d love to hear them!

5. David (The Lost Boys)

Back before the shit teen vampire movies that we’ve endured over the last few years, Joel Schumacher made a movie called, The Lost Boys. This movie is hands down one of the most iconic of the 80’s and its soundtrack is likely to remain engraved in your brain for the rest of your life. Along with some amazing performances by some of the 80’s coolest actors, its hard to make this list without thinking of one them. David, exquisitely portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland, is certainly the most memorable and haunting of the film. Don’t let his sometimes calm and relaxed exterior fool you, what lies below David’s pale cold skin, is something extremely unsettling!

4. Russ Thorn (The Slumber Party Massacre)

Now a cult classic, The Slumber Party Massacre is one of my favourite films to come from the great Slasher movie boom of the 1980’s. The films antagonist and destroyer of teenagers is none other than escaped lunatic and double denim enthusiast, Russ Thorn. With more nudity and questionable acting than you could shake a drill at, Michael Villella’s portrayal of Russ Thorn is unquestionably perfect as the slumber party pooper.

3. John Rider (The Hitcher)

The Hitcher follows Jim Halsey (C.Thomas Howell), who while on a cross country journey picks up a sodden, John Rider (Rutger Hauer) from the side of a rainy, dark roadside. What quickly becomes clear here, after some breathtakingly intense conversation between the two, is the importance of listening to your mother when she tells you to never stop for strangers! With a performance on par to the late, great Robert Mitchum in Night Of the Hunter, Rutger Hauer demonstrates a masterclass in how to scare the crap out of you.

2. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th Part 2)

After Mrs Vorhees looses her head in Friday the 13th, Jason emerges from the woods to avenge her in the sequel to the highly successful 1980 hit. Masked beneath an old dirty bag (pre Hockey Mask) and armed with a serious distaste for camp counsellors, we are introduced to Jason and his reign of terror. There’s something I find genuinely chilling about the scene where Deputy Winslow chases Jason into the woods in this film and it still manages to make me feel uneasy to this day. The fact that Jason and his array of murder weapons would go on to hack, slice and decapitate his way through the 80s and all the way upto this present day, is evidence enough that he is truly a horror movie great.

1. Cropsy (The Burning)

The Burning is a Slasher movie made in 1981 and is loosely based on the legend of ‘Cropsy’, which was an actual tale told around camp fires during the 60’s and 70’s in upstate New York. After a fiery prank goes horribly wrong for a bunch of teenagers, the camp’s caretaker ‘Cropsy’ becomes quickly engulfed in flames and is left to cook within his cabin. After numerous skin grafts and clearly nowhere near enough psychological treatment by his doctors, the unhinged madman is released back into society, only to return to Camp Blackfoot on a murderous quest. With some truly horrific death scenes and make-up effects supplied by Tom Savini, Cropsy embeds himself with ease into our nightmares and as a result is my number 1!

Happy Halloween!

Rhys

Night of the Demons (1988)

Sam HaiNe — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 02:44:48 +0000

Retro Movie of the Month

THIS MONTHS FEATURE FILMS IS

Night of the Demons (1988)
by Sam Haine

Night of the Demons is a 1988 horror film starring Cathy Podewell, Amelia Kinkade, Linnea Quigley, Alvin Alexis, Allison Baron, Lance Fenton, William Gallo, Hal Havins, Philip Tanzini, Jill Terashita and directed by Kevin S. Tenney and written by Joe Agustyn. If you don’t recognize any of these names other than Linnea Quigley or Amelia Kinkade no problem, I don’t either.

I can’t count how many times I’ve seen this film. I still have in my possession the VHS copies of this film and its sequel no more than 4 feet away from where I am sitting. The first time I’d seen this was late night on one of the cable channels after midnight, either before or after ‘It’s Gary Shandling Show’. For years all I could really remember was the Bauhaus track playing during Angela’s strobe dance by the fire place, the T&A and some pretty gnarly creature effects. Whether or not it holds up today is up to you to decide. And for the record… for a 7 year old to watch a stick of lipstick disappear inside a blonde chicks nipple was spellbinding, especially when it’s NOT Sandy Kane.

The plot of this classic and often overlooked cult favorite is generic Horrorwood – a group of teens have a party inside of the spooky neighborhood haunted house; the same one where supposedly somebody did something to someone else and how terrible that incident was so nobody ever goes there as the story is passed down from mouths to ears like a grimm game of telephone. They bring the beer and the condoms to the sour grounds and unintentionally stir the restless demons of the property. What happens next is an absolute joy. The dialogue isn’t too douche-chilled and the comedy is realistic and sadistic.

There’s Angela the temperamental and misunderstood suburban ghoul queen and her easy lover bestie, Suzanne. Judy Cassidy the blonde good with the voice of an innocent victim and the smile so bright you almost forget you saw her in a bra. Sal a stereotypical neighborhood Italian and his sidekick Stooge is dressed up as an obese Jack Sparrow. There are other characters but who cares about them. Last but not least is Roger. Roger the good little church boy who ended up at the wrong place and at the wrong damn night. Needless to say he is one of the smarter characters in the story and it’s very amusing to see him realize that the lamb is not coming to help him when he needs divine intervention most and takes his balls into his own hands for the big win. I won’t spoil any details if you have never seen Night of the Demons.

First released on October 14, 1988.

This wasn’t the biggest hit at the box office but it did spawn two sequels Night of the Demons II co-starring Ben Stiller’s wife and Night of the Demons III. The 2009 remake will not be mentioned or discussed, except for just now. So tune in, toke up, and zone out to this little piece of fun after dark. And remember to keep all severed limbs away from the baby and keep your fingers on that damn Rewind Button.

– Sam HaiNe

This article is written by SamHaiNe

SamHaiNe is a writer, poet, troubadour and raconteur. The author of two spoken word albums as well producer. He is often seen performing in Philadelphia, PA, the surrounding Tri-state area, and the Southern United States. His writings and creativity often blur the lines between pulp, noir, splatter punk, gallows humor, black comedy and the Grand Guignol. He has released previous material under the pseudonym O-Ren Ishi. Currently at work on a new album and book centering on his new brainchild, Hainesville.
www.facebook.com/allhailming
www.reverbnation.com/allhailming
www.samhaine.bandcamp.com

10 OF THE MOST PLAYED SYNTHWAVE SONGS ON NEWRETROWAVE!

NewRetroWave — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 18:10:00 +0000

THIS IS THE LIST AS OF TODAY!

10. BOURGEOISIE – THE ALPHABET CITY ELITE (154K + PLAYS)

9. POWER GLOVE – VENGEANCE (162K + PLAYS )

8. CHROMATICS – KILL FOR LOVE (NIGHT RIDERS VERSION) (167K + PLAYS)

7. LAZERHAWK – SPACE IS THE PLACE (168K+ PLAYS)

6. MEGA DRIVE – I AM THE PROGRAM (200K + PLAYS)

5. FM ATTACK – MAGIC (FEAT. KRISTINE) (214K + PLAYS)

4. LAZERHAWK – SKULL AND SHARK (FULL ALBUM) (290K + PLAYS)

3. DYNATRON – STARS OF THE NIGHT (291K + PLAYS)

2. ELECTRIC YOUTH – THE BEST THING (490K + PLAYS)

1. LAZERHAWK – KING OF THE STREETS (679K + PLAYS)

😉

DEAR NRW COMMUNITY – STOP FEEDING THE TROLLS!!

NewRetroWave — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 16:07:00 +0000

IT HAS COME TO OUR ATTENTION THAT A CERTAIN YOUTUBER KEEP LEAVING CRAPPY REVIEWS ON ALL OUR RECENT UPLOADS. PLEASE DON’T FEED HIM. ALL OF HIS COMMENTS ARE TOP COMMENTS BECAUSE YOU DO SO.

LEAVE THAT TROLL AT BAY WE TELL YOU!!

BELOW IS EVIDENCE OF THE MADNESS HE HAS CREATED!!

IF YOU FEED THIS GUY, THEN HIS MAYHEM SPREADS AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE.

NO MORE PLEASE!! WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO BAN ACCOUNTS!

😉

-NRW

SOMETHING MAGICAL FOR THE EARS!

NewRetroWave — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 15:03:00 +0000

HEY GUYS,

WE HAVEN’T POSTED IN A WHILE. HERE IS SOMETHING NEW FOR YOUR EARS TO ENJOY

😉

POWER GLOVE IS THE ACT TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2014 !!!!

NewRetroWave — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 18:13:00 +0000

Some
might call the synthwave scene crowded. In a genre that’s motivated
by image, vibe, and nostalgia there’s a lot of room for
interpretation and overlap.

Standing out can be difficult.

As
the scene grows and evolves, a handful of A-listers have started to
make headlines and enter the mainstream eye. This year has been all
about Power Glove. Having just been nominated for best soundtrack of
the year by Destructoid, it’s easy to say this year’s mold-breaking
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon catapulted Power Glove into the top ranks of
the genre. The game provided a perfect match aesthetically for one of
the first times, particularly with such a mainstream commercial
release (one of the tracks was eventually used in this Miami Vice
sketch on Key & Peele)

However
PG has
been and remains one of the most dominant names in
synthwave.

Personally, one of the first artists I came across
after Mitch Murder and Kavinsky. Their sound explodes with energy and
polish. After hearing Streets of 2043, Crypt, and Night Force I
became a retrowave addict—Power Glove in part being a full blown
gateway drug to a bottomless well of music.

It’s
hard to remember how much narrower this scene was a few years back
with such a rich diversity of artists today such as Lueur Verte,
Vanguard, Mega Drive, Trevor Something, and the similar-named but
starkly different Power Cut. But Power Glove has been there for a
long time, putting out small but dynamite-like tracks, remixes, and
one very
solid EP.

EP2 has been “coming soon” on Power Glove’s
website since I first became a fan.

When it does drop, give it a
listen. I doubt anyone will be disappointed, but there’s a lot of
sophomoric expectation at this point. Expect some growth in sound.
Changing tone and mood perhaps, but if executed well the kind of
stuff that pushes and defines new boundaries within the genre.
Pioneering.

The Australian brothers bios all simply say “Armed
with only two POWERGLOVES, we are two lawyers sent back from the
streets of future, post apocalyptic Los Angeles 2043. With a touch of
romance and a ton of trouble, we’re gonna get there…any way we
can.”

With
such an easily recognizable NES accessory name, it’s easy to peg PG
into a solely video game-influenced artist. True to some degree.
Their above bio literally sounds like an NES game synopsis. But Blood
Dragon’s Terminator 2/Scarface/Carpenter-film influenced sounds (and
the recent Motorcycle Cop) prove PG to be as versatile and dynamic as
they are dedicated to legitimate structure. EP1 channeled early 90’s,
16-bit arcade punch. Their work on Blood Dragon changes gears and
remains just as focused and on-point.

Unmatched builds,
precise mixes, and signature nostalgic samples. All blended with a
master level of musical craft. Power
Glove have listened to a wide array of electronic music, outside 80’s
and 90’s revival, and it shows.

Kind
of a ridiculous gauge, but on SoundCloud PG now has more followers
than Mitch Murder.

It’s
telling though… what was once a niche and almost unnameable genre
is now a flourishing, diverse arena of artists. Healthy growth
provided by artists like PG, who may not be the most prolific, but
whose dedication to craft allow the synthwave scene to become
something bigger.

Article written by

Andy Chandler

http://about.me/azc