The singles released ahead of the album are the perfect example of fantastically catchy romantic synthwave and synthpop. Her longtime musical team mate Matt Aslanian has some wild production skills, and they really shine on the few tracks we’ve heard thus far – even the vinyls have already sold out in pre-sale!

Jessie Frye has been creating fantastic releases and performing on stage since way back in 2008. Since that time she’s played alongside FM-84, Timecop1983, Com Truise, and more. “Kiss Me In The Rain” is no exception, with tracks featuring the fantastic Ollie Wride, Timecop1983, and Robert Parker.

We can’t wait to hear “Kiss Me In The Rains” nostalgia-bomb final release – get this Friday Here!

But more on that in a second, let’s talk really quick about this radical EP.

“High Tides” is fantastic enough to stand on it’s own, with some insanely heavy hitting talent behind it. WOLF CLUB, Tonebox, Orax, Robert Parker and a Michael Oakley & Ollie Wride collab!

These sunsoaked synth tracks are funky, upbeat, cinematic, and all-around just GREAT. This is a short release perfect for summer – and one that you can’t miss! Grab a listen here now.

The “Wave Break” retro shooter game from Funktronic Labs looks plays great – a mix of a 3^rd person shooter and Tony Hawks Pro Skater. It’s beautiful too – and filled with enough 80s references for you to shake your arcade sticks at! Check out the trailer below – and download it now from their official page here! 

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

Mega Drive – NARCS

LÜNE – Absences

Street Cleaner – Better The Devil You Know

Robert Parker – A Memory, A Feeling

Slvmber – Mike & Mary

10. Robert Parker – End of The Night

Robert Parker never ceases to amaze. This expert blend of nudisco and synthpop hits all the right spots, creating a memorable and cinematic experience that we are sure not to forget anytime soon!

9. Dance with the Dead – Loved to Death

 Dance With The Dead’s most driven, intense album yet – “Loved to Death” is an instant classic. Pealing iconic synths and chugging baselines underscore this album’s immense feat of production.

8. Timecop 1983 Night Drive

This melancholic masterpiece perfectly embodies the aesthetic of driving long, twisting roads at night. A return to form, “Night Drive” is yet another expertly produced album from the one and only Timecop1983.

7. Waveshaper – Lost Shapes

“Lost Shapes” is a collection of B-Sides from Waveshaper. Chock full of early music, ideas for video games, film scores, demos, and more – this fantastic album acts like a time capsule of waveshaper’s unique sound, and it’s fascinating to hear it evolve in real time.

6. ORAX – Tearwave

ORAX tears into the darkwave scene, elevating the dreary genre with his powerful “Tearwave.” Delivering forward thinking melodies, intense sonic textures, and upgraded vocals – this album is truly a moment of progress and expansion.

5. DJ Ten – Trinity

Filling a niche desperately lacking in the synthwave scene, DJ Ten has returned with an intense blend of retro and hip-hop, resulting in some of the most interesting beats we’ve heard all year. This synthesized trip hop breakbeat vaportrap is innovative and perfectly produced.

4. Sung – Fahrenheit

The first full length album from Sung, “Fahrenheit” is simply a modern achievement in synthwave. A true tour de force. Bravo!

3. GUNSHIP – Dark All Day

This much awaited second album from GUNSHIP, “Dark All Day” is a beautiful synthpop experience of from start to finish. Incorporating darksynth aesthetics, GUNSHIP continues to grow.

2. W O L F C L U B – Infinity

W O L F C L U B’s “Infinity” signals a true return to form – really, we have not been able to stop listening to “Tears” all year! A standout example of the New Retro Wave sound.

1. The Midnight – Kids

“Kids” stands above the rest this year – not simply as a musical work, but more importantly as a much needed social commentary. Cutting directly to the heart of what makes nostalgia such a powerful emotion, this album is a lyrical masterpiece.

Honorable Mention –  Sferro – Sferrare (2008​-​2018)

Whether you know it or not – Sferro is likely one of the reasons you listen to synthwave right now. An early adopter of the sound, Sferro was a pioneer, a beautiful producer, and founder of Girlfriend Records. This year he ceased making his wonderful music.

To commemorate his career, Sferrare (2008​-​2018) has been released, featuring rare and unreleased tracks from throughout his career.

10. Junks – Everybody’s Movin’

9. GUNSHIP – Dark All Day (feat. Tim Cappello and Indiana)

8. Stilz – Midnight Dancer

7. NINA – Sleepwalking

6. Deadlife – Hard Bitch

5. Robert Parker – End of the Night (feat. DoubleBoy)

4. Futurecop! – Edge of the Universe (feat. Parallels)

3. Ollie Wride – The Driver (feat. The Night Hour)

2. Indradevi – Idols

1. DJ Ten – Viral Lust (feat. Trevor Something)

As if this single weren’t enough – it’s debut has been accompanied by remixes from the fantastic Robert Parker,  Morgan Willis,  LLLL, and Beautiful Machines!

Grab a listen of this cozy single and it’s remixes here – and stay tuned for more news about the upcoming album from Futurecop!

You once referred to Synthwave as ‘nostalgia with selective memory loss’. What would you say are the elements you wished to focus on for ‘End of the Night’?
End Of The Night is very much the sequel to Crystal City. It’s in the same musical and aesthetic  universe. The theme is still circulating around The City, in this case I imagined a night out, club-hopping, where the music can differ a little bit from club to club but all music is part of the same night, the same city. A lot of influences on this album are disco-oriented, but there are also funk, hip-hop and house elements nodding especially to french touch and 90s house.

Can you tell us a little bit about the title ‘End of the Night’ and why you chose this album title?
A: It’s the title track I wrote with Doubleboy, who sings on the track and wrote the vocals. The track really defines the style I want to express and the ambition to keep going with this project as long as I think it’s fun and inspiring. When he (Doubleboy) wrote the lyrics the key phrase says “We can run/til’ the end of the night” and it felt natural to apply that to the album title.

What kind of gear did you choose to use for this album?
A: I have mostly worked “In the box” with this album, however I always include hardware when it’s fun and inspiring. In my track “Silent Kiss” I only use the Korg Polysix, Roland Juno 60, Moog Minimoog, Oberheim DX and Roland TR-707. Other gear used is the Moog Prodigy and the Roland TR-08. I mix and master in Ableton Live.

Half of the tracks on the record feature guest vocals. Did you set out to shape the album this way? And is this a direction you see yourself going in the long run?
Yes, for this album I wanted to include more vocal tracks. However, with all my collaborations, I am very clear that I don’t want to control to much. When I collaborate with someone, I am much more interested in their expressions, than applying my own on them. It’s much more fun and creative when everyone have creative freedom. And the result is very good, I must say! 🙂

You lead an impressive double life as a doctor and a renowned Synthwave household name. How do you find the time to be so prolific?
I work part time, in order to have time for the music. And throughout the years, I have tried to be more and more effective when it comes to producing. With the digital possibilities today, It’s easy to add new discoveries in terms of mixing techniques, and so on, to templates you  like, so you never have to start on a blank paper when you make a new song. Then you can focus more on the fun and important stuff, such as melodies, grooves, composition and so on.

As we near the ten-year mark since your debut release, in what ways do you feel like your relationship to the ‘retro’ aesthetic has changed since 2009?
Well, the first years I only made music for myself, it was not until around 2011 I started upload tracks on Soundcloud. I think I have the same idea about it as back then, I never had the ambition to IMITATE the 80s , just take the most fun key elements and use it in a modern context. I still do, it’s still fun, so right now I don’t see me quitting just yet. 🙂

What would you like listeners to take away from your music?
A: I hope it makes them happy, inspired, and keen on partying and dancing!

What do you feel is the most important aspect of your music?
The production. When I sit by myself and get a good groove going and instantly feel this will be a full track I will be happy with. That’s the best feeling.

Finishing off with the question I ask at the end of every interview: could you name one of your favorite albums, movies and books?
Favorite album: “Moon Safari” with AIR.
Favorite movie: Right now, I must say “Annihilation”.
Favorite book: A book I re-read a lot is “Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco.

End of the Night is out now via NRW Records and available for streaming here!

Sometimes you wonder how music this old can sound so fresh before you realize; it’s actually from the future…

Robert Parker simultaneously delivers a sound that is both the past and the future of music. The soundtrack to a film that’s never been made, a futuristic-nostalgia made using instruments from the past to reflect what we dreamt the future would sound like.

Parker’s music exists in a parallel universe to where we are now, otherworldly yet at the same time familiar.

Poly pads and crystalline leads, FM style workouts in retro warmth, galactic melody patterns meandering through Juno/ Jupiter stabs and cosmic chords. Interstellar transmissions in grainy lo-fi washes with delay-drenched splendor.

Crystal City exists in these two states, both bygone and impending, of what music once was and what it could be again.

Trance-like retro-synthetic flavors fusing action-packed soundtrack excursions in a Tron-scored analog heaven.

Animation by Florian Renner

Animation by Florian Renner

Official Teaser

Set for an April 27th, 2018 release. More info to come.

If you like this, also check out Mecha Maiko’s Latest Release

The exclusive premiere of original music from the upcoming Kristian A. Söderström film, titled Videoman, brings with it sounds and promise for a year of greater heights for the synthwave scene in the upcoming year as the first month of 2018 wraps up. The original soundtrack to the film is going to be released digitally by Lakeshore Records on January 26th, and with the majority of the 23 track album being songs by either Waveshaper or Robert Parker, it’s hard to not be excited about the upcoming film.

Videoman will tell the story of two alcoholics — one with a penchant for VHS collecting and the other harboring an obsession with all things 1980’s. Nostalgia and regrets will spark a romance that leads the two characters towards more fulfilling lives. All while Robert Parker and Waveshaper tunes pulsate in the background.

The two Swedish musicians are of course no strangers to NewRetroWave faithful. Waveshaper’s cinematic approach to music has led him to tremendous success both in the arena of soundtracks and self-contained releases, while Parker’s classical roots mixed with hardware and software synth palettes have carried him through various releases and live shows.

You can check out the premiere of Robert Parker’s “Drift Apart”, the 10th track on the Videoman soundtrack, here. And if you like what you hear, be sure to buy the digital release on January 26th!

Robert Parker – Crystal City

Crystal City by Robert Parker is OUT NOW! Download and/ or Stream it today!

Streaming and digital downloads are Available

Witness the greatness of Robert Parker in his new upcoming album: Crystal City

Boasting some of the smoothest synths and Basslines, Crystal City is an album made for the retro soul!

Stream the first single  Here:

Some of the most memorable moments for your retro hunger to devour!

smooth

Clean

vision

solid