Synthpop

Your Friendly Neighborhood Electro-Witch

by Megan McDuffee

Megan McDuffee, your friendly neighborhood electro-witch


As I sit down to write this, I have several topics swirling around in my brain. I could spill my life’s story, I could educate you about music for the video game and film trailer industries, I could ramble about my frustrations and stress around having to wear too many hats, and so on. But for your sake (and mine honestly), I’ll keep it simple.

Welcome to my blog post! Thanks for being here. My name is Megan McDuffee and I’m a composer, music producer, and artist primarily for video games. I’ve built a successful client business over the past decade, and have gotten to work on some very cool things like all the Atari Recharged games, River City Girls 1 & 2 from WayForward, Apex Legends Mobile, the trailers for Annihilation and The Predator, and many more. You can even hear my songs in reality TV shows like The Bachelor and Love Is Blind. It’s been a wild journey, and there’s still so much more to tackle.

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The Imaginary, Symbolic, and the Real

by Dillon Vetere (aka Safehouse)

The Imaginary, Symbolic, and the Real by Dillon Vetere (aka Safehouse)
The 2010’s have come to an end, and there was no better way to end the decade with a collection of songs that mean so much to me as an artist and person… The tracks of the Mirror Stage era. This collection of 80’s inspired new wave tracks, with sprinkles of modern chillwave, have taught me so much about myself as a musician and will forever hold a special place in my heart. The Mirror Stage era ended with my newest release to date, the Imaginary Order EP. This EP is only 17 minutes long, but it packs so much emotion and angst into 5 tracks. Although the Mirror Stage era is over, this EP is the perfect way to kick off the new decade.

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Odd Woman Out

by Charley Young

Odd Woman Out by Charley Young
My name is Charley Young. I’m an indie synthpop artist based in NYC. I was born in San Diego, California, and grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I’ve always loved music and always knew I wanted to be a singer, but it took me a while to become confident enough to pursue my dreams. About five years ago, I decided it was time to stop being scared and go for it – Whether or not the timing was good, whether or not I was “ready.”

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Metapop Track-by-Track

by Luis DH

Metapop Track-by-Track by Luis DH
For most artists, songs and albums are like snapshots of periods of time and their lives at those moments. Creating and expressing yourself can be both a healing and a learning experience – to know more about yourself and the world around you.

Last year I went through the worst and messiest breakup ever. I saw things I thought I would never see. I got to witness the ugliest part of human nature, and it was truly heartbreaking – and the ultimate test in life.

But I survived.

And I decided to express all those feelings through songs.

This is the story behind every track on my latest album, “メタポップ (Metapop).”

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This is Why Devin Tait Plays Synthesizers

by Devin Tait

This is Why Devin Tait Plays Synthesizers

Photo by Jessica Perry

Devin Tait grew up on a farm in rural northwestern Kansas to a family who had been involved in agriculture for generations. So how did he end up as a synthpop musician based in West Hollywood, California?

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Finding a Balance between Self-Expression and Self-Isolation as a Musician

by Isabel Tarcson

Finding a Balance between Self-Expression and Self-Isolation as a Musician by Isabel Tarcson
I was taught that to be a true musician, one has to make a choice between a social life and success. This is a concept that I have struggled with for the past two years before writing Sunset Club. I first became introduced to the idea of being a performer with classical music, mainly opera. To be a successful classical musician, one must spend all their free time practicing, learning, thinking, and breathing music. That isn’t the life for everyone.

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Music is my Medicine

by Weston Smith

Music is my Medicin by Weston Smith
Weston Smith, which is my actual name, is a Solo Synth Pop project I started in early 2016 as a way for me to cope through my mental illnesses. For years I had been battling with enormous waves of anxiety and depression, I had gone through multiple treatments to balance my life with various medications, but there wasn’t really any success with said attempts.

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S Y Z Y G Y X is a love story, too

by Luna Blanc

S Y Z Y G Y X is a love story, too by Luna Blanc

Le’ts start in the middle. Many years after both Josh and I, separately, had had music running through our veins and had already been the air we breathe. Although, mine in the form of a dream and Josh’s as his reality.

Let’s start in the middle. In a retail store in the big and unknown county of Fairfax, in northern Virginia, where Luna and Josh met.

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Writing the Book on Facades: Identity, Storytelling, and Fluidity

by The Facades

Writing the Book on Facades: Identity, Storytelling, and FluiditySo who are The Facades? It’s a good question. Even though I play all four members of the group, and they all come from and live in my head, I still have a little trouble clearly defining them. Zyote, the serious executive producer with a heart of lead and a painted smile. Aces Wild, the androgynous rock star/party angel who borrows Bowie’s vision and runs amok with it. Glitchtech, the anxiety-driven machine made man with an ear to the subway walls and an eye on the truth. The Thin Man, the pure diamond of barely-repressed spite with a literal cult following. How do I play them all, and how do they all play me?

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