80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwave?

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danth
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80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwave?

Post by danth »

So I'm not just a fan of 80s anime. I like 80s music a lot too.

Apparently 80s style music is making a huge comeback right now. If you've seen the movie Drive or pay attention to synth pop, you may be familiar with bands like Electric Youth, College, Com Truise, or Lazerhawk.

There are also a ton of new lesser known bands making ridiculously 80s music, like FM Attack, Mega Drive, Miami Nights 1984, La Cassete, and Timecop 1983. It's all very intentionally 80s, to a degree bordering on irony. There's even a new art movement called Vaporwave that ironically incorporates pop trash of the 80s:

"Vaporwave sometimes serves as both a critique and parody of consumerist society, '80s yuppie culture, and New Age music, while sonically and aesthetically showcasing a curious fascination with their nostalgic artifacts."

It also heavily incorporates...wait for it...1980's and 90's Japanese culture and anime! Here's an example of some vaporwave art:

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A lot of the new synth or Vaporwave music I've been finding is either set to old-school anime (Check out Overdrive by Lazerhawk set to Riding Bean) or incorporates old anime into its album art (Check out Police Work by Space Magic which uses a still from the old Policenauts video game)

Anyway, the fact that 80s synth pop is back and is incorporating an old-school anime aesthetic is kind of like dying and going to heaven for me. Is anyone else following this movement? The weirdest thing I found today was a new vaporwave artist called Macross82-99 that released an album called SAILORWAVE featuring art from Sailor Moon (click the image for the youtube link):

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Apparently it's just mixed/filtered samples from old Japanese music. But anyway, I don't know what's going on. It's crazy. But I like it!
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Kame-Sen'nin
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by Kame-Sen'nin »

I've actually stumbled across this recently, but I'm not too familiar with it yet. Based on what I've heard, I really like the idea. I'll have to check out some of the bands that you listed! :D
danth
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by danth »

Since I've explored this a little bit, I'll add some links to make it easy for people who want to check this stuff out.

Electric Youth
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Probably the most well known currently; not 80's to an ironic level but definitely part of the new synth movement. I have their Innerworld album and the entire thing is fantastic. Their breakout song Real Hero which was a collaboration with College. Youtube Link.

FM Attack
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This is definitely more intentionally 80s. I bought their album Deja Vu and it's pretty much all great. My favorite song of their at the moment is called Magic. Youtube Link.
Last edited by danth on Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
danth
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by danth »

Dance with the Dead
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The best way I can describe this is epic Castlevania monster fighting music mixed with an 80's superviolent anime soundtrack. My favorite song by them is Robeast, which is named after the villains from Voltron! Youtube Link.

Miami Nights 1984
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If you ever need to drive a Lamborghini at a high speed through the streets of Miami at night, this is your soundtrack. I mean just look at the Trapper Keeper album cover! Turbulence Full Album Youtube link.
Last edited by danth on Sun Feb 08, 2015 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
danth
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by danth »

Timecop 1983
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More of the same here; if you like FM Attack or Miami Nights 1984 you will probably like Timecop 1983. Their Journey album has a sort of soft, ethereal, upbeat sound. It's a bit more sunny LA Day than Miami Night. Full Album Youtube link.

Perturbator
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Anybody else get a Urotsukidōji vibe from that album cover? Their music has the exact same vibe! Full Album Youtube link.
danth
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by danth »

Freeweights
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This band is ridiculously new, as in they don't have an album yet and have only put their music on youtube in the last month. However it's completely non-ironic 80s music. You would never know these songs didn't come out in 1985! Youtube link.

College
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College is pretty well known to anyone know is paying attention to synthpop right now, but I honestly don't find his music as exciting as any of the other new synth pop coming out these days. Youtube link.
danth
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by danth »

Com Truise
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This is another better known artist I'm including for completeness sake. Com Truise has been described as "Chillwave," which I assume means it's less energetic and more trippy. Not exactly my cup of tea, but it's definitely new and definitely synth. Full album Youtube link.

Lazerhawk
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Their hard-driving Redline album has the same energy as the anime of the same name. Lazerhawk's music has been used in many 80's action anime AMVs you can find on youtube.
Youtube Full album link
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by usamimi »

Danth -- I got into Vaporwave for the same reasons: I love that 80s music/sythpop sort of style, unironically. There's artists making super cool stuff out there. And YES!! Macross82-99 is AWESOME, probably my top favorite. I totally recommend all his albums, not just the Sailor Wave one. Listening to them while I run errands or travel makes me feel like the main character in my own OAV. The guy's got a gift.

I haven't heard of some of those artists you listed, I'll have to check them out! Thanks. :mrgreen:

Oh, and if you dig that kind of stuff, you should totally check out the Digital Trip anime albums by Jun Fukumachi--they were basically vaporwave before vaporwave happened, even the covers for them are very vaporwave style:
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danth
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by danth »

Yay Usamimi! I'm so glad someone else likes this stuff!

Feel free to tell me what you know about Vaporwave. It's kinda mysterious to me. Its seems like the music is mainly sampling old 80s music, and possibly slowing it down a lot? The visual art form I think I get, but the music I'm still figuring out. I can't tell if I'm listening to original music or just remixed samples or what. The only Vaporwave artists that I know of so far are Vektroid, Saint Pepsi, Trevor Something, and now Macross82-89.

And now I'm off to check out Digital Trip!
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Re: 80s music, new synth pop, vaporwave, and now... Sailorwa

Post by Char Aznable »

That's funny there's a post about this now. I just started listening to Perturbator about a week or so ago. I had already been familiar with Lazerhawk. Great music and amazing album covers, especially the Perturbator, Miami Nights, Dance with the Dead and College ones. If they had them on vinyl I'd be buying copies just to hang up.
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