Since its first review in November 2014, Vehlinggo has always been a multi-genre music site. It started out focused on anything Drive-related, along with disco, techno, and synth-pop. Synthwave came into the picture pretty early, too. Then, starting in 2015, I began interviewing film and TV score composers and reviewing their work, and I also began regularly premiering cues from scores and soundtracks. (Given that the Drive soundtrack is film music, this development should not have been surprising). From that point onward the focus of this site has shifted more and more to film and TV music. Now, I’d say, it’s my primary focus, with nostalgia-tinged modern electronic music close behind.
After 5.5 years of running this site, and after nearly a decade of listening to synthwave, I’m finding that the genre has ignited my passions less and less with each passing release. Earlier this year I was toying with moving away from synthwave altogether. However, I tend to be a person who tries to find the middle path. There are still gems coming out in the genre, even if the body of work as a whole is fairly generic and oversaturated in 2020. So I had an idea: a column or section of the site focusing on the downright best synthwave, ignoring the scene’s worst habits and traits. I also remembered a domain I’ve been sitting on for years.
“Earlier this year I was toying with moving away from synthwave altogether.”
Enter Synthwave.net, which will be a semi-regular column/section on Vehlinggo and which will also be accessible through the eponymous domain.
Vehlinggo will carry on its evolution — at this age, the site can’t afford to be stagnant — while still keeping a connection to the great community of musicians, visual artists, promoters, fans, and media that comprise the better angels of the synthwave scene. The potential downside for submitters is that I’ll be even pickier than I’ve already been over the years. The upside is that we still get to celebrate the best parts of synthwave together.
The first column with recommendations will debut this weekend and I’ll publish semi-regularly where practicable.
Thanks again for reading over the years. I’m excited for what the future holds!
(Feature Photo: Dana Jean Phoenix performs at the Neon RetroFest in Warwick, Rhode Island, in August 2018. Photo by Andrew B. White.)
