Synthwave music continues to gain a following in Europe.
The Netherlands contributes Timecop 1983 to the growing fanbase.
11/8/2017 – There is something about 80’s music that just won’t die. Synthwave is a modern interpretation of the cheesy keyboards, melodies and oft dreamy impressions of the 1980’s. Some energetic tracks emote the glamorized car chases in Miami Vice. The opposite spectrum of synthwave channels the cool vibes of Southbeach Miami.
But, this isn’t all about Florida.
The genre of synthwave is spreading all across the world. Driven by Youtube channels such as New Retro Wave or The 80’s Guy, artists and fans alike are sharing their music for free. We managed to catch up one such artist, Timecop 1983.
Thanks for speaking with Slickster Magazine. What or who exactly is Timecop 1983 and how did you come up with name?
Thank you very much for having me! My real name is Jordy, i’ve been producing Synthwave since 2013, and I live in The Netherlands.
I’ve been making music since I was 12 and after experimenting with all kinds of genres (literally from classical music to gabberhouse) i fell in love with Synthwave in 2011 when I heard Kavinsky for the first time. Not because of Drive initially, but I heard his music for the first time via recommendations on Myspace while listening to music from the French Ed Banger label. But it wasn’t until I saw the movie itself in 2013 that I attempted to make Synthwave myself.
At the time I was a fanatic mountainbiker and I did a lot of cycling races for which I had to do a lot of training. That’s why I was thinking about quitting making music, because I couldn’t really finish anything, I wasn’t focusing on one genre and I just didn’t have the time. But then I finally saw Drive and everything changed.
It was just so perfect how the music in the film worked with the visuals and when the “A Real Hero” scene came on I knew this was the kind of music I wanted to make. So I started experimenting and after a while the song Childhood Memories was born. To see how people would react to it I created a Soundcloud account. But that meant I need to have a name….
I wish I gave the name some more thought, but I decided to go with Timecop1983. Timecop being a reference to Futurecop!, which I listened to a lot and 1983 being my birthyear.
Are you fan of Jean Claude-Van Damme’s movie Timecop?
Haha, to be honest I didn’t even know Timecop was a JCVD movie when I created the project. I found out about this nearly two years after I created my Soundcloud account when somebody made a comment about! Then I first wished I picked a different name.
I’m not a big fan of JCVD movie’s and I think his acting skills are mediocre (at best), but I guess I need to bite the bullet and watch it sometime soon.
Can you describe the EDM/Synthwave scene in The Netherlands?
EDM is extremely big here in The Netherlands since the 90’s. In the current DJ Mag 100 the top 15 has 8 Dutch DJ’s in it. In summer there are so many big festivals here, it’s crazy. Synthwave is really small here, compared to EDM.
But I do see a growth in the scene. The Night Arcade parties are mostly responsible for the growing scene, but I also see more and more big names (like Carpenter Brut) hitting The Netherlands when touring in Europe.
Musicianwise I’m not so familiar with the scene, but I know people like LGHTNNG, Mowelan and NVDR are doing a great job.
Many American’s associate The Netherlands with legal marijuana. Has there been a noticeable decline in ‘Marijuana Tourism’ since some states in the USA have legalized marijuana?
Hehe, I know! But we are more than just potsmoking cheese eaters that walk around in wooden shoes in our windmills….
I’m not sure if we see a decline in tourists due to some American states legalizing it. But whenever I’m in Amsterdam it is packed with tourists in all the coffeeshops. I think it’s mostly English men, but there’s definitely some Americans there too!
Funny thing is that marijuana isn’t even legal here.. Officially it’s illegal, but the government permits the sales of it in coffeeshops.
I was talking to a friend the other day who worked at a coffeeshop and he said it’s crazy how they run their businesses. They have to buy the weed illegally with some shady dealers and if they get caught doing that they will go to jail. But once they have the goods inside the shop they can sell it without problems. This is a really weird construction and since there’s no receipt they get from the dealer they can just make up their sales in their administration. That’s why it would be great if the government would legalize it.
I mean, people are going to smoke it anyway. And since it’s not lethal or addictive (officially) why not legalize it everywhere?
Your EP ‘Running In The Dark‘ was specifically created for a live performance. How did that performance go? Will there be any more live performances of Timecop 1983 in the future?
Well, it wasn’t created specifically for one live show, but more for my live shows in general. I felt like I needed some more uptempo, danceable tracks for my liveshows, so I created some songs for that. At first I wasn’t planning to release them, but after getting so many comments on them I decided to release them anyway.
I feel like I have been really lucky with all the live performances so far and i’m always interested in doing more. It’s been a crazy ride already, since I started doing live shows 1,5 years ago I’ve played in 7 European countries and there’s interest from Asia, Australia, USA, Canada and other countries.
Recently I have been in touch with a great booker in the US and we are working on a tour for 2018! It’s always been my dream to play in the US, so i’m hoping it’s going to happen….
Many of your tracks and albums are available for a ‘name your price’ price. That means some people may take your music for free. How does this business work for you? Are your fans supportive of your efforts and give donations regularly?
Everyday I’m amazed by all the support I get from my fans! And that’s why I feel I need to do something back for them by giving them the opportunity to download some of my music for free if they want. But it’s crazy to see how many people still pay even when they don’t have to! That’s what so great about the Synthwave scene, people are so supportive.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your music and answers with Slickster Magazine. Is there anything else you would like to promote or talk about that we didn’t get a chance t cover in today’s interview? #SYNTHWAVE
Thanks again for having me! It’s an honor.
I wanted to take the chance to tell people I am working on a new album. I hope to finish it this year and to release it early next year. You can expect more uptempo tracks, more guitars and a few great collaborations!