WHY DOES 80S AND 90S MUSIC SOUND SO 80S AND 90S? IS IT BACK?
Written by Helen Freitas, Carly Dohner, Jaz Brown
As the saying goes (I think?), the past always catches up with you. And sometimes, that’s a good thing, because the 80’s and 90’s claimed some pretty cool trends, and we’re all for bringing (some of) them back. One of the greatest things about those eras was the music, and many artists today are bringing back those vintage sounds with a modern twist.
80’s and 90’s music is defined by the drum machines and synthesizers that lay the foundation for countless classics such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Bad, and Tears for Fears’ Everyone Wants to Rule the World. In reply to the question, “What is it that makes most music from the 80s sound so distinctly 80s to my millennial ears?” on Quora, guitarist Neil Anderson states:
Largely it’s the production techniques. In the 80s [and 90s] reverb was king. Heavily reverbed snare drums were very common… Talking of drums the drum machines used at the time were often analogue, especially in the early part of the decades, which gives 80s electronic drum sounds a very distinctive sound.”
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| TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX |
Certain bands today bring back a bit of these decades. One of the first bands who came to mind when we decided to write this article is The 1975. They preserve sounds reminiscent of the 80s and 90s, but manage to put their own, new-age take on it. Their song Somebody Else sounds like something you could definitely hear in John Hughes’ cult classic Sixteen Candles.
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| Sixteen Candles/ Universal Pictures |
Another band that immediately came to mind was Empire of the Sun—especially their song Walking on a Dream. They produce vibrant and contemporary yet vintage sounds. Their music has a nostalgic feel to it and provides a wave of endless good vibes to listeners.
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Other, more mainstream artists also throw in familiar 80s and 90s sounds into their music. These artists include The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert and Chance the Rapper—but the list goes on.
Countless adults complain that “people don’t make good music anymore.” But this us vs. them mentality needs to stop—keep an open mind, so much new music is made everyday that incorporates classic sounds! And it is possible to preserve the sounds of previous generations while allowing younger generations to create their own unique style and interpretations of it.
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