February will have also been marked with the end of Dreampunk’s pioneering Dream Catalogue Label, who closed shop right after sharing a treasure chest full of outstanding records by promising newcomers and seasoned scene veterans alike. For slick outrun and Synthwave enthusiasts, LAU will have dominated this month with her debut album Believer, whose catchy tunes will have you yearning for the day these songs will finally get a chance to hit the stage. For those with the spare time to dig and dwell into the Bandcamp’s dizzying depths for some postmodern, non-euclidian music, February proved to be a fairly interesting month. Vaporwave is still alive and weird, as you’ll certainly listen to find out in this month’s curated selection. Enjoy!

Top Picks

LAU – Believer

(Aztec Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Natsukime – Ikigai

(Self-Released)

Stream on Bandcamp

Twin Galaxxies – Imminent Reversal

(Pure Life)

Stream on Bandcamp

CRYOSAUNA – Grid Failure

(No Problema Tapes)

Stream on Bandcamp

John Carpenter – Lost Themes III

(Sacred Bones)

Stream on Spotify

Fury Weekend – Signals

(Fixt Neon)

Stream on Bandcamp

Niky Nine – Black Sharken

(Lazerdiscs Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Yoshimi – 11 Pieces of Fragmented Memories

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

空手王 – IKARI​​-​​蒸気波LP III

(Karate King Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Eulalie – A Day at the Videodrome

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Singles & Honorable Mentions

Daria Danatelli (feat. Vincenzo Salvia) – Не Забуду / Io Non Dimentico

(Sunlover Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Formula 2080 – Cassetter

(FixT Neon)

Stream on Bandcamp

Electric Youth – Modern Fears (Pilotpriest Come True Edition)

(Sony)

Stream on Spotify

FNKY NGHT – LOVE STORIES VOL.2

(Virtual Sound System)

Stream on Bandcamp

WDE – Codex

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Hong Kong Express – L.Y.F.

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Tito Machete – Sindrome di Standa

(Power Lunch)

Stream on Bandcamp

Sun Corp – Replacement

(No Problema)

Stream on Bandcamp

Sport 3000 & Waterfront Dining – StarTour Agencies

(My Pet Flamingo)

Stream on Bandcamp

POPCULTR – 2021LIVE

(Pacific Plaza Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Eccodroid – Dematerialize

(Business Casual)

Stream on Bandcamp

Hey Vincenzo, thank you for joining us. What’ve you got to recommend to our readers today?

A peculiar movie I always keep deep inside in my memories is Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. I actually saw it for the first time as a very child, so I probably couldn’t catch all of the films’s the details, but when a petrolhead kid sees a movie starting with a couple of Lamborghini Countach’s… then you know it’s going to be good. I must’ve watched it four or five times in total. With that being said, the story is quite simple and I’m not going to spoil anything!

The movie is about the difficult relation about Charlie (Tom Cruise) and his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). There are many touching moments (yeah, I’m a sensitive guy) and everything is beautifully accompanied by a Hans Zimmer score. That was the first time hearing about him and I have to say the Rain Man Theme is one of the best soundtracks I ever heard. It got nominated for Best Soundtrack at the 1988 Oscars. Many scenes are representative of this movie: the casino, the walking on the tree-lined avenue and long travel by car (because Raymond is afraid of planes). It’s very outrun J.

Out Now by Vincenzo Salvia

What’ve you been up to, music-wise? Any projects or news you’d like to share?

Since being featured in Stranger Things, I’ve been slowing down a bit with my compositions, relaxing and enjoying the moment. I recently released an EP called Out Now and a single with my talented friend Mental Exile ‘We are nothing but a game’, and now I’m out searching for new sounds and concepts. I’m probably going to abandon the Italo touches for this release and go down the Nightdrive/Outrun route, simply because I need new music for my Assetto Corsa game soundtracks.

Thumbnail photo by @Onedaystranger

Be sure to Follow Vincenzo Salvia through his social media to keep up with his latest updates and releases:

Website

Bandcamp

Soundcloud

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Now for the first time “Weekend” has hit vinyl, cassette and yes even minidisc – courtesy of Time Slave Recordings! Released on January first, the minidisc is already sold out.

Flowing effortlessly like an outrun drive down the Milan countryside, “Weekend” was much too overlooked upon it’s first release. However this new physicality has breathed a new wonderful life into the album – which somehow sounds even better on cassette!

Grab a listen now!

Leake Streets’ brick-walled halls glowed with majestic, electric neon lights, paving the scenery with the perfect ambience to greet the fans and their colourful attires. Artists, staff and fans all mingled together and shared drinks throughout the night, whether it be at the bar, in the concert hall or at the popular cardboard arcade, and every square inch of the venue was filled with a palpable sense of love and passion, for a shared sense of nostalgia, for a past we may or may not have known. Those lucky enough to have wandered through the halls at the right time will have even run into a fully armed T-800 Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator shouting classic Terminator catchphrases and posing for pictures alongside festival attendees, begging the question: what more could you want out of a Retro-themed music festival?

Presided over by emcee DJ She-Ra whose tireless work ran all throughout the night, the Synth marathon ran uninterrupted for twelve hours, from dusk till dawn. As any connoisseur would have guessed from the lineup announcements for the festival, RetroFuture Fest left no room for disappointment in its running order of artists. Whether you like your retro synth music funky, sparkly, epic, funky or downright pitch-dark, the festival had you covered and then some, featuring just about every type of lineup you could think of onstage. Amongst our top three personal favorites in the festivals’ flawless set of shows, Sunglasses Kid pumped the funky vibes up to critical levels with a set featuring guest vocalist SJBRAVO and dancer Jean Frais, Lebrock destroying the stage with some of the most epic vocal performances we’ve ever seen at a Synthwave festival, and Danger unleashing the nights’ monumental finale with the heaviest set of all.

Although this marked our first time as attendees, the loyal Retro Future fans were unanimous in their verdict; the festival had once again outdone itself with this third edition. As for us, we’re certainly looking forward to seeing how its organizers plan on following up on such a tour de force. Young though it may be, Retro Future Fest is already well on its way to becoming a landmark event in the Synthwave music scene.

See you next year!

All Photos by Robin Ono

All Rights Reserved.

“Italian Gigolo” is a funky and sexy-smooth tune first featured in “Gonzo Golden Globes” from by Retro Promenade  in 2014 and then on Vincenzo Salvia’s “B-Side” in 2015. We have no idea how Stranger Things got a hold of the track, but we are sure glad they did! Congrats Vincenzo!

Grab your tickets here now!

Grab your tickets here now!

In December look out for an EP compilation including Nina, Vincenzo Salvia, Dana Jean Phoenix and Espen Kraft, on a lovely 45 rpm vinyl via Night Drive Records. Watch the video below for more info.