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80s Synth Pop

SonicFluxx Interview: Cosmic Inspiration and Artistic Evolution on Florida’s East Coast

Posted on 3 November 2024

In this A&R Factory interview, we speak with SonicFluxx, an artist shaped by a childhood amid the unique cultural and natural landscapes of Florida’s East Coast. SonicFluxx shares how experiences such as witnessing shuttle launches, growing up near Disney World, and being surrounded by 80s and 90s pop icons like Depeche Mode, Madonna, and Pet Shop Boys influenced his sound and vision. He reflects on his path from DJing to full-time music production in Los Angeles, alongside the challenges of adapting to social media in the modern music world. With new music on the horizon, SonicFluxx reveals a vision dedicated to using music as a healing force, ready to connect with listeners globally.

SonicFluxx, welcome to A&R Factory! Thanks for sitting down with us to discuss your career and your future ambitions. We’d love to know how your upbringing on Florida’s East Coast, among such iconic figures, influenced your sonic signature.

Growing up in Central Florida in the 80’s and 90’s was a special time in our American history and I feel lucky to have experienced many things that most didn’t during that era. Growing up next to Disney World taught me that music holds messages and meaning and that music can be the language that unites all.

I watched the Space Shuttle program firsthand and watched many shuttle launches from my backyard. I learned at a young age that there was more than this world we are on and I found love in the stars and the universe. I questioned my existence of this planet at a pretty young age and what my role was. I grew up living five minutes from the beach – walking through the sand and understanding the concept that a speck of sand doesn’t make much, but a whole bunch of it creates a beautiful beach.

When you grow up and live in such a magical and inspirational place, I think it tends and fuels the creative fire within and ignites the spark that so many musicians and artists before me have experienced.

What was it about Depeche Mode, Madonna, and Pet Shop Boys that inspired you to light your own creative spark?

I found deep inspiration with these three artists particularly because through their music, I learned that songs can have a message to invoke positive change in society. Many artists feel a duty to use their voice as a platform to invoke political, cultural and societal change in the world and this is also what I wanted out of my own music and songwriting. Aligning with the same beliefs as an artist also made me feel connected to the artist themselves in a way and I found this connection to be very special.

How has your relationship with music changed over the years?

I was born in a Southern Baptist Church, so I grew up singing traditional hymns on Sundays. I grew up extremely sheltered from what is called secular media in the religious tone. My introduction to pop and dance music did not occur until my rebellious teen era, in which I would spend hours in FYE at the mall and listen to CDs. I consumed every bit of pop culture I could at this point in my life. I connected with dance music in a spiritual way that spiritual music never gave me.

I began to study and analyze what made a great song at this age. I would have a knack for knowing what songs on an album would be the next single before it was released. I turned this talent into songwriting. I was a DJ in my early 20s and began producing remixes myself with Sony Acid Music Studio on a laptop I rented from Rent-A-Center.

I am a self-proclaimed pop and dance music lover. I took pride in sharing new tracks with people and seeing their reactions when they loved it. After many years of no music interaction other than consumption, I quit my job, quit college and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career full time. I find myself enjoying creating music more than I enjoy listening to it myself. However, don’t get me wrong, I still stan for a few artists new music!

Creatively, what came most easily to you, and what did you have to work hard to hone?

Melodies, hooks and songwriting came the easiest. Most of my songs have been written in about three days – one song I wrote in 15 minutes. I have a knack for hearing a beat and immediately hearing a melody in my head. Then words come after that. It’s a chaotic process I will admit, but it works for me.

Half of my lyrics aren’t even written down anywhere because songs are written so quickly. ‘Nomad’, for example, was half written and I made up the rest of the lyrics in the studio on the spot. My songs come from my life, my struggles and my heartache – it’s pretty easy to spill out currently.

What is challenging for me is creating social media content. I am not good at picture taking, not quick to take pictures in settings and I find creating and thinking of social content does not come easy at all. I am from the MySpace generation, so the new era of social media has definitely been the biggest challenge to overcome for me.

You mentioned a period of depression after focusing on your vocation as an astronomer; do you believe a lack of creative output is to blame for a lot of existential suffering in others?

Short answer: yes. I believe that many people do not use the right side of their brain enough and invoke creativity in their lives. I love that book reading and crocheting has made comebacks these days. I think more people need to find that creative output to truly find peace. As a child, we use this side of our brain so naturally and it’s a beautiful thing. When we lose our sense of imagination and wonder, we can lose who we are and where we are going – Walt Disney taught me that and I still firmly believe in it.

Could you tell us more about your vision for your music going forward and any new directions you are exploring in your artistic journey?

When I started my music career full time, I said that if my music reached just one person and helped them, I’ve done my job. Music is healing. Music can be your remedy, as I sing in my song ‘Remedy’, which is a love letter to all my fans. I have achieved this and now my goal is to take the same concept but go worldwide.

I am always writing new music and do have new music ready to go and am planning to release a deluxe edition of the album around February 2025.

Stream SonicFluxx on Spotify and discover more about the artist via their official website.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Spiffy Man on Genre Fluidity, Retro Inspirations, and Crafting Stories Through Sound

Posted on 18 August 2024

As Spiffy Man prepares to release his new single, Nights at the Waterfront, he caught up with us to reflect on his artistic journey, moving from the familiar territory of Progressive House into the nostalgia Synthpop. In this interview, he shares the heartfelt story behind the track, his passion for weaving narratives through music, and his newfound love for retro 80s sounds. With a new album in the works and a dedication to pushing his creative boundaries, Spiffy Man offers insights into his evolving musical identity. Discover the depth and ambition driving his latest work.

Spiffy Man, welcome to A&R Factory! We’re stoked to have you as you gear up for the release of your forthcoming single, Nights at the Waterfront, which is due to drop on September 20. What’s the story behind the single?

Thanks for having me! The story is fairly simple, a tale about two people who are dating and struggle with how to tell each other that they are in love. It’s part of a larger story being told in my album that will be released sometime next year.

What do you think the single says about you as an artist?

As an artist, I feel this track shows more of my diverse side. I’m typically known as a Progressive House artist but now find myself attempting to test my abilities in other genres, Synthpop more specifically for this single.

What was the process of bringing such an intricately layered track to life like?

This track started off as a collaboration between myself and a friend, Tyler, back in 2021. We had abandoned the project and only recently did I decide to make creative corrections and change the direction of the track. Originally, it was called Late Night in Santa Monica by Tyler and for me, it was about my fiancée and I’s date nights at the Santa Monica Pier in California. So, some of those elements stayed in the track, the location just being Seattle instead of Santa Monica.

Did the genre fluidity come naturally?

I would say transitioning to different genres is a challenge, but once I get into the flow of writing and producing the rest does come pretty naturally. I do a lot of studying into the genres I want to contribute to and thus become pretty immersed in the work.

After making so many waves in the EDM and progressive house scene, what inspired a shift to a more synth-pop sound?

I always loved the sounds of synthesizers in music from the 80s, from films and television shows to bands and groups such as A-Ha and Van Halen. I’ve experimented with Synthwave quite a bit and feel I found my retro sound through this new single. Some of the best 80’s teen rom-coms had a stellar soundtrack that was heavy on synthesizers and I’ve always wanted to maintain that magic they put out to audiences.

Judging by your streaming stats and the highlights in your career, you’ve clearly mastered the art of orchestrating earworms, has your success changed your relationship with music as an expressive art form?

I’ve always wanted to tell amazing stories through my music. Over the years, I felt that I needed more visual representations of the story to help people get more involved and in tune to the stories I’m telling. Only more recently have I begun to challenge my emotions into the music and I feel it has definitely opened up the door to new sounds and means of expression.

After the release of Nights at the Waterfront, what’s next?

After this release, I’ll begin promotion for my next Progressive House single with my long-time friend, Sauniks, which will be featured. alongside Nights At The Waterfront, in an album I’m hoping to release in the spring. From there, the sky’s the limit as I’ll continue to push myself to new sound design and new mediums of storytelling.

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Stream Spiffy Man on Spotify and follow the artist on TikTok and Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Roubix & Ollie King painted the night in neon euphoria with their definitively 80s synthpop track, In Your Head

Posted on 11 April 2024

Roubix & Ollie King’s latest collaboration, ‘In Your Head’, is a vibrant homage to the golden era of 80s synthpop, masterfully blending our collective appetite for nostalgia with contemporary production. Following the viral success of ‘Atlantis‘, this dynamic duo continues to captivate the European disco scene, and ‘In Your Head’ is poised to be their next chart-topper.

The track is a kaleidoscope of upbeat, synth-carved rhythms that instantly transport listeners back to the neon-lit dancefloors of the 80s. Fans of Erasure, Gary Numan, and The Human League will find themselves in familiar territory, yet there’s a freshness to Roubix & Ollie King’s approach that prevents the song from being a mere pastiche.

The way the duo embrace their pop roots is completely unapologetic. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the single unadulteratedly nods to the 80s era of pop as it professes to be head over heels under the reflections of a disco ball. The harmonies are sticky-sweet, the lyricism impassioned, and the instrumentals perfectly calibrated to evoke both memory and emotion. This isn’t just an earworm; it’s a track that transcends time, offering an exhilarating escape into a world of neon euphoria.

With Spotify already confirming its inclusion in one of their official playlists and an impressive line-up of gigs across Europe, Roubix & Ollie King are poised to reign synthpop supreme throughout 2024.

In Your Head will be available to stream on all major platforms from April 11; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dylan Galvin painted a disparaging sign of the sonic times while firing shots at plastic pop acts in ‘How to Write a Pop Song’

Posted on 20 January 2024

Is there any better feeling than hitting play on a track and being greeted by lyrical depictions of the frustrations that keep you scathed? If you’re inclined to say no, you’re going to want to tune into Dylan Galvin’s latest hit, How to Write a Pop Song, where there are countless lyrical shots fired at the artists and producers cheapening the pop industry with every new ‘perennial pop earworm’.

The efficacious new wave synthpop hooks are buried under a myriad of lyrical layers which subversively make the single a revelationary exposition of how pop music has been plasticised and commercialised beyond recognition. With echoes of 80s greats in the same vein as George Michael reminding you of what pop used to be in its golden era fused with a modern synth aesthetic reminiscent of John Mayer, How to Write a Pop Song is a disparaging sign of the sonic times that will exhilarate you through the vindication you extrapolate.

With acerbic wit in no short supply, the track is a satirical triumph, especially with the inclusion of “choruses have got to big, thoughts have to be small”, and “just sing about your ex and how things used to be”. It was a bold move to be so damning of a genre he is contributing to, but Dylan Galvin more than pulled it off. While taunting the artists whose songs will be quickly be lost to history, he became unequivocally unforgettable.

How to Write a Pop Song will hit the airwaves on January 19; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Embrace the retro-future with The Exotic Ices Project’s seminal track, Disciple

Posted on 21 December 2023

Stepping out from the shadows of their former band, Ruby Jones and Patrick Spillane of The Exotic Ices Project ignited a fuse on a synth-pop explosion with their seminal single Disciples. The standout from their debut album, Sunshine Desserts, is a vibrant testament to their musical evolution and a bold statement in the world of new wave synth-pop.

Opening with a cascade of twinkling synths, reminiscent of stardust spanning the entire colour spectrum, the auditory spectacle sets the stage for a journey through a soundscape that is both familiar and refreshingly, chaotically, novel.

After capturing the essence of the 80s and propelling it into the modern era, the track takes an unexpected turn as choppy, staccato guitars enter, bolstering the composition with a raw, electrifying energy. This shift creates a synthscape driven by the tumultuousness of unchained emotion.

While Disciples may not align with everyone’s musical palette, it is a treasure for those who revel in the brighter, more intense shades of retro synth-pop. The track encapsulates the fervid dedication of its namesake, transcending into a realm of electro-rock fervour. It’s a daring composition, one that challenges the listener while remaining undeniably captivating.

With their bold colours and explorative sonic universes, Ruby and Patrick are not just riding the wave of synth-pop; they are redefining it.

The official music video for Disciple is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ELSKA delivered synthwave redemption in her latest single, Flashback

Posted on 14 October 2023

With an 80s edge as sharp as the one carved by The Human League paired with the same spiritual zeal of Stevie Nicks, the latest single from the ever-ascending Australian pop icon, ELSKA carries enough of the nostalgic new wave feel-good factor to leave you exhilarated by the swells of retro aesthetics, but Flashback is so much more to an ode to seemingly everyone’s new favourite era.

The juxtaposing lyrics reminisce on crying on the bathroom floor – yea, we’ve all been there – while the shimmering aesthetic of the track affectingly attests to how we all have to write our own redemption story, which also goes for survivors of sexual abuse and assault. If the sticky-sweet hooks in the stellar four-to-the-floor bop don’t convince you that dark days don’t set a blueprint for your future, just wait until the harmonies start to layer into a synthesised choir.

Prior to the release of Flashback, ELSKA performed at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, collaborated with the world-renowned Brad Hosking on a track, and became a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. She has come a seriously long way since she made her debut in 2018. We can’t wait to see her make more Olympian strides.

Flashback was officially released on October 6; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

How Synthwave Became an Unreckonable Force in the Music Industry in 2023

Posted on 9 October 2023

Love it or hate it, the retro-futurism of synthwave and retrowave is here to stay, at least until a new sonic trend comes along, which is hopefully sooner rather than later because the music industry can only take so many up-and-coming artists assimilating The Midnight, Gunship, and Timecop1983.

Whether you delve into R&B, rock, pop, or electronica genres, you are bound to find artists struggling to leave the neon-soaked iconography of the 80s in the rearview mirror and determined to tap into society’s lust for nostalgia.

The 21st-Century Obsession with 80s Aesthetics

The music industry is far from the arena choked with retro-futuristic aesthetics; the wider landscape of pop culture is luminous with backlit lights; films such as the 2011 hit Drive, the Hotline Miami videogame, and TV shows such as Stranger Things can all be pinpointed as culprits in this cult-like obsession with nostalgic synth-driven soundscapes.

While neither electro-pop nor synthwave has ever been fully shunned from the mainstream, it is back with an analogue vengeance with more artists inclined to tap into the feel-good factor of nostalgic melodies, characteristic synth lines and pulsing rhythmic beats and patterns.

It is far from just the addictive hooks perpetuating the appeal of the retro genres. The desolation, dystopia, and isolation of the COVID-19 era have also been attributed to the unreckonable force of retro-futurism.

During the multiple lockdowns, which paused live music and left people confined to their homes, people found themselves finding escapism via music, and notably, there were few better escapist avenues than the ones synthwave provided. Take the success of Charlie XCX’s album, How I’m Feeling Now, and anything the Weeknd has ever created as a prime example; The Weeknd is still the most streamed artist on Spotify with 111.2 million monthly listeners; his hit single, Blinding Lights broke records after it became the most streamed single history. To date, it has garnered over 3.827 billion streams.

A Brief History of Synthwave

Synthwave started to emerge in the mid-2000s, when the French house producers, David Grellier and Kavinsky started to emanate 80s film soundtracks in their soundscapes.

Other musicians and producers who jumped on the bandwagon were keen to assimilate the likes of Tangerine Dream, New Order, and Gary Numan, while visual artists were instantly obsessed with neon lights, Ferraris, and pretty much anything to do with Miami, and John Carpenter seemed to be at the epicentre of it all until the premiere of the Ryan Gosling film, Drive, in 2011. Shortly after, the likes of Cassius, Stardust, and Daft Punk played a pivotal role in the glamourisation of 80s imagery.

Initially, synthwave represented a rejection of the 90s sonic styles; today, there is little semblance of rebellion with the mainstream appeal of it. Even Taylor Swift has hopped on the bandwagon with her 2022 album, Midnights.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Just as the rock and hip-hop genres managed to diversify themselves, we have little doubt that innovative artists will come along with the ability to make the synthwave sound a little less derivative. However, as nostalgia is much a part of the music as the 4 / 4-time signatures, which provide a kick on every beat of the bar, and the staple drum machines and synths, it’s unlikely that the evolution of the genre will ever blast into an entirely new stratosphere. But for what it is worth, Synthwave has already spawned swathes of subgenres. To name a few, they include:

Dreamwave – the downtempo sister of synthwave, which comes with higher tones and higher frequencies.

Scifiwave – an iteration of synthwave with a heavier emphasis on orchestral and cinematic synthetics.

Vaporwave – a more satirical and ambient exploration of 80s and 90s stylings, which is often confused with synthwave.

Sovietwave – surreally everything that it says on the tin; soundscapes which euphonically encompass the fall of the Soviet Union.

Darkwave – a darker and more gothic approach to synth wave; a genre defined by the sounds of Carpenter Brut and Perturbator.

When we asked AI to predict the future of the genre, it had even bigger ideas, envisioning the genre reaching even bigger heights with augmented and virtual reality immersive experiences for music fans, hologram-littered visual shows and entire festivals dedicated to synthwave artists.

Time will only tell if the genre can sustain its legacy, but as technology evolves, there is plenty of expectation that synthwave will follow suit. Although, after the excessive appropriation of the 80s sound, there is every chance that a new revivalist era will begin.

After all, trends work in cycles, which means a resurgence in Britpop, grunge, and nu-metal may be becoming overdue! It used to be that trend cycles lasted for 20 years, but internet culture has wreaked havoc with those trend cycles. Now, the music industry is era’s game.

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For more updates on music industry trends, keep following our blog, or learn the importance of nostalgia in music by reading our piece on the neurology of nostalgia and the price the music industry pays for it.

Article by Amelia Vandergast

Alen Chicco’s RnB Pop hit is anything but just ‘Another Love Song’

Posted on 27 August 2023

If you know exactly how it feels to be caught out as one of love’s fools, the resonance you’ll revel in when the soulfully hair-raising chorus in Alen Chicco’s latest RnB pop single, Another Love Song hits will cut straight to the core.

The definitively 80s synth lines leave the hit awash with lush reverb as Chicco’s dynamic vocal timbre evolves around the tension-fraught build-ups and classic pop crescendos constructed by the funk-laden basslines and atmospheric drum fills.

With some of the juiciest vocal hooks we’ve heard this year, which prove the singer-songwriter’s capacity to incorporate all of the hallmarks of a perennial pop earworm while never compromising on the viscerally raw emotion, the industry should be eating out of the palm of his deft hands and pop fanatic sycophants should be breaking down his door.

Check out the official music video for Another Love Song by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The sonic raconteur of space-age tales Robert Ramirez held a mirror to our future with his single, Migrate

Posted on 27 July 2023

With a music video more compellingly dystopic than the latest season of Black Mirror, the standout single, Migrate, from Robert Ramirez’s debut LP, is one small step for synthwave and one giant leap for synthkind.

As the polyphonically playful synths hammer down in a scintillatingly ethereal atmosphere, the Migrate lyrics and music video tell the tale of an android venturing to an underground lab where human emotions are extracted and sold. Given the rapid rates of technological progression and the rising levels of ennui, the concept that brought Migrate viscerally to life under Ramirez’s deft touch as a composer and sonic raconteur of space-age tales won’t be farfetched for long.

Boldly going further back than most synthpop artists dare to roam, Ramirez also dabbled in late 70s-esque synthetics reminiscent of Thomas Dolby, Telex and Yellow Magic Orchestra.

The official music video for Migrate Premiered on July 13th; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Positronic signed, sealed, and delivered a 80s synth-pop postcard with his latest single, A Long Goodbye

Posted on 31 March 2023

With an edge of 80s synthpop sharpening the future-embracing textures in the ardently dreamy release that picks up plenty of visceral weight from the crooned harmonies, the latest single, A Long Goodbye, from Positronic will warm even the most sub-zero souls.

Odes to the 80s can often sound trite at best – there was never any danger of that with the reminiscences to icons of aural cool such as Editors, noted through the harshness of the snares, the chillier timbres and the sheer depth of emotion in the vocals.

The unassimilated gravitas of A Long Goodbye starts to make infinitely more sense with a glimpse at the artist and producer’s biography; the solo artist has been in the synth-pop scene since 1988, spurred on by the love of The Pet Shop Boys, OMD, Erasure and Depeche Mode. The Cali solo artist is just as talented as the artists he pulled inspiration from.

A Long Goodbye will officially release on March 31st; hear it on Positronic’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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