Hotline Miami was my gateway drug into the neon-soaked sound of synthwave and synthpop. Its mix of fast-paced electro with sinister tracks filled with dread-ridden beats gave me just a taste of what I now consider one of my favourite genres. It’s eclectic nature can lend itself incredibly well to film genres ranging from slasher flicks, dystopian sci-fi and action and can set moods just with a single tone.
Here are some of my own picks for the best of synth that I’ve listened to over the past two years.
Mitch Murder – ‘Remember When’
I had first heard (And fell in love with) this song from a fake Grand Theft Auto V station playlist someone had thrown together after French artist Kavinsky had confirmed he was a host on a station named “NightRideFM”. Unfortunately, it either never made it into the game or the whole thing was made up by the DJ himself. Either way, someone made a great playlist video inspired by the idea.
John Carpenter – ‘Excape From New York Main Title’
This next one comes from The Horror Master himself, John Carpenter. The theme to his 1981 sci-fi action hit Escape from New York was part of an amazing soundtrack all completely composed by Carpenter. Its simplicity combines guitar, piano, drum and synth pieces together to ease moviegoers into the dark and grungy world of Snake Plissken.
Lazerhawk – ‘So Far Away’
Lazerhawk‘s ‘So Far Away’ caught my eye while listening to their 2012 debut album. The song always struck me with mental images of sand, sun, the road and Italian sports-cars. Not really sure how it relates to the song itself, but I always thoroughly enjoyed listening to it while on a drive somewhere.
Carpenter Brut – ‘Looking For Tracy Tzu’
As far as I’m concerned nowadays, it’s hard for me to talk about modern synth/electro without mentioning French artist Carpenter Brut. His ability to compose cacophonies of aggressive beats and audacious melodies has honestly never ceased to stun me anytime he releases an EP. His first EP compilation Trilogy is now available, I do suggest you check that out.
Lifelike – ‘So Electric’
This track is yet another I heard from the NightRide FM video. It’s a lively song that reminds me of Daft Punk in a weird way, only less robotic voices of course. The music video someone made for it is cool too using recycled footage from Ron Hays‘ ‘Odyssey’.
Magic Sword – ‘The Way Home’
Hotline Miami 2 may not have been as well-liked in comparison to its original, but I hold both games close to my heart. It’s soundtracks are excellently put together, and ‘The Way Home’ by Magic Sword is a top-notch song placed at an incredibly sad moment for some characters featured in Hotline Miami 2 that resonated with me a lot more than I care to admit.
Kavinsky – ‘Protovision’
One of the few songs I can really define as “truly hype”, Kavinky‘s ‘Protovision’ is one of the most victorious songs I’ve ever heard. I kid you not, I’ve watched the endings to a hundred different movies in my head with this song in mind, be it a cyber-samurai fight to the death or a motorcyclist chasing a drug-dealer who’s kidnapped his girlfriend, this song would totally work as the ending theme.
And if you want to listen to all these tracks together, here’s a Spotify playlist for you!
Header image credit: Reddit user /u/Raging_Elephant