SETTING THE SCENE

ASHLEY KEEGAN OF FORGED IN NEON HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON THE SYNTHWAVE SCENE

DRIVE A seminal movie released in 2011 and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. This was a gateway for those who knew nothing of synthwave’s emergence before. Viscerally compelling, the entire film is narrated to extent by a pulsating synth beat.

SIGNALNOISE James White, known in synthwave circles as Signalnoise, is arguably the godfather of the synthwave aesthetic as we know it today. His portfolio consists of numerous neon-infused art projects created for himself and clients.

ENDLESS SUMMER Released in August 2016, the debut album by electronic duo The Midnight perfectly encapsulates the synthwave sound and aesthetic, delivering it to you over 55 minutes of musical indulgence.

HOTLINE MIAMI This stylish top-down shooter video game was influenced in part by Drive, and has a synthwave soundtrack which helped to launch the careers of legendary synthwave musicians Perturbator and M|O|O|N.

KUNG FURY This 30-minute English-language Swedish featurette, released in 2015, pays homage to 80s martial arts and police action films and is laden with tropes, including a synthwave soundtrack. Even David Hasselhoff appears. It’s a must watch.