What kind of music do you listen to when you want to relax or unwind? If you answered “retro”, then you might enjoy some top retrowave songs from the 80s and 90s donning the retrowave aesthetic.
Retrowave is a subgenre of electronic dance music (EDM) that was born out of the late 1980s. The genre has its roots in hip hop and house music, but today it incorporates elements of synthpop, electro, dubstep, drum & bass, and trance. It also draws inspiration from 1980s pop culture, such as movies like Back To The Future and video games like Super Mario Bros., among others.
If you are interested to start listening to this genre, you can start this year with the 5 top retrowave songs in this list for January 2022.
Before we dive into the 5 top retrowave songs you could listen to as we start the year, let us first have a short exploration of the retrowave genre.
The term retrowave refers to the re-emergence of retro sounds and styles within modern EDM. This style of music started gaining popularity around 2000, when artists began incorporating old school influences into their tracks. These days, the trend is more popular than ever, and there are many different subgenres of retrowaves, including classic rock, funk, disco, and even punk.
The main influence behind the creation of this genre is the 1980s. In particular, the sound of the decade is what most people associate with the word “retrowave”.
This is because the era offered an abundance of catchy melodies, bright synths, and big beats. Artists have been using these sonic traits to create new works of art over the last 20 years. Among those artists are the ones in this list.
A duet between Essenger and Lexi Norton, “Downfall” is an emotional song that boasts of raw and real emotions about love. “Downfall” is the second single from ‘After Dark’, Essengers forthcoming full length album due out later this year. It follows closely behind the title tune on the release schedule. The song continues Essenger’s breakout year, boasting an ominous atmosphere and EDM-infused production which lend a rich body to the song while the pair’s voices alternate seamlessly across a cinematic tapestory of retro and modern synthy.
Add to that, the lyrics is also highly captivating, targeting the core of people who listen to it. One of its most notable lines is, “This could be my downfall. You could be my downfall.” This line seems so simple but shows the depth and sincerity of the song.
The song is available everywhere through FIXT Neon. Fixt Neon is among those that take the lead for retro synth music. It has “cultivated a roster of ambitious and innovative artists who are redefining the next generation” of the genre. It advocates for of retro synth music. FiXT Neon promotes creativity, uniqueness, and personality in music that will cater to different types of synthwave fans.
“Unreal.”
This is the word that listeners used to describe this mashup made by DJ Ara Mix & Mashup, an independent DJ on Youtube, and we couldn’t agree further. This mashup is truly unreal as it seemingly has the ability to make anyone who listens to it be filled with good emotions. These good emotions brought by the song also pushes the listeners to just sway their body and sway with love. Overall, if one is having a difficult day, playing this song will undoubtedly be an instant pick-me-up.
Marvel ’83 specializes in synthwave music, and the song, “Golden Dawn” is probably one of their best creations as of date. Athough the song does not have any words to it, “Golden Dawn” has the ability to transport you out of this world. It is so uplifting that it just takes you to another place, all while you dance your heart out into it.
For Marvel ’83, “Golden Dawn” is among their muisic that allows them to “take you back to carefree childhood where the colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning after the rain fragrant than ever.”
Wice has two songs on this list, and the first one is none other than, “Atlas Prime”. “Atlas Prime” and the way it was created was made to be energizing. The pushes in it at different points makes one’s energy also be hyped up.
This music of Wice is published on the Youtube Channel NewRetrowave. NewRetrowave is dedicated to the promotion of the best synthwave creations, specifically in music. It has been in the picture since November 2011 and from then one, it has grown and continually grows together with the synthwave scene.
“Collide” by Wice is quite similar to the “Atlas Prime” by Wice. It is both energizing but their tempo is unique from one another. For if “Atlas Prime” pushes the music at different points, “Collide” gradually builds up to the excitement. It’s like the track is building up the tension. It is so calm and steady at the start but though it reamins steady throughout, it also becomes more heightened.
“Collide” by Wice can be listened to at NeonAether’s Youtube Channel. NeonAether is a channel that wants to take you on “an intergalactic space voyage exploring the unknown, heading towards a dying Neon Sun.” Simply, it wants you to experience something different, something not of this dimension through the experience of the synthwave genre.
Retrowave is a genre of electronic music that was created by fans of 80’s pop culture. They love the sounds of synthesizers and drum machines mixed with new wave and electro influences. This style of music has been growing in popularity over the past few years. There are many artists creating amazing tracks within this genre such as: Ookay, Wice, Perturbator, and many others. The genre is even extending its touch to different art forms and even to the video games industry.
The top five songs on this list are perfect examples of this type of sound, especially as we start 2022. Each song has a unique charm that will keep you either dancing to it or facing your deep feelings. There is no down time within each song, they never stop moving and that keeps us wanting more.
We hope these songs will not just be your start to the year, but also your start to your journey in the Retrowave genre. We know that there are many more great tracks out there, so let us know which ones are your favorites.