Retro Future
Imagining the future with sounds of the past: '80s neon, videotapes and retro parties.
This group all plays with nostalgia: synthwave recreates '80s films, darksynth turns them into horror, chillwave feels like a faded summer, futurepop leans emotional, vaporwave turns mall music into dreams, and electro swing moves the 1930s into the club. Future funk goes the other way, chopping and speeding up 1980s Japanese city pop into sunny dance music.
What they share
- Deliberately vintage gear or tones
- Strongly visual, tied to an aesthetic
- Nostalgia with a touch of loss or irony
How to choose
- '80s night-drive neonSynthwave
- Horror, pursuit, blood-red neonDarksynth
- Faded summer, blurry memoriesChillwaveVaporwave
- Emotional future popFuturepop
- A retro jazz partyElectro Swing
- Sunny, sped-up 1980s city pop chopsFuture Funk
Starter prompt
Retro-futuristic synth track, 100 BPM, warm analog synth pads, gated reverb drums, arpeggiated bassline, nostalgic 1980s neon atmosphere, VHS warmthA general starting point for this family; swap in a specific style’s keywords for sharper results.
Side by side
| Style | Era | BPM | Mood | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthwave | Mid-to-late 2000s | 80–120 | NostalgicCity nightFuturistic & tech | Night drives & city walks · Sci-fi & cyberpunk |
| Darksynth | 2010s–present | 100–130 | Dark & heavyFuturistic & techTense & suspense | Sci-fi & cyberpunk · Battle & action |
| Chillwave | 2009–early 2010s | 80–110 | NostalgicDreamy & floatingWarm & intimateHealing | Memories & farewells · Night drives & city walks |
| Futurepop | Late 1990s | 120–140 | Groove & energyFuturistic & techMelancholy & lonely | Party & dance floor · Sci-fi & cyberpunk |
| Vaporwave | Early 2010s | 60–100 | NostalgicDreamy & floating | Night drives & city walks · Memories & farewells |
| Future Funk | Early 2010s | 110–125 | NostalgicBright & sweetGroove & energy | Party & dance floor · Travel & road trips |
| Electro Swing | Late 2000s–present | 120–130 | Bright & sweetGroove & energyNostalgicHype & thrill | Party & dance floor · Stage & idols |
All styles
- Synthwave
What it misses isn't the past, but the future the past once promised.
- Darksynth
Synthwave's neon turned blood-red, with metal-like bass and horror-film dread.
- Chillwave
Like a sun-faded old videotape, blurry, warm and a little wistful.
- Futurepop
Sings loneliness in a mechanical world as a melody that still wants to believe in tomorrow.
VaporwaveThe background music of consumer society, slowed down into an empty mall.
Future Funk1980s Japanese city pop, chopped and sped up over French house kicks and filters: vaporwave in the sun.
Electro Swing1920s–'40s swing horns and vocals plugged into modern house beats.