“2043” seems to also be called “Part 1” (at least on the album art,) so this could very well be part of an upcoming series of releases. We always love hearing a new Power Glove release, so the prospect of another release coming soon has us really pumped!

Longtime fans of Power Glove will recognize the title too, as they previously released a track called “Streets of 2043” over a decade ago.

It’s really interesting to hear that track’s played against the current iteration of “2043,” as you can clearly hear the latest release is an upgraded version of that old, delicious sound. The original “Streets of 2043” is a classic, filled to the brim with samples from “Streets of Rage” – which makes us think that maybe the current “2043” is still a reference to Streets of Rage.

Whatever the case, “2043” an absolutely fantastic release and NOT one you want to sleep on! Hopefully it is part 1 of a series, because we just can’t get enough of Power Glove

Grab a listen here now!

Dropping next Friday, July 24th, “Magnatron III” is jam-packed with absolute fire tracks from some of the best hand-picked artists in the retro synthwave scene. Just listening to the gleaming production of first three singles (Waveshaper – Vivid Stars/ Wice – Interstellar / Power Glove & PYLOT – AEON) is proof-in-pudding that Magnatron III is going to be an absolute banger! With genres ranging from dreamwave to synthwave to darksynth and everything in-between, This synthwave compilation is set to be stuffed with a track for everyone.

Initial pre-sales of rare bundles are already sold out – but fear not! We’re adding more to the store at 9:30AM EST tomorrow via NRW Records. This will include standalone items in larger amounts and different colorways. – https://NRWRecords.lnk.to/MagnatronIII

Tracklist:

1. Wice – Interstellar
2. Waveshaper – Vivid Stars
3. Zombie Hyperdrive – Ghostwalker
4. Absolute Valentine – Magnatron Engaged
5. STRAPLOCKED – Active Aggression
6. ALEX – SAMUS ARAN
7. Power Glove & PYLOT – AEON
8. Tonebox – Pulsar Blast
9. TOKYO ROSE – Tyrael
10. F.O.O.L – The Truth
11. Daniel Deluxe – Frontier
12. Sandman – Destiny Unknown
13. Donbor – Brume
14. DEADLIFE – Grit Rewired
15.Turboslash – Phantom
16. ORAX – Shelter
17. Kick Puncher – Last Resolve
18. Volkor X – Aftermath

Magnatron / Magnatron III / Magnatron 3

“Aeon” is a deliciously cinematic, devilishly downtempo track from the insane duo of  Power Glove and PYLOT.  The atmosphere and in this single is cranked up to 11, and makes for an instant must-listen.

“Interstellar” from long time NRW artist Wice was the very first single to be released – and it’s intense driving synths are pure hype! Combined with a touch of 80s power guitar licks and interesting nostalgic chord progressions, this track sounds more like a molten dancefloor than a neon city drive.

Even I don’t get to hear the Magnatron series ahead of time, but with these two singles being our first hints at Magnatron III – my expectations are incredibly high. Grab a listen to both singles on the Bandcamp here!

Pre-Save the 2nd Magnatron III single today: https://NRWRecords.lnk.to/AEON

Listen to the first single here.

Feast your eyes on the visuals below. Animated by Blood+Chrome and releasing on June 22nd, along with the single. Prepare for greatness.

He made the announcement last Friday, and released a farewell to synth – a righteous collab with Pylot and Essenger called “Out of Luck.” – Listen Here.

Although this may sadden some fans, Tokyo explained he’s not done making music – just departing the retro sound. We caught up with him for a quick interview to find out what’s next:

…I’m super thankful to my Synth fans for all the love and support that they have and continue to still give me.

Q: You started producing music at 17. Recently, as your music moved into a darker area, you and ALEX charted on billboard with Akuma and Akuma II.  Can you talk about your experiences with AKUMA and NRW?

“Well to start off, my experience with NRW has been great. Ten has been very supportive of me and my music since 2013. So I am incredibly grateful to him for that.

My experience with the AKUMA franchise has also been great. I feel like it has sort of its own cult following which is pretty cool. ALEX & I definitely raised the bar in the scene with those two albums. Once the first AKUMA dropped we notice so many acts turning into the darksynth side of things and borrowing our aesthetics, haha.”

Q: How exactly did your collaborations with ALEX take shape?

“Long story short, I reached out to ALEX to collab on a track. That tracked turned into an EP and that EP turned in AKUMA,” he said with a laugh.

“When we created both albums we had the goal set in mind to stand out with our production and visuals. I think we did a pretty great job along with some other fantastic artists. The production on AKUMA was pretty smooth and fast to be honest. I had my 6 tracks and so did ALEX.

With AKUMA II it proved to be a bit challenging only because ALEX & I wanted to raise the bar even further, and we were perfectionists with every aspect of the album. It was a great thing. You should never settle for less in anything you do. In the production of AKUMA II we wanted to bring in our influences at that time into AK2. We wanted something daring, fresh and new but we wanted to still keep some “Retro” elements.”

(A quick list of AKUMA I & II collaborators: Ariel ZB, STRNGR, Rachel McAlpine, Mecha Maiko, Daniel Deluxe, F.O.O.L, & Power Glove)

Tokyo Rose performing at Ace of Cups Columbus- Photo Credit Tim Evans Photography

Q: After the successes of Akuma and AKUMA II, you’ve now announced that you’re departing from Synthwave….what’s next?

“I’m just heading in a new direction. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a few years now to be completely honest. Just needed to wait till a few contracts ended to finally announce things to the public.”

Q: What was the catalyst behind this decision? Why depart synthwave after the success of Akuma?

“The main reason for my departure of the synthwave scene is mainly because of the lack of creative freedom there is for someone like me. Being committed solely to that 80’s/90’s sound and retro style was beginning to become a great bore to me. I wasn’t even born in the 80’s!” He said again laughing.

“My real childhood was the early 2000’s… so in reality I have no real attachment to the retro eras. That being said, I wasn’t allowed to really create the music I wanted to without receiving great criticism for coloring out the lines. Now that I am no longer tied down to just one music genre, I can have more freedom in creating the music that I really want to produce.

Regardless I’m super thankful to my Synth fans for all the love and support that they have and continue to still give me.”

Tokyo Rose Performing at Ace of Cups Columbus. Photo Credit Tim Evans

Q: Do you know what your new direction will be?

“There are no limits for me now. My upcoming stuff will be a lot of Midtempo with Dubstep and Hardstyle vibes incorporated. Some retro inspiration in a few tracks but taking things in a heavier and more modern approach. Been bumping a lot of 1788-L, REZZ, & Deathpact so a lot of inspiration for me has been drawing from them.”

Q: ALEX recently moved into DnB/Dubstep/Bass music territory with “Blood City,” are you leaning in this direction too?

“To an extent, yes. But like I stated earlier there are no limits for me now. If I feel like producing a full on R&B track, I will haha.”

Q: So what’s next? Do you have any albums or EP’s lined up? Any tours waiting in the wings?

“No plans on a tour anytime soon… especially with how things are going on in the world presently with the Coronavirus. But its something I am open to once things get better.

“I have some pretty amazing new opportunities that I have been approached with that I am stoked to announce… whenever I’m allowed to. I also have a single coming out this year with a vocalist I’ve been wanting to collab with for about a year now so I’m also excited for that!

Some pretty awesome plans for my stage character as well, maybe a comic and some animation to follow – I know how bad a lot of people want know the origin of my character. Website should be up soon too with some bangin’ new merch.

I’m proud and happy to say that a lot is in store for TOKYO ROSE. I hope that my Synth fans will continue to love and support me regardless of what music I produce. Big shout out to all of the fans that have been messaging me reassuring me of their support for what’s to come. I’m truly grateful!”

Cover Photo Credit: Tim Evans Photography, Courtesy of The Columbus Synth Collective

This set of absolutely killer producers is enough to turn heads, and we at NRW are honored that they were awesome enough to reimagine Akuma II!

Akuma II (The Remixes) features Lucy In Disguise, Kick Puncher, Straplocked, Power Glove, Grimlin, Tonebox, STRNGR, MAKESHFT, Sierra, and Scattle.

Each artist has brought their own particular flavor and intensity to Akuma II (The Remixes) – however they also manage to stay true to the source material and mix well together in the overall master. The end result is a listening experience unique from other remix albums which can tend to feel disjointed.

We’re absolutely stoked to release this album into the wild – we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Grab a listen here!
 

Each of these tracks were previously lost of the void – being unreleased or featured in works like “Blood Dragon,” “Hobo with a Shotgun,” and the “ABC’s of Death.”

Resurrected now just in time for the haunting holiday, “Throwback” is an absolutely devilish and devious EP that swings from spooky to outright banger tracks with ease. This chilling EP is not one to miss – go grab a Here listen now!

Friday afternoons mean one thing – the NewRetroWave Weekly Selection.
We’re striving to bring you the best of the best. From outrun to darksynth, we have your weekend covered!

ALEX – Horns

Parallels – The Magic Hour

Tonebox – Hydron (feat. SILVER)

Power Glove – Crypt

Makeup and Vanity Set – No Survivors

The “In Search of Darkness” documentary about 80’s horror began as a simple crowdfunding campaign back in 2018 – but quickly met it’s goals in two days.

To accompany the October release of this maniacal 260 minute doc, we have collaborated with CreatorVC Studios many fantastic artists from various genres to bring you the stunning soundtrack for this titanic release. Critics are already raving 100% at Rotten Tomatoes!

Listen to the full album Here!

See the documentary first by pre-ordering Here before Midnight Halloween, and personalize your documentary with your name in the credits!


Here’s a full list of artists feature on the In Search of Darkness (Original Documentary Soundtrack) :

Elevate The Sky: soundcloud.com/elevatethesky
Wice: soundcloud.com/wice-music
TOKYO ROSE: soundcloud.com/tokyoroseofficial
Morgan Willis: soundcloud.com/morgan-willis-1982
Power Glove: soundcloud.com/powerglove
ALEX: soundcloud.com/alexofficialuk
Hexenkraft: soundcloud.com/hexenkraft
Waveshaper: soundcloud.com/waveshaper-2
Midnight Danger: soundcloud.com/midnightdanger
TurboVCR: soundcloud.com/turbovcr
Moonracoon: soundcloud.com/moonraccoon
Josh Lim: www.joshjameslim.com
Kick Puncher: soundcloud.com/kick-puncher
Turbo Knight: soundcloud.com/turboknight
Vilemoral: soundcloud.com/vilemoral

Power Glove is comprised of the brother-duo Jarome and Joel Harmsworth – who have been releasing high quality synthwave for almost a decade now. Gaining early notoriety in 2010 with the stunning “EP 1,” when the synthwave scene existed within the confines of Myspace, Power Glove went on to produce tracks for the cult classic film “Hobo With a Shotgun” and Ubisoft’s “Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.” After that they continued on to release EP 2 and another soundtrack.

Now after 4 long years Power Glove is back and better than ever, releasing an absolute bombshell of an album. Every track is expertly produced and mastered, really bringing out the best of what Power Glove has to offer. “Playback” is easily one of the best installments in their entire discography, even edging close to unseating the their historic and seminal “EP 1.”

This album is filled with sonic references to legends like College, Daft Punk, Danger, and Justice, incorporating iconic deep french synths, bass stabs, and bitcrunch effects. This acts to quickly transport the listener back to the 00’s and the very beginnings of retro synthwave as it evolved from French house. “Playback” in short, is a true return to form. The most amazing feat is that in spite of borrowing all of these influences, nothing on this album feels repetitive or derivative – somehow it all remains identifiably Power Glove.

In addition to the titanic influences and iconic sound there are also tracks on this album that feel completely different, with hints of future funk, ambient, and even a touch of pop peppered throughout – though never heavy handed. These tracks really break up the intensity of the full album, giving the listener a break and showing the true breadth of what Power Glove can accomplish as producers. The result is a well-rounded album that pokes at not just the nostalgia of the 80’s – but nostalgia for the advent of retro synth itself.

Check out the full album here:
Playback by Power Glove

Every week on Friday afternoon we will be bringing you five of our favorite recent synth tracks. From outrun to darksynth, we have your weekend covered with our Weekly Selection! Check out our first picks below, in no particular order:

Power Glove – Firebird

Quixotic – Cocktails & Dreams

Com Truise – Existence Schematic

DJ Ten & By An Ion – Eternal

ADMO – Better Days

Every week on Friday afternoon we will be bringing you five of our favorite recent synth tracks. From outrun to darksynth, we have your weekend covered with our Weekly Selection! Check out our first picks below, in no particular order:

Waveshaper – Artifact

Alex & Tokyo Rose – Rivals (feat. Power Glove)

The Midnight – America Online

Memorex Memories – Watching Gameshows

TheBadDreamers – How to Disappear (Savior Adore Remix)