Mitch Murder: The “Glass Cities” EP & The Blueprint for Modern Synthwave

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 broadcast 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 cuts gave the community a polished, high-fidelity package that defined the “Dreamwave” sub-genre.

The Complete Tracklist Breakdown

• 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.
• Last Call: A moody, atmospheric slower-tempo track that perfectly captures the neon-lit, late-night cityscape aesthetic. It proves Mitch Murder’s mastery over ambient pacing.
• Heading South: This track 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.
• Shoot the Core!: A high-energy, relentless homage to 1980s 16-bit arcade shoot-’em-ups (a direct reference to the boss battles in the legendary Konami game, Gradius).
• Best of the Best: A triumphant, montage-ready synth anthem. It features punchy LinnDrum kicks and bright brass synths that feel ripped straight from the training sequence of an 80s martial arts movie.

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).

Glass Cities served as a critical precursor to the Kung Fury soundtrack. Its perfected 80s corporate-tech aesthetic directly enabled Mitch Murder’s work on the film’s score and the “True Survivor” collaboration with David Hasselhoff.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When was the Mitch Murder Glass Cities EP released?

The Glass Cities EP was officially released digitally on September 1, 2012, through the independent label DhARMA (Dharma Corp). Because of its foundational status in the synthwave scene, it became a highly sought-after digital rarity, eventually receiving a self-released digital reissue by Mitch Murder in 2019.

Who remixed tracks on the Glass Cities EP?

The original 2012 release featured two prominent remixes from fellow underground producers Nite Sprite and Sylvester. Nite Sprite injected a heavy, club-centric French Touch influence into the music, while Sylvester leaned into the atmospheric, slowed-down chillwave movement of the era.

Did Mitch Murder compose the music for Kung Fury?

Yes! Because of the immaculate, authentic 1980s corporate-tech sound he perfected on releases like Glass Cities, director David Sandberg specifically tapped Mitch Murder to act as the primary composer for the 2015 viral short film Kung Fury. This ultimately led to Mitch Murder collaborating directly with 80s icon David Hasselhoff on the hit cinematic theme song, “True Survivor.”