Luke Tangerine is an electronic music artist from Germany – the country that’s been giving us great electronica ever since Kraftwerk. And this guy is no exception to the rule. Hailing from Frankfurt, Luke Tangerine delivers a well-crafted, enjoyable synthwave experience with “Exoplanet.” The piece is an instrumental sonic journey with spacey vibes and typically German electronic precision. Personally, as a fan of both synthwave and German electronic music in general, I greatly enjoyed listening to “Exoplanet” and found it to be a compelling listening experience.
“Exoplanet” is a perfect specimen of the synthwave genre, a modern take on retro 80s vibes. The arrangement is, of course, comprised entirely of electronic sounds – vintage-sounding synth pads and leads fill out the midrange and high end to the beat of classic drum machine samples. I particularly enjoyed the way the song developed, beginning with a groovy FM bass sound and a propulsive but halting drum beat before giving way to a dancey middle section, interlude, and finally returning to an augmented version of the first section. “Exoplanet” is an auditory narrative, and I appreciate that as a listener.
Luke Tangerine has a very good sense of both rhythm and melody, which are on full display in “Exoplanet.” The production is also very on point – a little raw, perhaps, but in a way that adds to the nostalgic atmosphere central to the synthwave/retrowave style. The mix is good, the synths are super clean, the drums hit hard and the bass is powerful.
After listening to “Exoplanet” I was interested in Luke Tangerine’s music and checked out the rest of his Interstellar Radio album and I’ve got to say, this guy is good. The 80s vibes are plentiful, the record is exactly as spacey as the name suggests, and it’s a pleasing listen from front to back.
So kudos to Luke Tangerine for doing a great job with what can sometimes be a hackneyed style. Being as they already did the 80s back in the 80s and did it pretty hard, it’s impressive when someone can pull off this sound without coming across as either trying too hard or like a bad knock-off.
Listen to "Exoplanet" on Spotify here -
You can check out Luke Tangerine’s website here:
A brilliant addition to the repertoire -
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