SoundTrax: Back To The Future
posted in: Artist Features • Reviews & Playlists
Is it just us, or does it seem like the ’80s are about to make a comeback? Juno synths have started to creep into even the most cookie-cutter radio pop music, vinyl warmth and tape hiss are becoming more and more prevalent in digitally-recorded music (where those things shouldn’t exist) and John Hughes movies have seen a huge sale increase (we joke). This all points to a simple foregone conclusion: the hipsters are bored with the ’90s and have begun the cultural depletion of earlier decades.
So for all the forward-thinking trendsetters out there, we have some tunes you should check out. In this edition of SoundTrax we highlight some of the most retro-sounding electronic artists currently out there. This music almost serves as a counter-culture to the hard hitting electro-house and dubstep that is all the rage these days. It stems from the same principles; danceable beats, melodic synths and attention to song structure, but lacks the immediacy of electro-house and the brashness of American dubstep. What the music lacks in attention-grabbing, in-your-face noise, it makes up for in charm.
This is music that sounds like it’s being played from a cassette you left in your glove box all summer (not that I know how that would sound, I’ve never listened to music off anything other than my iPod, of course). Some of it is a modern take on the classic disco sound, while other tracks have more of an ’80s synth-pop vibe.
So hop into a pair of bell bottoms, strap on your old SWATCH, practice the Molly Ringwald, maybe tune into some Max Headroom, and strut over to your local night club. Yes, I’m aware that I just jumbled pop culture references from a handful of different eras, just roll with it. I promise by the end of this playlist you won’t know the difference between disco and a Delorean.