Browsing Tag

Erasure

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

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

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

Positronic

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

Interview: Positronic swims deeper Into the Blue and says A Long Goodbye

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6rDrqNMSUbW114j0HBKK6t

We sat down with the experienced producer Positronic to tell us more about the upcoming album Into the Blue and also, his brand new single A Long Goodbye. With so much to talk about, the cuppas were made so we found out more about what it takes to do what you love.

Hello there Positronic. Thank you for your time. What did you have for breakfast this morning and where in the world can we find you sitting today?

Positronic: I had a protein shake for breakfast and I am sitting at my desk at my job. I work in sales for an injection mold maker here in Southern CA.

How did you first get into music and do you remember that this-is-for-me moment?

Positronic: My friend and I started plucking away at our little Casio keyboards when we were 13. Then we started putting little songs together and then graduated to a Roland S10 and a Roland D50 synths a couple of years later. From there another friend from High School wanted to put a synth band together so he bought a synth with a sequencer. During my time with that band is when making Synthpop music was infused into my blood.

Please tell us more about your new single A Long Goodbye?

Positronic: A Long Goodbye is about changing your life when things aren’t going how you want them to. It’s about letting go of the past and moving on. It’s got a really strong beat and nice melodies & harmonies. I’m really excited to release it.

Into the Blue. This is your new album which is due for release on the 14th of April. Firstly, many congrats. Second, what was the whole process like and what do you think of the result?

Positronic: The Into the Blue album: I wrote the first single from the album called “Freedom” back in November of 2021. It was released by Mojoheadz Records in June of 2022. “Jump In” & “Falling in Love With You Again” were written in July of 2021 and only released on Sound Cloud. Shortly after Freedom was released, I wrote and recorded “Close to You” and released it as a single on Sept. 2nd of 2022. I had also worked most of the summer on 2022 writing and arranging the song, “Into the Blue”. I took November and December off from music to do the holidays with my family but after they were done, it was game on! I had 5 songs done at that time and during the month of January 2023, I wrote and recorded the remaining 5 songs. It was incredible. To write, arrange, and record 5 songs in a month is no easy feat. That being said, it wasn’t really that hard. The songs just poured out. I was in “The Zone”. I love when that happens! From there, my thoughts were that this album was too good to release without it being professionally mastered by someone without a history of mastering Synthpop. So, I went to Mike Marsh at The Exchange in the UK because he mastered OMD’s, “The Punishment of Luxury” album. I think Mike did an amazing job mastering it I think you can tell the difference between this album and my previous ones.

What kind of mood do you have to be in to make music or does your creative process vary?

Positronic: The process of making music varies for me. Sometimes, it just happens and other times it’s planned. “Freedom” was written with a purpose. I have several friends and family members that have struggled with addiction, plus struggling with it myself. So, I sat down and wrote that from personal experience. “Close to You” was written because it’s the first minor keyed song that I’ve written as Positronic. I thought that I should try something I hadn’t before or at least in a very long time. “Falling in Love with You Again” was written after a dream I had. I woke up one morning with the chorus running through my head. So, I grabbed my phone and recorded myself singing it, then went back to bed. When I sat down later that morning at the computer, the song was written and programmed, in about 4 hours.

Who or what are you most inspired by each day?

Positronic: I am inspired by the same musicians that I always have. Depeche Mode, Erasure, & OMD. Thank God they are still making music and inspiring me to this day. I’m also inspired in my life by Jesus Christ and my family.

Last, what are your dreams and goals for the rest of the year?

Positronic: My dreams and goals for this year are that this album will be a success. My other 3 albums got some decent play but then dropped off in plays pretty quickly. I’m hoping this album is accepted a little more by the public and that people will start to take a real interest in Positronic. I don’t usually play live very much but I have a show lined up on May 6th at Rockstars of Tomorrow in Norco, CA and I’m working on getting a show together at the Garden Grove Amphitheater with one of my musical heroes, “Anything Box”. I will also be doing some Open Mic nights around the Inland Empire just for fun.

Listen up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen