Miami Vice Theme: how Jan Hammer’s synth track hit No. 1 and won two Grammys
Jan Hammer’s Miami Vice Theme hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in November 1985 and won two Grammys. He built it on a Fairlight CMI, in his own words.
Roland TR-808: the $1,195 flop that became the sound of hip-hop
Roland’s TR-808 cost $1,195 in 1980, sold fewer than 12,000 units and was dropped in 1983. Then pawn-shop 808s became the sound of hip-hop.
The reminiscence bump: why synthwave feels like a memory of the 1980s
A 2013 Cornell study found young adults carry a memory bump for early-1980s hits their parents loved. It helps explain the pull of synthwave.
Running Up That Hill: how Stranger Things took Kate Bush to No. 1 after 37 years
Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill peaked at No. 3 in 1985. In June 2022, after a Stranger Things scene, it hit UK No. 1, 37 years after release.
Yamaha DX7: the $1,995 synth whose E.PIANO 1 preset defined the 80s ballad
The Yamaha DX7 cost $1,995 in 1983. By 1986 its E.PIANO 1 preset was on about 40% of US No. 1 singles. How one factory sound took over the ballad.
Organic Cyberpunk: How 57KOD Built the Vigilante Anthem “Lucky Luke”
Great synthwave doesn’t just sound like a movie—it tells a story. When 57KOD set out to create their latest track, “Lucky Luke,” they didn’t just want to program a generic retro beat; they wanted to score a narrative about refusing to remain a spectator. The concept was born out of a chance meeting in March … Read more
NoiseRoom UIO Releases Andes JX: The Free Open-Source Synth Inspired by the Ecuadorian Andes
Finding a free synthesizer that balances high-quality sound with a focused, intuitive interface is always a win for the production community. NoiseRoom UIO has just delivered exactly that with the release of Andes JX, a completely free and open-source polyphonic subtractive synthesizer designed for Windows. Operating out of an independent audio lab in Quito, Ecuador, … Read more
StemDeck: The Free Open-Source Local Stem Splitter Revolutionizing Remix Prep
Isolating vocals, pulling drum breaks, and extracting basslines used to require expensive software or risky third-party cloud services. For producers looking to create bootleg remixes or extract vintage samples, the landscape has been dominated by subscription models and online processing queues. Solo developer Thales Claro is changing that workflow entirely with the release of StemDeck, … Read more
The Track That Defined a Decade: The Story Behind ‘Sunset Cruise’ by Miami Nights 1984
Over a decade ago, the electronic music underground was undergoing a massive shift. Bedroom producers were trading in heavy dubstep drops for nostalgic, 1980s-inspired analog synthesizers. At the epicenter of this retro-futuristic explosion was Future City Records. Exactly 11 years ago, we uploaded a visualizer to the Future City Records YouTube channel that would inadvertently … Read more
Why Synthwave Would Be Dead Without These 5 Legendary Bands
Synthwave is no longer just an underground internet phenomenon. What started as a niche homage to 1980s VHS tapes and arcade games has exploded into a massive, multi-genre empire. The synthwave landscape in 2026 is undergoing a massive evolutionary wave, shifting from neon-soaked nostalgia to heavy, industrial “cyber-metal” boundaries. But this retro-electronic empire wasn’t built … Read more