Retrofuturism, a genre rooted in the fusion of traditional noir jazz and electronic music, emerged in the 80s music alongside the rise of cyberpunk and technology in popular culture.
Big hair, bigger egos, and even bigger gadgets—that was the 1980s in a nutshell. Sure, acid-wash jeans and shoulder pads were crimes against fashion, but this was also the decade that brought us tech breakthroughs worth keeping around. Computers weren’t just for nerds anymore; the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh transformed living rooms into home offices. Meanwhile, the Walkman let you blast “Take On Me” on repeat, all while making your own soundtrack for a mall run.
Meanwhile, microwave ovens and cordless phones made daily life feel straight out of The Jetsons. It was a time when every new gadget was a symbol of possibility and progress—packaged in glossy chrome and sold with a catchy jingle.
The Sony Walkman changed the way we experienced music, offering private listening for the first time. Meanwhile, innovations like CDs, VCRs, and mobile phones made entertainment and communication more personal, portable, and instantaneous. Devices like the Roland TR-808 introduced new advancements in music production, while fax machines and answering machines reshaped professional and personal communications.
At the same time, cable TV expanded, transforming television into a 24/7 experience, introducing more channels, shows, and the groundbreaking MTV, which forever changed how music was consumed.
Retrofuturistic Electronica Genres
While it’s easy to look back and see the 80s as either neon fluff or a cyber-dystopia, it was both—and then some. It was a celebration of both what we had achieved and what we feared was just around the corner.
The 80s culminated in Tech Jazz distinct musical categories, each reflecting the era’s mix of optimism, uncertainty, and experimentation with technology:
Vaporwave
Born from 80s and early 90s consumer culture, Vaporwave is a surreal, nostalgic take on corporate jingles, muzak, and retro video game sounds. It uses lo-fi effects, tape hiss, and chopped-up techniques to create a hypnotic, dreamy, and sometimes eerie soundscape, matched by visuals of pixelated graphics, pastel-hued malls, and surreal grids.
Synthwave
An homage to 80s sci-fi soundtracks, Synthwave fuses retro synthesizers with modern production techniques, drawing inspiration from classic film scores. It’s defined by heavy synths, pulsing basslines, and dramatic crescendos, set against neon-lit aesthetics, VHS filters, and retro-futuristic cityscapes.
Chillwave
With its lo-fi, laid-back approach, Chillwave aims to be warm and nostalgic using washed-out synths and reverb-heavy vocals. It combines indie pop and lo-fi elements, conjuring imagery of faded Polaroids, sunsets, and beach trips.
Retrowave
This subgenre leans heavily into the sounds of 80s pop music, featuring bright synths, drum machines, and catchy melodies. Drawing from cheesy romance movies and upbeat TV themes, it’s all neon palm trees, classic cars, and Miami Vice vibes.
Darkwave
The darker, gothic counterpart to new wave and post-punk, Darkwave features brooding synths, cold guitars, and melancholic vocals. It emphasizes themes of alienation and existential angst, with an aesthetic of shadowy corners and underground club scenes.
Outrun
Inspired by 80s action films, Outrun is the adrenaline-fueled offshoot of Synthwave. With aggressive synths and rapid beats, it’s perfect for car chases and intense sequences, evoking neon-lit race cars and synth-heavy action.
Futuresynth
A more polished evolution of Synthwave, Futuresynth blends futuristic tones with classic synth elements. Clean and crisp, it leans into themes of holographic visuals, sleek cityscapes, and metallic designs.
Dreamwave
Dreamwave is the ethereal version of Synthwave, using soft synths, gentle beats, and atmospheric layers to create a hazy, surreal atmosphere. It’s all about neon sunsets, cosmic skies, and drifting clouds.
Cyberwave
Focusing on digital and cyberpunk themes, Cyberwave combines glitchy synths with robotic beats, inspired by early internet aesthetics and artificial intelligence. Its visuals feature neon grids, hacking sequences, and cyberspace landscapes.
Hypnagogic Pop
Blurring the lines between reality and dreams, Hypnagogic Pop merges 80s and 90s nostalgia with surrealism, using lo-fi pop, VHS effects, and ethereal vocals to create a sense of faded, dreamlike pop culture.
Lofi Hip-Hop (Jazzhop)
This laid-back fusion of hip-hop beats and jazz samples creates a mellow, relaxed atmosphere, ideal for studying or chilling out. It features smooth jazz riffs, warm vinyl crackle, and cozy visuals like rainy windows and animated loops.
Mallsoft
As a subgenre of Vaporwave, Mallsoft replicates the sound of background mall music—think elevator tunes and soft jazz, slowed and warped to evoke the surreal feeling of empty malls, deserted food courts, and pastel decor.
Synthpop
Synthpop revives 80s pop music with a strong electronic focus, featuring catchy hooks, bright synths, and upbeat rhythms. It’s all neon backdrops, flashy stage lights, and vintage arcade aesthetics.
Slushwave
A slower, ambient variant of Vaporwave, Slushwave uses extremely slowed-down tracks and heavy reverb to create a disorienting, slow-motion effect. It’s like wading through digital quicksand, with glitchy visuals and distorted VHS playback
Vaporwave is the weird cousin of 80s and 90s nostalgia, dripping in retro vibes and pixelated aesthetics. Think old VHS tapes that glitch and sputter, pastel-hued malls filled with neon signs, and computer screens frozen on Windows 95 logos. It’s like stepping into a world of infinite grids, where palm trees line surreal virtual beaches and escalators glow in hazy, surreal lighting. Imagine the plush carpets and big mirrors of 80s Los Angeles, but everything’s just a little too pink, a little too shiny.
These genres collectively fall under the umbrella of “Retrofuturistic Music” or “Neo-Nostalgic Music.” They all share a common theme: reinterpreting the past, especially the 80s and 90s, through a futuristic, surreal, or ironic lens.
Shows like Stranger Things brought back the 80s synth-driven sound, reminding audiences of the hazy pastel tones tied to the era. Meanwhile, JoJo Siwa, known for her retro pop branding, integrates Vaporwave's aesthetic of exaggerated colors and retro futurism motifs into her brand, making it hyper-commercialized and accessible to a younger generation.
Today, this genre is associated with settings designed for escape and reflection where their atmospheric qualities complement a sense of leisure and detachment.
With streaming platforms like Spotify curating playlists such as "Vaporwave Essentials" and "Synthwave Dreams," listeners turn to these retro-futuristic soundscapes for focus, relaxation, and a dose of nostalgia.
Known as: vaporwave jazz, synth jazz, chill jazz, ambient jazz, jazz-hop, hypnagogic pop, electro-jazz, retro-futuristic jazz, bedroom pop, lo-fi beats, nostalgic jazz, smooth jazz
Wrapped up
Neo-Nostalgic Electronica plays a crucial role in defining the genre that has established itself as a core element in soundtracks and scores for video games, films, and series that explore cyberpunk settings, alien civilizations, and interstellar travel.
Its integration of traditional jazz elements with modern synthetic textures mirrors the larger cultural element of nostalgia for a past vision of the future, combined with a growing fascination and apprehension about technological advancement. In this genre, you can almost hear the questions we’re too afraid to ask:
What happens when the machines know us better than we know ourselves?
Tech Noir Jazz thrives on these contradictions— the organic warmth of jazz with the sleek, detached atmosphere of electronic sounds., where the mournful cry of a saxophone echoes against the backdrop of digital screens humming of automation. It’s the music of a society that has traded connection for convenience, emotion for efficiency, but still yearns for something real.
Altered State Productions is a music production and sound production company with a decade of experience in producing music and sound effects for commercials in the industry alongside content marketing in a variety of ad formats, including YouTube content.