Music News

/// Johannes Schmoelling (of Tangerine Dream)'s New YouTube Channel :: 7.7.2025 ///

Johannes Schmoelling is the G.O.A.T. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to retro synthesizer music, he can do no wrong. He had a massive influence on Tangerine Dream when he joined the band in 1980, and even though he left after 1985, some of the greatest-ever electronic music was produced during his tenure.

Thus I am beyond thrilled that Schmoelling has created a brand-new YouTube channel featuring interviews and concert performances including several recent renditions of classic Tangerine Dream songs by his band, S.A.W. (Hydragate, SAW’s second album, won my best of 2023 award). I’m just now digging into all this, and I couldn’t be more pleased.

/// My Current Obsession: Tokyo Nights by L'Avenue :: 5.30.2025 ///

There are times when I think the synthwave genre has been well and truly played out. At this point I don’t make it a habit to seek out new material. There’s always a danger with “pastiche” when it can go beyond a loving retro revival and start to fold in on itself, becoming ever more constrictive and losing its sense of playfulness and originality.

And then there are times L’Avenue comes out with a new album, and I am so here for it. This time, we’re treated with Tokyo Nights…yes I know, the synthwave/cyberpunk fixation with Japan is also heavily overplayed, but damnit, this is good, good stuff.

Productions like this revolve so much around mood and atmosphere and the emotional place it can instantly take you to, and Tokyo Nights delivers atmosphere in spades. It should be noted L’Avenue is responsible for my 2022 Electronica Album of the Year, Riviera—however, I will say that this comes down to certain standout tracks on the album. This time around, my feeling is that Tokyo Nights is more consistently excellent across all its tracks even though I’m not sure I can say it quite reaches the heights of Riviera.

Jesse Reuben Wilson is the musician behind the project, and I am pleased to hear his growth as a composer and performer on this album. There’s more subtlety in the practical keyboard work—less robotic, more organic—and more variety in the arrangement styles. Tokyo Nights pushes at the edges of the synthwave genre, pulling bits in as needed from adjacent genres such as progressive house and dubstep. This gives it a fresh and invigorating feel, despite the heavy reliance on various retro 80s tropes. Wilson certainly is no stranger to other electronica genres. His work under the moniker Positive Flow is proof of that. But I think Tokyo Nights is an exciting glimpse of what you can do when you don’t feel constrained to a strict adherence to the synthwave sonic palette.

I hope you give it a listen, particularly the trilogy of tracks 3-5 (Arcade Heaven, Never Die, & Shogun). Take a late evening drive with the stereo on, or perhaps lie down and put on your best studio headphones. I expect you’ll be pleasantly rewarded.

/// The Music System :: 3.12.2025 ///

Fun Fact: the first DAW (if you will) I ever used was one I suspect very few people know of or still remember: The Music System.

It was a Commodore 64 program (I used it on a Commodore 128), and being literally just a kid at the time I was introduced to all sorts of strange and unfamiliar terms such as MIDI, waveform, envelope, sawtooth, and pulse width. I really hadn’t a clue what to do with it, but it certainly made a huge impression on me. That—and a diminutive Casio SK-1—were my very first forays into electronic music. What a time that was! 😂

Watch a demonstration of The Music System here on YouTube.

Read a review of The Music System in Sound on Sound from 1986!

/// Authenticity in the Pursuit of Art :: 1.18.2025 ///

/// Album of the Year for 2024 :: 12.21.2024 ///

It’s that time again when I publish my “Album of the Year”, an honorable tradition here at the YARRED website.

Just kidding—this is the first time I’ve done this. 😂 (I had two goals this year: release a new album for the first time in ages, and start blogging about other music I love. Score on both counts!)

Before I unveil my album of the year, let me note a few previous years. I think my routine will be to choose an album that’s squarely in the genre I adore (retro-flavored electronica: chillwave, Berlin School, etc.), alongside a more mainstream runner-up.

In 2022: my Album of the Year was Riviera by L’Avenue (I was absolutely obsessed with this album—particularly the track Warm Breeze), and the pop runner-up was Dawn FM by The Weeknd (I’ve listened to this one so-o-o many times—incredible stuff).

And in 2023: my Album of the Year was Hydragate by S.A.W. (how could it not be when it features the illustrious Johannes Schmoelling, formerly of Tangerine Dream), and the pop runner-up was Bebe.

So…drumroll please…

My Album of the Year for 2024 is Into the Unknown by Nero

To say Into the Unknown was a long-awaited follow-up to Nero’s ground-breaking debut album Welcome Reality (2011) and the less impressive but still good sequel Between II Worlds (2015) is an understatement.

Band members Dan Stephens, Joe Ray, and Alana Watson took the world of electronic dance music by storm with their crossover appeal and masterful fusion of multiple genres and touchstones—hard-hitting often menacing synth pyrotechnics combined with the glass-shattering soprano vocals of Watson. And they shot to superstardom upon their collaboration with Skrillex on the dubstep remix of Promises. This was the sound of the early 2010s.

Now I don’t mean to imply Between II Worlds is a bad album. It’s quite good in fact…it just wasn’t brilliant to the degree that Welcome Reality was. It’s hard to produce great sequels! Thus the question quickly became: could Nero complete the trilogy successfully and with panache?

Thankfully I’m—finally—here to report that Into the Unknown is awesome.

I have a bunch of favorite tracks on here, but the one that really stands out for me is Gravity. It’s more akin to the vibes of a synthwave record than drum’n’bass or dubstep…which perhaps is why I love it so much. It’s just a very pleasing song to listen to, masterfully executed.

Another standout that’s more on the wild side is Draw Energy. We’re squarely in hardcore electronic territory on this one—more of an assult on the ears than a song in the traditional sense. And I love it.

It’s possible to claim the “heights” of Into the Unknown don’t quite hit the heights of Welcome Reality. On the other hand…this just might be a “better” album overall. It holds together extremely well, one track conceptually flowing into the next, and Alana Watson has never sounded better. What a pair of pipes she has!

I’m so happy Nero pulled through and over the course of 13 years delivered an electronic music album trilogy that is unparalled in the field. Bravo Nero. Well done.

As for the pop runner-up for Album of the Year for 2024, it is:

eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande

I will fully admit: I am not the target demographic for the fanbase of Ariana Grande. And I will admit yet again, I haven’t even heard anything else she’s done. All I can tell you is my kids were listening to songs from this album, and my ears perked up. There’s some really excellent material on here—supernatural, the boy is mine, yes, and?, we can’t be friends (wait for your love)…bangers all. My only real complaint is one I have with most modern pop music: way too much Auto-Tune on all the vocals. I don’t really get it: we *know* that Ariana Grande can really sing! Why mess it up with that weird robotic warble effect? Ugh.

But no matter. eternal sunshine is a very good pop album, and I’m glad to give the nod to Glinda. 😏

Honorable Mention:

I very nearly gave my Album of the Year award to 80s Ambient Reinventions by State Azure, only…it’s actually an EP-length compilation of songs released over the past several years. They are all covers of famous 80s songs, from Running Up That Hill to Love Comes Quickly, done in a sequencer-laden ambient/Berlin-School instrumental style that is achingly exquisite. Every moment of this album is *chef’s kiss*, and that really doesn’t come as a surprise considering State Azure has been making some of the best ambient electronica in the world for a long while now—not to mention they are behind the best Tangerine Dream covers I’ve ever heard.

So there you have it. My Album(s) of the Year for 2024. What will we be graced with in 2025? Stay tuned!

(And also stay tuned for more YARRED music, coming at you in the New Year. Yeah baby! 🤘)

/// Subterranean Released :: 9.23.2024 ///

Subterranean essentially began 20 years ago. I wrote an initial take on the title track purely in Reason 2.0 on my then brand-new iMac G4. I never released it on an album. Fast forward to 2021, when I embarked on an entirely new treatment of the piece—and the rumblings of a truly special vibe. This sparked a flurry of effort for me to take a second look at a number of other pieces I’d worked on over the years.

This album simultaneously represents some of the most diverse explorations of various forms of electronica of my career, yet the sound remains entirely consistent. This is the hardest I’ve pushed into dance subgenres, with touches of trance, progressive house, drum’n’bass, breakbeat, and nu-disco throughout. At the same time, the influences of chillwave, ambient, and retro electronic music from the 80s and 90s cannot be denied. Subterranean is a collection of tracks which are rooted in genre yet entirely transcend it. At the end of the day, it is simply music made on synthesizers with love—and perhaps the occasional spark of divine fire.

Listen and Purchase on Bandcamp

/// Unbroken Spirit Released :: 3.14.2022 ///

My new joint album with space music maestro Paul Ellis is finally here! Head over to the newly refreshed Collaborations page to listen to Unbroken Spirit and check it out! I think it’s a great blend of our two styles and an invigorating addition to the retro electronica scene.

/// Multnomah is Now Available for Pre-Order :: 3.26.2020 ///

Three years in the making, Multnomah is at long last here for your listening pleasure! Retreat to a quiet spot, turn up the volume, and be transported.

From the Bandcamp album description:

The roller-coaster of life and a relocation to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Oregon to be exact) prompted a deep, deep reflection on over a decade of electronic music making. Multnomah (2020) is Yarred’s most meticulously-constructed and emotionally-charged album to date, with a cinematic synthwave flavor undergirding interlinked melodies, sequences, and rhythms which glorify the majestic beauty of the west.

Pre-order Today! Final release date is Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

Brand new cover art for the official release:

/// Preview of “One Cannon Sunset” :: 5.17.2019 ///

Introducing the first clip from my upcoming album “Multnomah” slated for release later this summer! This is my most sonically ambitious project yet, and I can’t wait to share more with you in the days ahead. If you like what you hear here, smash that subscribe button on my YouTube channel!

/// Announcing Multnomah :: 12.7.2018 ///

At long last, I have a new record: Multnomah. Release date…Summer 2019.

Soundclips and more details forthcoming! 🎶

Here’s a sneak peak at the cover art:

/// Dream of Stranger Matters—new single! :: 9.12.2017 ///

The day, the hour has arrived! Yarred’s brand new Synthwave single Dream of Stranger Matters is here. Listen and purchase on Bandcamp:

/// Preview of Brand New Single :: 7.18.2017 ///

Woo hoo! I’m excited to show you a sneak preview of my new synthwave single “Dream of Stranger Matters” — full release coming in August. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get notified when the final track drops!

/// Stranger Links :: 7.11.2017 ///

Hey hey everybody, it’s your friendly neighborhood synthwave producer here…and I’m feeling pretty amped about the brand new Yarred website you’re now beholding. It’s really the first proper site I’ve ever had, which is actually quite odd as my “day job” just so happens to be web designer. But you know what they say about the shoemaker’s children and the lack of appropriate footwear…

At any rate, now that this battle station is fully operational, I will be able to post new content on a regular basis! Speaking of which, I have a fresh synthwave single that’s about to drop…and that’s just the first track of a larger EP that’s scheduled for release in the fall. Oh yeah! But in the meantime, if you aren’t already familiar with Redwood Coast, definitely go check that out. It’s a fusion of synthwave and chillout and I think it’s pretty fine. Hope you do too!

/// Redwood Coast now on iTunes, Spotify, and more! :: 4.4.2017 ///

Yarred’s seminal synthwave / chillout fusion record is now available on Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, and other music services! A love letter to the best of 80’s electronic music.

You can listen to Redwood Coast and purchase it from the Music page page.

Latest in the “Best of Tangerine Dream” Series

/// Comet’s Figure Head & Outland :: 11.2.2022 ///

Cold, dark, powerful synth soundscapes to underscore NASA’s mission to Mars—one that ultimately failed, but the music remains.

/// Stratosfear :: 10.28.2022 ///

One of the grooviest ”hits” of the early Virgin Years, with epic cover art to match.

More Posts This Way…