Synthwave#Characteristics and related terms
{{Short description|Music genre}}
{{About|the house-influenced genre from the 2000s|topics related to the term used in 1980s magazines|Cold wave (music)|and|Minimal wave|and|Dark wave}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}{{EngvarB|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox music genre
|name = Synthwave
|image = Synthwave.svg
|caption =
|other_names = * Retrowave
- future synth
|stylistic_origins = * Electronic
- synth-pop
- new wave
- 1980s film soundtracks{{cite web |url=http://www.letoilemagazine.com/2014/04/09/we-will-rock-you-welcome-to-the-future-this-is-synthwave/ |title=We Will Rock You: Welcome To The Future. This is Synthwave. |last1=Hunt |first1=Jon |date=9 April 2014 |publisher=l'etoile |access-date=18 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711192215/http://www.letoilemagazine.com/2014/04/09/we-will-rock-you-welcome-to-the-future-this-is-synthwave/|archive-date=11 July 2017}}
- electro
- Eurodisco
- French house
- video game music
- Italo disco{{cite web|url=https://www.electricityclub.co.uk/tecs-25-favourite-italo-disco-tracks|title=25 Favourite Italo Disco Tracks|website=electricityclub.co.uk|date=12 May 2018 |access-date=16 January 2022|archive-date=30 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130172827/https://www.electricityclub.co.uk/tecs-25-favourite-italo-disco-tracks/|url-status=live}}
- chiptune
|cultural_origins = Mid-to late 2000s; France, Western Europe
|instruments =
|derivatives =
|subgenrelist =
- dreamwave{{cite web |url=http://glitchslap.com/synthwave-if-tron-and-megaman-had-a-music-baby|title=Synthwave: If Tron and Megaman had a music baby.|publisher=Glitchslap.com|date=25 March 2015 |first1=Bryan|last1=Young|access-date=19 May 2015 |archive-date=14 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214173320/http://glitchslap.com/synthwave-if-tron-and-megaman-had-a-music-baby|url-status=dead}}
- Outrun{{cite web|url=https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/music-production/synthwave-music-guide#:~:text=Outrun%20can%20be%20simply%20another%20term%20for%20synthwave.%20However,%20it%20is%20generally%20seen%20as%20a%20sub-genre.|title=Synthwave Music: A Guide To Synthwave|publisher=musicgetaway.com|date=18 May 2023|first1=Annika|last1=Hope|access-date=20 February 2025}}
- scifiwave
- Spacewave
|fusiongenres =
|other_topics = *Eurobeat
}}
Synthwave (also called retrowave, or futuresynth{{cite news | url=http://observer.com/2015/07/the-nostalgic-allure-of-synthwave|title=The Nostalgic Allure of 'Synthwave' |last=Neuman|first=Julia|work=New York Observer|date=30 July 2015|access-date=16 May 2016|archive-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925211251/http://observer.com/2015/07/the-nostalgic-allure-of-synthwave/ |url-status=live}}) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with the film soundtracks of action films, science fiction films, and horror films of the 1980s. Other influences are drawn from the decade's art and video games.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtviggy.com/lists/retrowave-synthwave-9-artists-to-know-dead-astronauts-pertubator-mega-drive|title=A Retrowave Primer: 9 Artists Bringing Back the '80s|last=Neuman|first=Julia|date=23 June 2015|work=MTV Iggy|access-date=23 June 2015|archive-date=23 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623121923/http://www.mtviggy.com/lists/retrowave-synthwave-9-artists-to-know-dead-astronauts-pertubator-mega-drive/}} Synthwave musicians often espouse nostalgia for 1980s culture and attempt to capture the era's atmosphere and celebrate it.{{cite web|last1=Calvert|first1=John|title=Xeno and Oaklander - Sets & Lights|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16582/reviews/4143768|publisher=Drowned in Sound|access-date=8 June 2015|date=13 October 2011|archive-date=13 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913052909/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16582/reviews/4143768|url-status=dead}}
The genre developed in the mid-to late 2000s through French house producers, as well as younger artists who were inspired by the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Other reference points included composers John Carpenter, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis (especially his score for the 1982 film Blade Runner), and Tangerine Dream. Synthwave reached wider popularity after being featured in the soundtracks of the 2011 film Drive (which included some of the genre's best-known songs), the 2012 video game Hotline Miami as well as its 2015 sequel, the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok, and the Netflix series Stranger Things.
Origins
File:Kavinsky.jpg performing in 2007]]
Synthwave originates from the mid to late 2000s.{{cite news|last=Neuman|first=Julia|date=30 July 2015|title=The Nostalgic Allure of 'Synthwave'|work=New York Observer|url=http://observer.com/2015/07/the-nostalgic-allure-of-synthwave/|access-date=16 May 2016|archive-date=25 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925211251/http://observer.com/2015/07/the-nostalgic-allure-of-synthwave/|url-status=live}} Diak traced the genre to a broader trend involving young artists whose works drew from their childhoods in the 1980s. He credited the success of the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with shifting "attitudes toward the '80s ... from parody and ambivalence to that of homage and reverence", leading directly to genres such as synthwave and vaporwave.{{sfn|Wetmore|2018|p=31}} The influence of Vice City was also noted by MusicRadar.{{Cite web|last=Music|first=Future|date=12 May 2021|title=The beginner's guide to: synthwave|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-beginners-guide-to-synthwave|access-date=13 February 2022|website=MusicRadar|archive-date=17 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517182653/https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-beginners-guide-to-synthwave|url-status=live}} Molly Lambert of MTV noted the song "Love on a Real Train" by Tangerine Dream in the film Risky Business (1983) was a major influence, with "ornately repetitive synth patterns, hypnotic chimes, and percussive choogling drum machines".
The mid-2000s French house acts David Grellier (College), and Kavinsky, who had created music in the style of 1980s film scores, were among the earliest artists to be part of the emergence of synthwave. Key reference points for early synthwave included the 1982 film Blade Runner (both the soundtrack and the film itself), 8- and 16-bit video games, 1980s jingles for VHS production companies, and television news broadcasts and advertisements from that era. According to NME and MusicRadar, the 2011 film Drive was a major influence on synthwave, and included a track by Kavinsky, "Nightcall" in the film's soundtrack,{{Cite web|date=11 February 2022|title=Kavinsky on his return and a new collaboration with The Weeknd: "It's happening soon"|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/kavinsky-on-his-return-and-a-new-collaboration-with-the-weeknd-its-happening-soon-3155388|access-date=13 February 2022|website=NME |archive-date=12 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212021500/https://www.nme.com/news/music/kavinsky-on-his-return-and-a-new-collaboration-with-the-weeknd-its-happening-soon-3155388|url-status=live}} as well as David Grellier, Johnny Jewel, and several tracks by Cliff Martinez. EDM.com described Kavinsky as a "synthwave pioneer",{{Cite web|last=Sunkel|first=Cameron|title=Kavinsky Confirms New Collaboration With The Weeknd|url=https://edm.com/news/kavinsky-confirms-new-collaboration-with-the-weeknd|access-date=13 February 2022|website=EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists |date=12 February 2022 |archive-date=12 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212215427/https://edm.com/news/kavinsky-confirms-new-collaboration-with-the-weeknd|url-status=live}} while the horror blog Bloody Disgusting describes Carpenter Brut as a "synthwave icon".{{Cite web|last=Miska|first=Brad|date=27 January 2022|title=Carpenter Brut Returns With Horror-Themed Album 'Leather Terror' and Nightmarish Video for Single 'Imaginary Fire' |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/music/3700964/carpenter-brut-return-with-horror-themed-leather-terror-album-and-nightmarish-video-for-single-imaginary-fire/ |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204182846/https://bloody-disgusting.com/music/3700964/carpenter-brut-return-with-horror-themed-leather-terror-album-and-nightmarish-video-for-single-imaginary-fire/ |url-status=live }}
Popularity and legacy
In the early 2010s, the synthwave soundtracks of films such as Drive and Tron: Legacy attracted new fans and artists to the genre. Drive featured Kavinsky's "Nightcall" and "A Real Hero" by College and Electric Youth, which catapulted synthwave into mainstream recognition and solidified its stature as a music genre. The genre's popularity was furthered through its presence in the soundtracks of video games like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Hotline Miami, as well as the Netflix series Stranger Things, which featured synthwave pieces that complemented the show's 1980s setting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/synthwave-feature-list-2641449554.html/|title=How Synthwave Grew from a Niche '80s Throwback to a Current Phenomenon|last=Cram|first=Preston|date=25 November 2019|website=Popmatters|language=en-US|access-date=5 December 2019|archive-date=28 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128040327/https://www.popmatters.com/synthwave-feature-list-2641449554.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=22 June 2017|title=A Guide to Synthwave Part II – Drive, Blood Dragon & Hotline Miami|url=https://hey-nineteen.com/2017/06/22/a-guide-to-synthwave-part-ii-drive-blood-dragon-hotline-miami/|access-date=10 November 2021|website=Hey Nineteen|language=en|archive-date=10 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110011826/https://hey-nineteen.com/2017/06/22/a-guide-to-synthwave-part-ii-drive-blood-dragon-hotline-miami/|url-status=live}} Nerdglow{{'}}s Christopher Higgins cited Electric Youth and Kavinsky as the two most popular artists in synthwave in 2014.
In 2016, British band The 1975 released the critically acclaimed synthwave-influenced track "Somebody Else". The track comes as their third single for their second album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. It has been cited as a major influence on many contemporaries' work, such as Lorde, Tate McRae and Olivia Rodrigo.
Synthwave remained a niche genre throughout the 2010s. In 2017, PC Gamer noted that synthwave influences were to be felt in early 2010s gaming releases, primarily of the "outrun" subgenre, including Hotline Miami and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Writing in 2019, PopMatters journalist Preston Cram said, "Despite its significant presence and the high level of enthusiasm about it, synthwave in its complete form remains a primarily underground form of music." He added that "Nightcall" and "A Real Hero" remained "two of only a small number of synthwave songs produced to date that [are] widely known outside the genre's followers."
The 2019 virtual reality game Boneworks heavily features the synthwave genre in its soundtrack,{{Cite web|title=Bonetones: The Boneworks OST, by Michael Wyckoff |url=https://michaelwyckoff.bandcamp.com/album/bonetones-the-boneworks-ost |access-date=6 February 2023 |website=Michael Wyckoff|language=en}} which was composed by Michael Wyckoff.
In 2020, "Blinding Lights", a synthwave-influenced song by R&B artist the Weeknd{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/music/the-weeknd-blinding-lights/|website=uproxx.com|title=[LISTEN] The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Is Yearning Synthwave|date=29 November 2019 |access-date=16 January 2022|archive-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203061034/https://uproxx.com/music/the-weeknd-blinding-lights/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=31 March 2020|title=How Dua Lipa and The Weeknd are bringing the 80s back… again|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-52109397|access-date=13 February 2022|archive-date=8 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408020836/https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-52109397|url-status=live}} topped US record charts, the first song to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite journal|url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/04/weeknd-blinding-lights-billboard-number-1-coronavirus-tiktoks.html|first=Chris|last=Molanphy|journal=Slate|title=Why the Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" is the first chart topper of the coronavirus era.|date=9 April 2020 |access-date=16 January 2022|archive-date=4 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104182347/https://slate.com/culture/2020/04/weeknd-blinding-lights-billboard-number-1-coronavirus-tiktoks.html|url-status=live}} Matt Mills of Louder wrote in 2021 that the genre "had exploded into the mainstream, cramming dancefloors and soundtracking blockbusters."{{Cite web|author1=Matt Mills|date=2 June 2021|title=Perturbator's Lustful Sacraments: synthwave guru takes a walk on the dark side|url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/perturbator-lustful-sacraments-album-review|access-date=13 February 2022|website=loudersound|language=en|archive-date=16 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116051802/https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/perturbator-lustful-sacraments-album-review|url-status=live}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book|editor-last=Wetmore|editor-first=Kevin J. Jr.|title=Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence in the Series|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6JtVDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT31|date=2018|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-7186-4}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- {{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/synthwave-the-sound-of-an-80s-childhood-goes-mainstream-11548514800|title=Synthwave, the Sound of an '80s Childhood, Goes Mainstream|last=Shah|first=Neil|date=28 January 2019|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=29 November 2019|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660|ref=none}}
- {{Cite web|last=O'Neal|first=Sean|date=2 August 2016|url=https://www.avclub.com/stranger-things-score-is-a-gateway-into-synthwave-1798250478|title=Stranger Things' score is a gateway into synthwave|website=The A.V. Club|ref=none}}
{{Electronica}}