From proto-industrial and early techno to cold wave and synth pop this episode explores iconic and not so known synth-based works recorded in the ‘80s around the world, mostly created by women and queer folks.

Beyond the constrains of academic sound art and the avant-garde, the market mainstreaming of synthesizers gave rise to local DIY synth heavy scenes, with bands sharing members and equipment. Cold War, deindustrialization, unemployment, authoritarian politics and shifting regimes created a landscape of abandonment and decadence in the late 70s-80s that turned synthesizers, beats and dancefloors into a way out.

The 2000s-2010 blog era renewed the interest around these works through countless mp3 folders and YouTube uploads, from the archives of collectors, fans and even the artists themselves, followed by a wave of re-issues and compilations. While still many of the works are lost in private collections and unreleased demos, independent labels such as Dark Entries Records, Domestica Records, Mannequin Records and Minimal Wave Records, Music from Memory, have helped preserving and re-releasing synth waves from all over, back to the world.