What is synthwave music?

Synthwave emerged in the mid-2000s, drawing inspiration from 1980s pop culture, film soundtracks, and video game music.

Synthwave has evolved to embrace a wider range of influences, enhanced production quality, and seamless fusion with genres like metal and pop.

Synthwave has left a significant mark on pop music production, film and TV soundtracks, and visual aesthetics in media and fashion.

Key elements include analog synthesizer sounds, drum machine rhythms, nostalgic melodies, and retro-futuristic themes.

Synthwave music generally features a tempo range of 80 to 118 BPM, with most tracks falling between 90 and 105 BPM.

Visual aesthetics—featuring neon colors, retro-futuristic imagery, and 80s-inspired graphics—are essential to synthwave culture and branding.

Popular software for creating synthwave music includes Ableton Live, FL Studio, and a variety of vintage synthesizer emulation plugins.

Both genres draw from 80s nostalgia, but synthwave focuses on recreating the era's signature sounds, while vaporwave manipulates and distorts 80s music samples to create a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere.

Some of the most notable synthwave artists include Kavinsky, Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, The Midnight, and Com Truise. These artists have played a significant role in shaping the retro-futuristic sound of the genre.

Ghost production is a common practice in synthwave, with many established artists relying on ghost producers to enhance their output and maintain a consistent release schedule.