NINA - Carnival Night

Berlin-based synthwave icon and golden girl, Nina Boldt, or just simply NINA, pushes the envelop and takes us to the carnival witching hour with the fresh new single from her trilogy of summer releases, “Carnival Night.” Co-produced with fellow synth great and guitar hero Radio Wolf, Carnival Night is a very directional, conceptual synth track that explores juxtapositions of darker shades and haunting treatments with vibrant, bejeweled sonic soundscapes. Very rarely we see NINA take a slightly darker route, but this track is one of her most unique gems yet. “Carnival Night” starts with this striking kaleidoscope of augmented synth arpeggiated multi-variant patches that hauntingly deviate from scale at times. This somehow perfectly sets up the environment, which we envision to be retro VHS images of bejeweled lights in a carnival scene. NINA’s signature crystalline and angelic voice enters with her perfect harmonies over stylized lo-fi electronic kit and moody atmospheric guitars. The track moves into a dramatic breakdown where NINA arrests listeners with a spell-binding chant before crescendoing in powerful unison with Radiowolf’s sonic, prog-tinted, darkwave synth lead riff that seems to invoke The Cure and Robert Smith. The result is a real dark fantasy and a delightfully unique dark jewel which confirms that NINA’s creative growth and exploration with her artistic vision know no limits. NINA bravely pushes her own space and takes ownership of new directional concepts and sounds along with partner-in-crime, Radio Wolf.

We look forward to the rest of her Summer Trilogy!

For more NINA, visit her on Spotify

THE G - Wanderers

Review by Vero Kitsune

Los Angeles-based Synthwave artist G. Brown, also known as THE G, has recently joined in synthwave and retrowave stalwart New Retrowave Records (NRW) artist roster, which includes synth greats Ollie Wride, Michael Oakley, Jessie Frye, Futurecop! and Parallels. The G initially garnered attention with the release of his first two dynamite offerings - Cosmopolis (2017) and Concrete Island (2018) - and has since built a sonic brand evoking “daydreams, endless summer nights and the romance of the open road.” After four years in the making, The G unveils his latest full-length record, Wanderers under the NRW umbrella. The 11-track grand opus deviates from the usual confines of electronic music production by incorporating live drums and guitar performances into his signature neon-lit, retro soundscapes. Featuring a host of notable talents like Dimi Kaye, Michelle B., JJ Mist, Vandal Moon, Vampire Step-Dad, Wanderers carries a mix of 5 vocals and 6 instrumental tracks to create a seamless yet tonally and emotionally varied, introspective experience.

“There are a lot of great synthwave albums, but most give you ten tracks of the same vibe. I wanted to capture the wider range of feelings and moods that a person actually experiences. But most of all, Wanderers is about that yearning to explore, which we’ve been cut off from for the past year,” The G explains. “Most of my songs are about driving LA at night and being emo while doing it,” he humorously adds. We can definitely relate.

Wanderers starts off with “Starshine" - a very moody, dramatic intro composed of gently shimmering top lines over gradating warm, tubed synths pads reminiscent of classic lo-fi ‘80s movie scores. The track pushes and pulls in a soothing, calming lull, generating a meditative state which sets up the stage for the following track. In a bold, unexpected maneuver, “Memories of Ice” jumps right in and hits hard in full blazing thunder as one of the record’s highlights, immediately delivering an exhilarating, action-packed arpeggiated thrill. “Memories of Ice” features a riveting guitar performance by one of the very few “master shredders” in the synth scene, Dimi Kaye, layered with catchy synth hooks over the massive outrun dynamics that would make one want to jump into an F1 racing game. The record makes a swift return to dreamscapes with the title track and the record’s first single, “Wanderers,” showcasing an effervescent vocal performance by Michelle B. reminiscent of young Stevie Nicks. “Wanderers” contains reflective nostalgia vibes, starting with crystalline arps over Michelle B.’s honey-coated, perfectly loose, emotive melodic delivery. The record then takes a smooth turn, transitioning into a colder, moodier vibe in “Lights,” featuring The G’s effortlessly cool vocal delivery and catchy hooks. The track is remarkably low-key and uncomplicated with classic back-beats and simple top line melodies, yet it still drives with The G’s sensitive sound choices over the undulating undercurrents that seem to carry the track on a steady flowing freeway.

The G takes us back into dreamland in the instrumental track “Dreamtime,” featuring heraldic, celestial arps that seem to harken intergalactic rainbow roads and glittering neon-grid dimensions perpetuating in every ‘80s childhood memories. Similar to “Lights,” “Dreamtime” ebbs and flows more on the delicate, subdued side in its writing, yet the stylistic sound choices bring out the vibrant hues and inherent richness of its memorable, heart-felt dynamics. Michelle B.’s vocal prowess makes a return in “Away,” providing stunning cadences in her emotive delivery that first brings warmth and 70s-type of retro tenderness to the pastel-hued, pillowy track before climbing into pitch-perfect crescendoes that compel listeners to sing along. The record maintains its cool cruise with “Gardens of the Moon” - another track that discards superfluous embellishments and confidently utilizes steady-streaming, single variant arps and pared down melodic Eastern scales that turn into ear worms over time.

Darkwave artist Vandal Moon makes a dashing appearance in “Remember“ and delivers a very lush vocal performance reminiscent of Robert Smith, bringing unexpected dark jewel tones and a nice deep contrast to the record’s overall glistening neon and pastel palette. This track showcases The G’s ability to divert and explore darker realms outside of synthwave, yet still manages to maintain cohesive sonic qualities while creating a relevant bridge and intersection between two distinguished genres. Retrowave artist JJ Mist guest stars in the youthful hyper ballad “Can’t Wait,” invoking sand-blasted teenage dreams, shoulder pads, corkscrew hair and Lisa Frank perfumed stationery. The record eases into the smoke-filled, slow-build number “Out There” featuring Vampire Step-Dad. The track showcases gentle, tingling melodic top notes and star-lit glimmering arpeggios paving way for a grand guitar crescendo. Wanderers finishes its sonic journey with “Spiral,” an instrumental finale that retains the record’s overall minimalistic approach, but fills all the gaps with imagery of emotional, neon-lit bold strokes. The track harkens the spirit of a new dawn, fresh awakenings and gentle breeze brought by sun-kissed oceans to welcome summer, captivating listeners with hope and longing in blissful surrender.

If this were visual art, Wanderers could be easily described as a series of refined watercolor pieces - delicate and transparent with nothing superfluous or overdone that could easily mar a placid landscape. The record defiantly discards all the usual pretenses of musical bravado or over-the-top athleticism, but rather leverages understated and low-key dynamics in its own romantic way. Wanderers exemplifies The G’s sincere and unique approach and sensitivity to details established in his choice of wave forms, emotional cadences in compositional delivery, and how slight shifts in stylistic choices truly make a world of difference, giving color to dynamics and soundscapes. The perfect description for this record is “perfectly chill” with its own share of peaks and valleys that provide listeners with a beautiful, vast spectrum of hooks, dramatic moods and unexpected jewels to sink their teeth into and satiate the crave for cinematic nostalgia. Less is often truly more. Wanderers serves synthwave and retrowave lovers all the way through as a solid offering and an instant classic staple.

To keep updated with The G, visit newretrowave.bandcamp.com

CAT TEMPER - Kitty Hate Machine

Review by KIZUNAUT

Mike Langlie aka CAT TEMPER is a Boston-based musician, graphic designer, illustrator and the most puntastic feline in the synth-scene. Cat Temper has become known for his unique style of music that eludes precise definition but which draws influence from 80s industrial acts, synthpunk and electronic oddities like DEVO, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Alien Sex Fiend. While mostly far removed from the typical fare of the genre, the synthwave community has eagerly adopted his unique music that might have been led astray in other times.

Starting from 2019, the extremely prolific musician has released eight albums, including an alternate soundtrack to the film Eraserhead. While the previous album More Than a Feline was an interesting but ultimately somewhat uneven experiment in blending Cat Temper's instrumentals with guest vocalists, the new album Kitty Hate Machine is a return to Cat Temper’s established form of instrumental music while offering an evolution of his sound.

As is fit for a tribute to Nine Inch Nails, Kitty Hate Machine sees Cat Temper at his most industrial. There are squirming basslines that recall 80s electronic body music, the occasional splashes of heavy, crunchy guitars and bursts of harsh FM synths. The style of composition and production is however unmistakably of Cat Temper's own, and the album is in my opinion better for it. It is truly a tribute and not a derivative.

Amongst the gnarlier industrial elements there are plenty of lighter moments to be found on the album. Cat Temper has a talent for conjuring up unusual melodies and strange synth tones that have prowled unknown sonic territories between quirky, mysterious, geeky and witchy. Sandwiched between growling EBM-sections you can find plenty of his off-kilter synthpoppy, videogamey stylings. This gives the tracks at times an almost dialogue-like feeling. The overall vibe is hard to describe, sounding like some kind of a videogame rave in a cartoon bat cave with moments of pure 80s leather jackets and sunglasses cool thrown in. Coming from a background of enjoying both 80s industrial and videogame music greatly, I enjoy the vibe. There's something quite visual to the music and I'd imagine some kind of animated, narrative music videos could elevate the music to a wholly new level.

On the production side of things the album has a definitively retro sound mixed with very pristine production. For the most part the synths and drums sound like things that could have well existed in 1989 when Pretty Hate Machine came out. There's plenty of klangtastic FM-synths, heavy detuned square basslines, leads and arps with relatively simple tones and synthlines with a decidedly 80s feel. But there's also some more modern sounds to be found in the mix, too. Cat Temper apparently uses the Casio synths and primitive drum machines he started with along with more modern equipment. You can really hear it here. The mixing and production of the album is clean, discerning and airy, with the oldschool FM synths giving it a certain archaic digital rawness and fuzziness. It's a unique take. You can really hear every detail, every purr and hiss of every synth in it. My only complaint when it comes to the production side of things is that I found bass drums occasionally getting lost in the mix. It's a very synth-forward album.

Cat Temper has always had a very striking, unique visual aesthetic featuring plenty of bright colors and cats. Kitty Hate Machine is no different. Featuring a very colorful illustration of a goth/punk woman with a leather vest that has a Cat Temper logo on it, the artwork conjures the inspiration and aesthetic of the album wonderfully. There’s playfulness in it, the hot salmon pink background, the rad leopard sleeves, but also a bit of a threat as she is brandishing a heavy chain. While Cat Temper is also a visual artist, the album artwork was done by the Brazilian artist Foreigner, and the gritty death metal inspired logo was done by the Russian designer Misha Mono.

The album opens with The Meoward Spiral. It gets straight into the business with a mix of super gritty guitars that almost recall black metal that eventually give way to a more electronic section with deep kick drums and a constant bassline. Synth leads join in, casting a mysterious, waiting mood. The track switches into a part where bursts of heavy riffs alternate with quirky high pitched synths, followed by an interlude of ascending guitar riffs. Fast electronic beat joins in the track picks up energy, finishing off with a mix of guitar riffs and high-pitched synths that cast a kind of darkly playful vibe.

The Paw That Feeds kicks off with a super gnarly line of FM synths playing a repeating riff that recalls oldschool EBM. After a brief guitar-driven interlude this gives way to a section driven that opens with strange throaty synths and a synthetic breakbeat. Layers of synths are built upon this formula, eventually building to a dramatic sounding climax. Grinding detuned synths and beats follow, and they are soon joined by a curious sounding bright arpeggio. The gnarly EBM section repeats before the track moves to it's extended outro section, featuring a metallic bass synth arp and a buzzy synth lead that are eventually joined by another brighter lead and guitars.

Shed Like A Hole opens with a detuned bass arpeggio and distorted wormy synths, strongly recalling 80s synth punk and industrial. Sharp, rolling synthetic drums come in, as does a wet, resonant secondary synth arp. The track bursts into life with a bright synth melody that feels like a call to an adventure. The track alternates between this melody and more gnarly sections until the end where the melody repeats and is joined by a whistling synth that gives the track a very spacey vibe.

Metallic FM bassline that is pure classic EBM opens Pet You Like An Animal. Dramatic, metallic synth hits join the bassline and the beat. The synth hits drop, but the bassline is now doubled with a super gritty FM faux-electric guitar, which is joined by synths which cast a strange, witchy mood. The section with dramatic synth hits repeats. This section is followed by an interlude of a resonant, pulsing synth bass and heavily detuned quirky arps, giving a faster variant of the verse, one last repeat of the chorus and a quick outro featuring the quirky arps from the interlude. One of the more structurally conventional pieces on the album and a personal favorite for it's oldschool industrial sound.

She's Gone Astray opens with buzzy, shrill, rapidly panning synths before exploding into a gritty, driving section dominated by a heavy bassline. An aery section dominated by hollow square synths that cast a mood that wanders between melancholy and mystery comes next.This is followed by an interlude that is lighter in mood that I can't help but to describe as ”cartoon chase sequence” music. The section with hollow square synths repeats, this time with additional high-pitched pizzicato synths pinging around. After a quick interlude the heavy driving bassline from the start comes back, this time mixed in with atmospheric swooshes and gnarly noisy synths, before ending with shrill, menacing synths that play a dramatic melody.

A quick drum roll kicks off Starfluffers Inc, soon followed by a steady beat and a menacing metallic FM synthline. Dramatic, squirming distorted synths come in, followed by large, somewhat choir-like synths coming in, forming a chorus for the track. The verse comes in again, this time with some extra elements thrown in. The chorus repeats with a spidery arpeggio joining in. A more stripped down version of the verse follows, which is then followed by one last extended repeat of the chorus. Another favorite of mine for it's hyper-dramatic dark synthpop mood; sounds like being hunted by a Terminator in an abandoned church in Los Angeles.

Purest Feline begins with a mysterious, dramatic sound effect that is followed by a rather videogamey sounding mix of arpeggiated basses and an evolving mass of sharp synths that sounds like halfway between an arp and a pad, having a kind of a Commodore 64 vibe to it. Energetic section of more videogamey elements alternating with rocking guitars follows next, and after that comes a section that is pure synthpop with it's detuned retro saw synth melody and extra slap bass hits. A brief interlude leads into a section where mysterious, dramatic synth hits loom over the bassline, soon joined by an equally dramatic and mysterious saw lead, culminating in a section with a rather funky extra slap bass line dropping in. The track strips itself down, leaving an alternative version of the earlier synthpoppy section that eventually builds up and leads to a repeat of the part with rocking guitars before ending with one note repeating over and over, the track getting sucked into outer space in a swoosh of synth effects. Yet another highlight of the album in my opinion for it's cool mysterious mood and varied synthwork.

Hissitation Marks is the album's closing track, and it kicks off with menacing pitch, bending synths which are then joined by a resonant arp that casts a sinister mood. A slow, heavy synth bassline follows, joined by crunchy, distorted guitars. Rolling percussions and a pattern of detuned saw synths joins in, casting a sinister mood. An interlude with guitar leads and  sharp synths that play a minor key melody follows. This is followed by a section dominated by a synthetic blastbeat and equally fast and harsh guitar work before the track somewhat abruptly ends with a quick repeat of the pitch-bending synths that it opened with.

Overall, the album is yet another very solid offering from Cat Temper and a gradual evolution of his unique sound. It quickly established itself as my favorite from his catalogue as I found the overall style very appealing. Those who like the quirkier side of retro synth music will enjoy the album, especially if they like bit of a bite. Fans of oldschool industrial will also likely find the music here quite a catch.

Cat Temper seems to have established a solid following and is well on the way to become a future cult classic. And for those who have been hesitant to explore his music because they've found all the cat puns too much of a hairball to swallow, this is the perfect opportunity to dip their paws into Cat Temper's ever-expanding discography. After all, there is serious talent behind all the humor.

For more Cat Temper, visit cattemper.com

TIMECOP1983

/// Synth Maestro Jordy Leenearts Opens Up

Foreword and Album Overview by Vero Kitsuné

Time and time again, we see “Synthwave is Dead” being proclaimed by certain journalists and publications - most recently by Metal Hammer Magazine.

But is it really, though?

In the last couple of years, fans of synthwave saw the genre evolve and grow beyond its traditional neon-lit, palm-tree lined, gently arpeggiated soundscapes and gated snare. Some artists have started to deviate and introduce various elements: From harsh, robotic saw-edged industrial cyberpunk; heavy-hitting nu metal grit; dark and brooding darkwave and post-punk; to high-gloss EDM and saccharine mainstream pop sounds. Some even have moved on to early ‘90s treatments, declaring the era as the new trend in nostalgia.

However, some of synthwave’s leading artists retain a strong anchor in maintaining the longevity of the genre by staying true to the foundations of its culture. All make a compelling case that the genre is indeed not a fad with an expiration date, but rather a timeless concept of art that yet still has to reach its peak - or arguably, still on a steady climb in its current trajectory. One of these proud bastions is the illustrious Jordy Leenearts, more popularly known as TIMECOP1983. Over the course of the last decade, Timecop1983 has steadily grown the solid foundation of his career as a top synthwave artist and producer - a name that is globally recognized in all synthwave essential lists. With a multitude of collaborations with fellow esteemed artists under his belt, 8 studio albums, and a brand new record Faded Touch, Timecop1983 has not shown signs of slowing down - nor his touch fading at all.

Faded Touch carries the refined fingerprint that is signature to Timecop1983’s sonic aesthetic. Since his debut full-length record, Journeys (2014), his approach to synths has always been elegant and painterly - almost reminiscent of the late painter Bob Ross’ gentle-mannered and sensitive nuances. His form of arrangements is pared-down and more low-key than some of his contemporaries, yet his art comes alive through his sentimental gradation - often invoking pillowy, tender memories of childhood pasts and time long gone. Inherently, his work directly alludes to the success of the genre itself- its power to transport listeners to bygone eras filled with themes of romance, longing, and hope. However, Jordy humbly muses that his music is not a reflection of his persona at all - “(I’m) not as romantic or as artistic” - and refers to himself as a much simpler, down-to-earth guy whose only agenda is to create and express music as he hears it without any superfluous projections often associated with being an artist.

But Jordy’s work tells a more poignant story in Faded Touch, his latest 11-track offering created in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Darker, atmospheric and more progressive than his previous works, Faded Touch starts off with a somber yet hopeful intro with Holding On To Memories. Fellow synthwave great, Josh Dally, lends his vocals to half of the record and first joins in the tales of heartbreak in Falling. The shimmering, arpeggiated track, Emotions, cascades and sets up the bridge to a powerful anthem of forlorn and regret in Feel The Same, also featuring vocals and guitars by Dally. Moments In Time starts off arresting time and holding it in suspense right before a full-bodied heavy snare drops and punches all the right places; brassy synths hover in tasteful, undulating maneuvers. The record accelerates and finally gets its first peek of bright neon lights in One Night, before shifting gears into the moody yet serene New Beginnings, and the very hopeful, sun-kissed dawn in Forever. Dynamics take a leap along with Dally’s heartfelt vocal performance in the up-beat romance in Chemical. The record neatly finishes off with yet another brooding yet hopeful track in Alone, followed by a heartbreak-themed finale in Did You Move On which features some unexpectedly fresh, otherworldly top lines.

Beautifully emotive and thoughtful with impeccable execution, Faded Touch secures its place as another solid synthwave hallmark that ushers the genre into a new classic space, poised to transcend time here on out. With his latest highest-grossing offering, Timecop1983 lights a beacon that synthwave is indeed alive and well, and is in fact here to stay for a very long time.

Photo Courtesy of Timecop1983

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ABSYNTH EXCLUSIVE ///

In an exclusive interview, Jordy Leenearts opens up to Absynth editors about his thoughts on his work, the synthwave genre and his collaborations.

Jordy, for those who are new to Synthwave, please tell us where you are from and how did you initially get into music? When did the Timecop1983 project first start?

So, my name is Jordy and I was born in 1983 (hence the name). I live near Eindhoven in The Netherlands, where I have lived almost my entire life. I live together with my girlfriend and our cat.

I have been making music since I was 12 when a friend of mine gave me a floppy disk with a tracker for MS-DOS. But I didn’t have any musical background and didn’t know how to write or read notes, but I loved the idea of making my own music so much that I just kept playing with the tracker. And after a while I started creating my own ideas, but because I didn’t have a musical background and I didn’t know enough about music I never finished anything. 

But after some time of playing around (like 15 years on and off) I heard the soundtrack of ‘Drive’ and I decided I wanted to make this kind of music too.

Back then I didn’t know Synthwave was a thing and to get inspiration I started looking into the genre and I fell in love. So after some experimenting I created my first song and Timecop1983 was born.

How long have you been writing and producing, and what had brought you to the nostalgia genre?

It wasn’t until 2013 when I discovered Synthwave through ‘Drive’ that I got into making music more seriously. When I saw ‘Drive,’ two years after its release, the music and the cinematography just came together for me. It just clicked. The music fitted so perfect in all scenes and it felt new, yet nostalgic. That’s when I decided to make this kind of music myself.  I didn’t have any expectations of it, but I was listening to a lot of Synthwave on Soundcloud and thought to myself that I had to release something on there as well. And it was received surprisingly well, so I knew I found my genre I wanted to focus on. 

Speaking of nostalgia were there any favorite childhood memories you’ve had back in the ‘80s that inspired a lot of the emotional spirit you put into your sound?

Yes! I can very clearly remember a cassette tape my mom and dad used to play in the car. It had 80’s music on it and I loved that tape sooo much. I can clearly remember Ghostbusters (my favorite of the tape) and Abracadabra from that tape and I think those two songs alone were the spark to ignite my love for the 80’s.

When I create my music I try to create a feeling of nostalgia that reminds me of that time. The feeling of being free, without any worries. 

A lot of your full-length records, especially the 2014 debut “Journeys” and 2016’s “Reflections” provide listeners with emotional mirages, invoking tender memories, reflections of the past as true to nostalgia as it could be. A lot of them are delicate and poignant in nature. How would you say have you grown creatively, emotionally and artistically between each major offerings up to the most recent release, “Faded Touch”? Do you think it’s important for artists to have their own life journey and philosophies reflect back into their art? How much would you say the nature of the Timecop1983 discography is as a true mirror of the artist behind it all? 

For me, making music isn’t really reflecting my own emotions. I just write whatever comes up and make that into songs. It might not sound as romantic or as artistic, but I just create whatever I like to make. It does not mirror me as a person at all actually! From my music you’d think I’m this very romantic guy, but i’m not! 
I don’t think music or any art should reflect an artist’s journey of life philosophies. Sometimes art is just art. Artists often feel like their art should “represent” something, but personally I don’t think that’s necessary. There’s nothing wrong with artists having a belief or a life goal they are working from, but I think I’m too much of a down-to-earth kinda guy for that. Of course I want everybody on earth to love each other, but I’m not pretending that I can change the world with my music. I just create music that I like, there’s nothing more to it.

However I do try to create a story with my albums. Not from a certain philosophy, but I try to select songs on an album that fit together. I think it’s better described as themes. For ‘Night Drive’ the theme was more of a dark feeling of driving alone on the road at night and with Faded Touch Josh Dally and I tried to tell the story of a relationship. 

You have collaborated with majority of what would be considered the synthwave pantheon, your fellow top-level contemporaries like Ollie Wride, Dana Jean Phoenix, Jessie Frye, The Midnight, Lebrock, The Bad Dreamers, and Josh Dally.  How do you normally approach collaborations and choose which artists you collaborate with? Are collaborations a way for you to encourage camaraderie and keep the spirit of synthwave alive?

Yeah, I have been very lucky to have collaborated with a lot of bigger names in the scene. I’m 1000% sure that without these collaborations I wouldn’t have grown to where I am now, so I’m eternally grateful to each and every one of the artists I worked with. Also, collaborations spark my creativity. 

The collaborations start in different ways. Sometimes people ask me if I want to work with them and sometimes I ask them. I don’t have a set way of approaching collaborations, but most of them have started with me making the music and then they write and record the vocals. I never started a song from pre-recorded vocals alone.

Collaborations most certainly keep the spirit of Synthwave alive! It’s just great to work with other people and to expand your horizon. I hear my instrumentals all the time and don’t think it’s special anymore after hearing the same song 2500 times when finishing it. So a collaboration adds new spirit to my music, and I absolutely love that.

TIMECOP1983 with FM-84, Photo by Andrew B. White

Speaking of collaborations, over a year ago one of your collaborations “My Delorean” had come under fire when your project collaborator, then-emerging pop artist Laura Lee Bishop, also known as Primo, broke out with her story on The Beyond Synth podcast (and later on her own journal) about receiving the lesser “feature” credit despite of her writing and production work on the track. Many are familiar with the publicized details of her side of the story and the resolution. However, many are also still waiting to hear from Timecop1983 for a response or a comment. Do you care to share your own perspective on this matter?

I do not want to go in too much detail about this, because I want to forget the whole issue, but her statements in the Beyond Synth podcast and on her own blog were only partly true and I feel like she’s been trying to put me in a dark light on the matter.

Primo blamed me for taking credit on the track. Yes, I did not add much to the track. But we agreed on this and I was very open with her on this from the very beginning. I told her multiple times the song was almost perfect how she wrote it. She was totally fine with me just mixing and mastering the song and then releasing it as a collaboration. She said it would help her a lot as an upcoming artist. Although in the end, I did add some elements to the song and I made some changes to the arrangement.

Secondly, she said I didn’t want to re-upload the song. This is true, because my aggregrator said we might lose playcounts and monetization (we agreed on a 50/50 split) and I didn’t want that to happen. The song was doing great and I didn’t want to risk having it removed from playlists when we uploaded the new version.***

She also blamed me for not taking action on changing the release quick enough. Yes, I should’ve pushed my aggregrator some more to help us out after they sent me their standard response that changes to releases weren’t possible. But she did not give me enough time to figure that out. She made it public pretty quick after she asked me to change it and went around my back to contact my aggregrator directly to ask to make changes.

And finally, she blamed me for making her just a featured artist on the song. But that is just wrong in my opinion. She made the artwork where she added the text with herself stated as the featured artist. I also sent her various “final” versions of the song where the file was clearly named “Timecop1983 – My Delorean (Feat. Primo)” and she didn’t say a word about it, so I thought she was ok with this. 

In the end I had to read in her blog post that she wasn’t feeling well during the time we worked on the song. She never said anything about how she was feeling. She just agreed with everything. So I could not have known she wasn’t happy with the terms. 

I didn’t have a clue how she was truly feeling until after the release. If I had only the slightest clue she wasn’t happy before the release I would have surely talked to her about it and we would have fixed these things straight away. No questions asked.

I’m glad we fixed everything in the end, but it’s too bad she wasn’t open with me on her feelings and she had to make it public after the song was released.

What do you think is the future of synthwave and where it is going? 

I keep reading stories that “Synthwave is Dead” or that the hype is over, but I disagree with that. I haven’t had as many listeners on the streaming platforms as I have now. I’m amazed every day by how many people listen to my music.

On one hand I hope Synthwave will grow even bigger, but on the other I don’t want it to become a hype like Dubstep, where everybody listens to it for a few months or years and then it dies out. 

I do think it’s becoming harder and harder to get into the scene if you are new. There’s so many people that make Synthwave these days, so it’s hard to stand out if you are new to the scene. Even if you are really good. And unfortunately I don’t see that changing soon. 

What would you say is the most important thing about being a musician today and what continues to inspire you and drive you?

I think marketing is a very, very important thing about being a musician these days if you want to grow bigger and make a living out of making music. Just as important, or maybe even slightly more important than making good music. I mean, you can make the greatest song of all times, but if nobody hears it is it still the best song ever made? 

For me I get my drive from seeing all the responses to my music. Of course I create the music I love and like to make, but seeing that other people like this music too drives me to make more music!

Do you have new releases planned for the near future?

I just released my album ‘Faded Touch’ with Josh Dally in April and don’t have a specific release planned anytime soon. I do plan to create a EP which will be more like ‘Night Drive,’ but don’t have a ETA on that. 

I am working on some other cool projects as well. I’m getting into my longtime dream of making soundtracks. Can’t talk about specifics yet, but I’m currently working on a soundtrack for a short film and start working on a soundtrack for a podcast soon. I hope to keep doing this in the future.

TIMECOP1983, FM-84, Josh Dally. Brooklyn, NY. Photo by Andrew B. White

In 2018, we saw an epic massive performance with you, FM-84, Ollie Wride and Josh Dally altogether on stage in Brooklyn. Will we have another one of those in the near future?  Any tour plans slated?

Oh, that was a magical night! During that same weekend we all even joined the stage with The Midnight as well, since they were playing in Brooklyn too. Good memories!

All my shows came to a grinding halt because of the pandemic. My last show was in September 2018, which seems like ages ago… I do plan to go on tours as soon as things are back to “normal”. Actually I’m working on a better live show with Josh Dally, so you can expect something new on stage as soon as we can. However, I do need a vaccination first and I’d like to play for a full room. I don’t feel that comfortable on stage and especially not when there’s only like 50 people allowed. In some strange way I feel less bad playing for hundreds of people instead of a few… 

Anything else you would like to share? Last words to your fans?

I want to thank everyone who listens to my music and I hope to meet them at my shows again soon. 

Also, I’ve teamed up with Timeslave Recordings to create a merch shop on my website (www.timecop1983.com) soon! 

TIMECOP1983, FM-84. Brooklyn, NY. Photo by Andrew B. White

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***An ISRC (International Sound Recording Code) is an industry-standard code that is used to identify individual sound recordings in audio and video. An ISRC is unique to the audio associated with it so that each individual recording can be identified. According to the International ISRC Registration Authority Guidelines, any new version of an existing sound recording with changes to the mix, mastering and metadata requires a new ISRC to be issued. Adding a new ISRC number to a previously released track will not automatically add new play counts and retain playlist placements that were accumulated by the original – it is effectively seen as a ‘new version’ and starting from scratch. In addition to this, re-using an existing ISRC on a new recording or variant is prohibited. In this case, the parties’ resolution implies a new version of the track (with changes to the mix, mastering and metadata details) was re-uploaded and re-distributed with the ISRC code from the original version, deviating from the standard ISRC guidelines.