Give Your Project a Retro-Creepy Vibe With 80s Synth Music
80s synth music is back, thanks to the Netflix hit Stranger Things. If your next horror or sci-fi project is short on atmospheric chills, these royalty free throwback tracks might just do the trick.
Much has been said about the wide range of pop culture influences found throughout 2016’s smash hit Stranger Things. In addition to respectful nods to the likes of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, creators the Duffer Brothers looked to the past for musical inspiration as well.
“We always wanted the music to play a major role in the show. Very early on, we decided that we needed an entirely electronic score. Electronic music is making a major comeback right now and we’re loving it. Specifically, we’re obsessed with Cliff Martinez’s work on The Knick, as well as Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ work for David Fincher. Their electronic soundtracks, while very modern and cutting-edge, also inevitably evoke the sounds of ’80s music (most notably Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, and John Carpenter). So we felt that having a synth soundtrack would do exactly what we wanted to achieve with the show: It would feel both modern and nostalgic at the same time.” — The Duffer Brothers via Entertainment Weekly
When it cam time to score the episodes, the Duffers turned to Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of the Austin, Texas synth outfit, S U R V I V E.
“We came upon S U R V I V E from the soundtrack to Adam Wingard’s The Guest. We used one of their songs in that little trailer we cut together. So of course when it came time to actually find a composer, they were one of the first names to pop in our heads.” — The Duffer Brothers via Complex
If you’re looking to apply some retro-synth vibe to your next project, you won’t have to worry about hiring an indie act to write a score from scratch. The songs below (handpicked by the PremiumBeat music team) are brimming with dark 80s atmosphere. And with a PremiumBeat standard license, you won’t need to worry about copyright issues.
Cover image via Make It Stranger
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Proxima-1
By K1Woods
- Floating and suspenseful, featuring shimmering synth textures and smooth strings that create a foreboding, dramatic mood.
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- Investigate
- Laidback and smooth, featuring a pulsing synth drum groove and atmospheric textures and underlying strings create a mellow yet dark mood.
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- Serious Business
- Pulsing and building, featuring driving drums, dark piano, and floating synth textures that create determination and light tension.
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- Secret Code Breaker
- Dark and foreboding, featuring pulsing percussion, bold strings and suspenseful drones that depict an investigative scene.
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- A Black Hole
- Dark and pulsing, featuring a solemn piano melody and light strings that create a mysterious and subdued mood.
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Last Syndicate
By K1Woods
- Tense and cinematic, featuring eerie piano over a menacing, pulsing synthesizer and drum loop that creates a mood of intense fear and suspense.
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Hypnotic
By Gyom
- Warm and upbeat with an indie synth pop feel, featuring electric piano, synthesizer, electric guitar and a pulsing drum machine that create a euphoric, feel-good mood.
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Sky Way
By Joe Sacco
- Building with pulsing muted electric guitar, featuring a driving Pop-Rock drums groove, shimmering synth textures and a soaring piano melody that creates inspiration.
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Pete's PA Version 1
By Dov Waterman
- Upbeat and bouncy, featuring 1980's Electro-Pop elements, light brass and a pumping groove that creates a feel-good mood.
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First Crush
By Julian Bell
- Bright and shimmering, featuring a light Pop groove, synth bass and marimba that create a happy and optimistic mood.
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Spirit
By Cymatix
- Warm and floating, featuring lightly pulsing electronic elements that build with a Pop Rock groove and create inspiration.
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Wild Card
By Monty Taylor
- Upbeat and building, featuring warm piano, light synth, 70's style electric guitar and a heavy Electro-Pop groove that creates a confident and positive mood.
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- Under the Spotlight
- DetermineDnBright with an upbeat 80's R&B beat, featuring synth textures and electric guitar that create a happy mood.
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Some Kinda Groove
By Monty Taylor
- Bouncy and building with an 80's Pop Rock groove, featuring an energetic bass riff, electric guitar and smooth synth textures that create a happy and carefree mood.
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- Sacred Visions
- Floating and smooth, featuring atmospheric textures that build with a Electro Pop feel and bright synthesizer that creates an optimistic, inspiring mood.
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- Feels Like a Comeback
- A light and pulsing introduction leads to a heavy dance groove, featuring vocal oohs and 80's retro textures that create a party atmosphere.
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