Editorial Notice: This asset represents the official historical and technical restoration of the original Glass Cities release announcement, published on Future City Records on July 30, 2012. As part of our 2026 cultural archive initiative led by Editor-in-Chief Sahil Chopra, this resource has been salvaged from our legacy database and expanded into a full retrospective, tracing the Swedish producer’s evolution from this 2012 EP to his legendary work on the Kung Fury cinematic soundtrack.
Introduction: The Sound of a Neon Metropolis
Before the massive crowdfunding campaigns, before the viral 80s action homages, and before synthwave became a globally recognized genre, there was the 2012 underground circuit. Swedish producer Johan Bengtsson, universally known as Mitch Murder, was quietly building the foundational architecture of the entire retrowave movement.
While many early producers relied heavily on dark, abrasive cyber-goth tones, Mitch Murder took a different path. He engineered pristine, optimistic, corporate-80s soundscapes heavily inspired by early FM synthesis and Roland drum machines. The absolute pinnacle of this early era was the release of his Glass Cities EP in late 2012.
The Original 2012 Future City Records Transmission
To preserve our digital footprint and the historical record of the synthwave community, here is the original release announcement broadcasted by the Future City Records mainframe on July 30, 2012:
“Next month (September 1st) Mitch Murder will release a new E.P titled Glass Cities through a new label out of Ireland called DhARMA. The E.P features two remixes and a few of his previously released works such as Heading South and Glass Cities which have been given some amazing touch ups. Remixes by Sylvester and Nite Sprite.”
Part I: The Anatomy of Glass Cities
The Glass Cities EP represented a critical turning point for Mitch Murder. Re-releasing remastered (“touched up”) versions of his early tracks alongside fresh remixes gave the community a polished, high-fidelity package that defined the “Dreamwave” sub-genre.
The Core Tracks
- Glass Cities (Title Track): A masterclass in Yamaha DX7-style FM synthesis. The track builds an auditory skyline—shimmering, precise, and completely devoid of the aggressive grit found in the darksynth corners of the internet. It sounds like the loading screen to a utopian 1988 Sega CD game that never existed.
- Heading South: This track perfectly encapsulates the “cruising” aesthetic of early synthwave. With a driving 4×4 beat and a deeply melodic, rolling bassline, “Heading South” established the tempo and mood that thousands of subsequent bedroom producers would attempt to replicate over the next decade.
The DhARMA Label Connection
Released on September 1, 2012, the EP was championed by DhARMA, a short-lived but highly curated independent electronic label based out of Ireland. In the early 2010s, the synthwave scene relied entirely on these micro-labels and blogs (like Future City Records and Rosso Corsa) to distribute music. DhARMA’s crisp packaging and international push helped solidify Mitch Murder’s reputation beyond the strictly Swedish electronic circles.
Part II: The Remix Ecosystem
A staple of the 2012 Soundcloud era was the reciprocal remix culture, which built the tight-knit network of original retrowave pioneers. The Glass Cities EP featured two pivotal remixes that re-contextualized Mitch Murder’s pristine sound.
| Remix Artist | Approach | Impact |
| Nite Sprite | Heavy side-chain compression and club-centric percussion | Pushed the ambient original into a dancefloor-ready French Touch style. |
| Sylvester | Atmospheric pads and slowed-down tempos | Created a moody, late-night driving variant of the core melodies. |
Part III: The Bridge to Kung Fury
Looking back from 2026, the Glass Cities EP is essential listening for one specific reason: it is the undeniable proof of concept for the Kung Fury Original Soundtrack.
When Swedish director David Sandberg was conceptualizing his 1980s martial arts cop homage in 2013, he needed a composer who intrinsically understood the authentic harmonic language of 80s action cinema, not just someone who could slap a VHS filter on a modern beat. Because Mitch Murder had already perfected that exact sound with releases like Glass Cities, he was the only logical choice to co-compose the Kung Fury score (alongside Lost Years).
The pristine arpeggiators and corporate-tech vibes honed on this 2012 EP were directly translated into the cinematic synthscapes of the Kung Fury universe, ultimately landing Mitch Murder a collaboration with David Hasselhoff on the hit track “True Survivor.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When was the Mitch Murder Glass Cities EP released?
The Glass Cities EP was officially released on September 1, 2012, through the Irish independent electronic music label DhARMA.
Who remixed tracks on the Glass Cities EP?
The original 2012 release featured two prominent remixes from fellow underground electronic producers Nite Sprite and Sylvester.
Did Mitch Murder compose the music for Kung Fury?
Yes. Johan Bengtsson, known as Mitch Murder, was the primary composer for the critically acclaimed 2015 viral short film Kung Fury, working alongside other synthwave artists like Lost Years to build the iconic 80s action score.