Synthwave

This article is about the house-influenced genre from the 2000s. For topics related to the term used in 1980s magazines, see Cold wave (music), Minimal wave, and Dark wave.

Synthwave
Other names
  • Outrun
  • retrowave
  • future synth
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid-to late 2000s;[4][5] France, Western Europe
Subgenres
Other topics

Synthwave (also called outrun, retrowave, or futuresynth[5]) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s.[2] Other influences are drawn from the decade's art and video games.[3] Synthwave musicians often espouse nostalgia for 1980s culture and attempt to capture the era's atmosphere and celebrate it.[8]

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.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Robert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Hunt, Jon (9 April 2014). "We Will Rock You: Welcome To The Future. This is Synthwave". l'etoile. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Neuman, Julia (23 June 2015). "A Retrowave Primer: 9 Artists Bringing Back the '80s". MTV Iggy. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Cram2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Neuman, Julia (30 July 2015). "The Nostalgic Allure of 'Synthwave'". New York Observer. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  6. ^ "25 Favourite Italo Disco Tracks". electricityclub.co.uk. 12 May 2018. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Young, Bryan (25 March 2015). "Synthwave: If Tron and Megaman had a music baby". Glitchslap.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  8. ^ Calvert, John (13 October 2011). "Xeno and Oaklander - Sets & Lights". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.