Synthwave, also called retrowave or futuresynth, is a type of electronic music that is mostly inspired by the soundtracks of action, science fiction, and horror films from the 1970s and 1980s. It is also influenced by the art and video games from that time. Musicians who make synthwave music often show love for 1980s culture and try to recreate the feeling and style of that era.
This music style began in the mid-to late 2000s, created by French house producers and younger artists who were inspired by the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Other influences include composers such as John Carpenter, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis (especially his music for the 1982 film Blade Runner), and Tangerine Dream. Synthwave became more popular after being used in the soundtrack of the 2011 film Drive, the 2012 video game Hotline Miami and its 2015 sequel, the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok, and the Netflix series Stranger Things.
Characteristics and related terms
Synthwave is a type of electronic music that is mainly inspired by 1980s movies, video games, and cartoons. It also takes influence from composers like John Carpenter, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream. Other influences include music styles such as house, synth, and nu-disco. Some artists, like Dance With The Dead and Zombie Hyperdrive, also include sounds from 1980s rock and metal music. Most synthwave music does not have vocals. However, some songs include singing. Common music speeds range from 80 to 118 beats per minute, while faster songs may range from 128 to 140 beats per minute.
"Outrun" is a subgenre of synthwave that later became a term for 1980s-style visuals, such as VHS tape effects, magenta neon lights, and gridlines. The name comes from the 1986 arcade game Out Run, which had a soundtrack that players could choose and featured 1980s-style designs. According to musician Perturbator (James Kent), "outrun" is also a separate subgenre. It is mainly instrumental and often includes sounds common in the 1980s, such as electronic drums, gated reverb, and bass and lead lines from analog synthesizers. These sounds help make the music sound like it was made during that time. Synthwave also has a visual style in album covers and music videos. According to PC Gamer, the look of "outrun" visuals combines elements from the 1980s that people today find nostalgic and updates them slightly so they are still recognizable.
Other subgenres include dreamwave, darksynth, and scifiwave. Journalist Julia Neuman mentioned that "outrun," "futuresynth," and "retrowave" are other names for synthwave. Author Nicholas Diak wrote that "retrowave" is a general term that includes music styles that revive 1980s sounds, such as synthwave and vaporwave. Darksynth is influenced by horror movies. According to Invisible Oranges, darksynth moves away from bright, 1980s-style sounds like those in Miami Vice and French electro house music. Instead, it uses darker sounds from horror movie composers like John Carpenter and Goblin, along with styles from post-punk, industrial, and EBM music.
Origins
Synthwave began in the mid to late 2000s. Diak studied how young artists at that time created music inspired by their childhoods in the 1980s. He said the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City changed how people viewed the 1980s, moving from mocking or uncertain feelings to admiration and respect. This change helped create new music styles like synthwave and vaporwave. MusicRadar also noted the influence of Vice City. Molly Lambert from MTV pointed out that the song "Love on a Real Train" by Tangerine Dream in the 1983 film Risky Business had a big impact. The song used repeating synth patterns, hypnotic chimes, and drum machines that made music sound unique.
In the mid-2000s, French house artists David Grellier (College) and Kavinsky were among the first to make music similar to 1980s film scores. Early synthwave was influenced by the 1982 movie Blade Runner (both the film and its soundtrack), 8- and 16-bit video games, 1980s jingles for VHS companies, and TV news and ads from that time. NME and MusicRadar said the 2011 film Drive greatly influenced synthwave. The film’s soundtrack included a song by Kavinsky called "Nightcall," as well as music by David Grellier, Johnny Jewel, and Cliff Martinez. EDM.com called Kavinsky a "synthwave pioneer," and the horror blog Bloody Disgusting described Carpenter Brut as a "synthwave icon."
Popularity and legacy
In the early 2010s, the synthwave music from movies like Drive and Tron: Legacy helped attract new fans and artists to the genre. Drive included songs such as Kavinsky's "Nightcall" and "A Real Hero" by College and Electric Youth, which helped make synthwave more widely known and established it as a recognized music style. The genre became more popular through its use in video games like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Hotline Miami, as well as in the Netflix series Stranger Things, which used synthwave music to match the show's 1980s setting. In 2014, Christopher Higgins from Nerdglow said that Electric Youth and Kavinsky were the most popular synthwave artists at the time.
Synthwave stayed mostly a small, specialized genre during the 2010s. In 2017, PC Gamer noted that synthwave influences appeared in early 2010s video games, especially in the "outrun" subgenre, such as Hotline Miami and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. In 2019, Preston Cram from PopMatters wrote that even though synthwave had a strong presence and many fans, it remained mostly an underground music style. He also mentioned that "Nightcall" and "A Real Hero" were among only a few synthwave songs widely known outside the genre's fans.
The 2019 virtual reality game Boneworks used synthwave music heavily in its soundtrack, which was created by Michael Wyckoff. In 2020, "Blinding Lights," a song by R&B artist the Weeknd that had synthwave influences, reached the top of US music charts. This was the first song to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Matt Mills from Louder wrote that the synthwave genre had become very popular in mainstream culture, appearing in dance clubs and movie soundtracks.