The Rise of the Synths

Synthwave not only harks back to the synthpop of the 1980s, but also to the glossy visual style of the era. The soundtracks and style of films, TV series and computer games such as Miami Vice, Lethal Weapon and Top Gun are a major inspiration to many of the musicians. Synthwave started in mid-2000 as an underground movement on MySpace where composers from around the globe shared their music. In recent years it has grown into a major scene with increasing mainstream visibility.

This stylish documentary with a soundtrack by Ogre consists of interviews with many important artists such as Scandroid, Miami Nights 1984 and Carpenter Brut. Director John Carpenter (The Fog, Halloween) acts as the narrator. He is one of synthwave's heroes, primarily because of the often haunting soundtracks he created for his own films, using synthesizers, obviously. As a mentor he provides advice to younger musicians.