I need to distract myself

Alright prepare to be experienced. For those of you still waiting, or for those who have beaten it already and want some more synth. Like many of you I'm assuming the movie Drive was a gateway drug of sorts to the world of what many people call, but can't settle on one name, Synthwave/Outrun Electro/Chillwave/Retrofuture/New Retrowave/blahblahblahwavecore. I was thinking of doing a writeup on NMD but truth is giving it its own thread would probably mean dying off pretty quick, though the other edge of that sword is posting in the all encompassing electronica threads where House people shit on Trance etc.

Anyway, you can't go wrong starting with the Drive soundtrack, who's main artist people have already mentioned. (Anoraak isn't on the Drive soundtrack but is worth a listen)

Kavinsky

Imagine if one of the members of Daft Punk and one of the members of JUSTICE had a side project where their firstborn was commissioned to make LA getaway music in the persona of a French ghost driver. That would be Kavinsky.

Nightcall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lImoNKzn88g

Protovision

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41_svUt5_e0

Testarossa Autodrive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQSHg-SJXR8

Pacific Coast Highway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5FKNViujeM

Also of note on the soundtrack

Electric Youth

Distinct female vocals, very melancholy, bittersweet feel to it.

A Real Hero (feat. College)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcV1UpZAWAc

That song was notable for having that chorus that was sorta the movie's...meme. Or theme if you hate the word. After you watch it you wanna post it on facebook and everybody who either loved or hated the movie come out of woodwork

Right Back To You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqy98hcMV9w

The Best Thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfoLqZ-gtwU

Faces

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54zmJO810xI

Teenage Color vs Sailing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS109R2ztJo

Desire

Very similar to Electric Youth

Under Your Spell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K7rmxjk5RQ

which leads us to Glass Candy which was used by the director Nicolas Winding Refn in a previous film Bronson (video ends kinda early but nice footage)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1rcdPCuWcI

After Drive came the game Hotline Miami and was also acclaimed for its soundtrack with artists like Perturbator. You can listen to the whole thing here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKD-MVfC9Ag

After that I was fixing for more. More synth, I needed synth. I chased the dragon. I stole copper wiring for synth. I sold my grandpa's prized WWII Colt 45 for a hit of synth.

From the depths of youtube came the following notable artists:

Power Glove

Who you all are already familiar with of course. Remember sitting on the living room carpet plopped in front of an analog TV with that terrible bowl cut and booting up your favorite Sega Genesis kick'em ass game and this is the first thing you hear? Remember going to a championship arcade tournament and beating the girl who was a foot taller than you and the going on to beat the number 1 player in the world (outside of Japan): the rich kid with the blonde mullet? Memories man. That was Power Glove my friend.

Nightforce

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reOO1cMTkSg

Streets of 2043

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB9SsI6jZtI

Vengeance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jkuk-h6D9c

Maximum Potential

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdcskfqXH5I

Crypt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdHdo2J4KGo

Renegade

Very similar to Power Glove, more obscure though

Threshold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l4JFCy2Wk4

Innocent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKgcY269q_A

Pursuit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClOdWeP-6uc

Convict

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9t99L6bIew

Lazerhawk

Another artist mentioned, and frequently mentioned when talking about this subgenre, also a pretty accessible listen for babbies first synth wave. A good range of style, anything from "car chase through the LA river" to "sci fi boogie in space disco". Imagine you're own a robot factory producing a robot army, and the very first you thing you have them do is dance to Kraftwerk. That's Lazerhawk

Dream Machine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB3ibdil2UM

King of the Streets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyZQUEMZlCU

Overdrive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1NAhlVRaZ4

Distress Signal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyEusKu44wc

So Close

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6bhwM9-Mlk

Electric Groove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZZ-3p3DDV8

Space is the Place

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEflfQT9BKs

Redline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHaxiOzLams

So Far Away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39zKhsT5naI

And now apparently doing some horror stuff (sounds like something from Castlevania)

Skull and Shark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfbvYB807R8

Limit City

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-fGWcJ7H0o

Arise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02G3GhItGqU

Miami Nights 1984

Less of a car chase and more of a chill, relaxing night drive with your girl or your homies with an open top and the salty breeze running through your hair. Also car chases.

The Getaway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFRMqV4DWkA

On The Run

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9caRp3HCqs

Elevator of Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hguNer9FT2w

Ocean Drive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_x11lrxLj8

Early Summer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8FYYCI8MW8

Sunset Cruise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snRbau9fQ74

New Tomorrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq0UkrxPYWo

Very consistent style, though it doesn't really deviate from that. If you want something different

Com Truise

Also mentioned earlier in the thread. Very hard to describe his sound, very distinctive by genre standards. Imagine Boards of Canada with a beat (I apologize for this oversimplification). Imagine a strange sexy dream where the tracking is all messed up and the tape heads are worn. Imagine an 80s advertisement where a woman with big frizzy hair and huge glasses straddles a computer called the Selectron 8000 and lasers shoot out. Which reminds me of another reason we can't go back to the 80s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGO2hVA3P58

Brokendate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMjCxV7u8OA

Karova

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOz5dNtAJd0

Dreambender

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECp_O_rRH5Q

VHS Sex

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E034wcww390

Something dark and dirty about it, but never quite disturbing of course

For that there's something like

Lueur Verte

Nightslasher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyYSAAUOv88

alternatively there's

Noir Deco

Also pretty dark, kinda industrial feel. Most people on youtube set it to cyberpunk like Blade Runner which seems to be a good motif. If you liked the Hotline Miami soundtrack you'll probably dig this.

Future Noir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms-uKIw1rJs

Sentient Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8DOXVaCdhI

On the opposite end of the spectrum is

Futurecop!

Very upbeat/uplifting, but also kinda twee/saccharine and cheesy in a feel good "believe in yourself and your dreams!" way. Think movies with montages where the hero finds a way to beat the neighborhood bully terrorizing lemonade stands/corporation bulldozing community centers and gets the girl in the end.

The Only Way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ba8zFBy0k0

Transformers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLXw1BLB2hs

NASA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SllfzY1DKYE

Starworshipper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB4GQu97-bc

Atlantis 1997

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAsbF_-EG9A

Let Em Riot

A little different from the rest, more of a New Wave pop kinda feel. Spandau Ballet + Duran Duran style vocals I guess you could say?

Say what you need to Say

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LskdlkQzyp0

All We Are

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-wjixG8FAk

Lovers and Losers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-OEV42WqfA

Foreigners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPnbAYhDEOc

The Glass Moon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7rtXSWqv1g

I know

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkG5TJuUEi8

Don't Stop Running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IKYJKy2iGs

Tesla Boy

Also mentioned already, also kinda has a New Wave male vocal feel except with more of a seductive nightclub feel. Something an 80s chick in leotards would listen to on her Walkman while working out

Fantasy (very light NSFW unless you work in Europe then it's cool)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1QvngQBYfY

Thinking of You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK36lXlby4Q

Spirit of the Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybyHYreTkHw

Some artists who might not be Synthwave per se but these videos are rad

FiNAL DJs - Moonlight Serenade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtJQ-NxuW18

Lifelike - So Electric

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G22X5X49VhM

Rad Omen - Rad Anthem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl0G3uH71B8

Grum - Through the Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dUbtrTU-1U

Grum - Cybernetic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDFdtI4VN7s

Grum - I can't Shake this Feeling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7-glnSlIjM

I feel like Grum deserves it's own thing but they are very modern disco house sensibilities. Worthy of a mention though. Very tongue in cheek with the 80s movie theme

Honorable mentions who I have not given as much of a listen to but should be up your alley

Mitch Murder, FM Attack, Flashworx, sellorekt/LA dreams, Actraiser, Multipac/MPM,

You: "Oh God yes, Alan Smithee, take me back to the day of neon grids, these new fangled hexagonal grids scare me give me quads anyday!"

Me: What's that you say? You haven't had enough? You want more?

I give you: the Luigidonatello playlists. Hours upon hours of content. There will of course be redundancies. I highly suggest you get lost in here. I can't guarantee you will ever return once you enter

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8FCAA69505450735

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...M3OaWvWCuZAD3vi

Also this channel ups a lot of tracks with found footage/pics if you dig that sorta thing.

https://www.youtube.com/user/NewRetroWave

Again redundancies will be in the previous playlists but there's a lot of content in its own right that doesn't get around as much

apparently they have a site too, just devoted to the stuff.