Chillsynth / Chillwave / Dreamwave 14

Synthwave/Chillsynth 2025-07-19

Retrowave 17

Ambient Beats for Deep Focus

Tycho "Awake" LP on Ghostly International
Release date: MARCH 18, 2014

Purchase "Awake": shop.iso50.com/collections/awake

formats:
CD/LP/DIGITAL

artwork by:
ISO50

For nearly a decade, Tycho has been known as the musical alias of Scott Hansen, but with the release of Awake – his second LP for Ghostly International – the solo project has evolved into a three-piece band. Relating closer to post-rock than ambient soundscapes, the record is situated in the present, sounding more like Hansen than drawing from his influences. “This is, in many ways, the first true Tycho record.”

Following 2011’s Dive LP, the San Francisco-based designer toured extensively, and with a full band on stage, his sound coalesced into a percussive, organic whole. Zac Brown (guitars, bass) rejoined Scott on the road for this tour, but it was the particular addition of Rory O’Connor’s live drumming that ultimately sent Hansen back to the studio with a more precise vision. “After the tour, I decided that I wanted to capture the more energetic, driven sound of the live show on the next album,” Hansen recalls. Bringing musicians into Tycho’s creative process was a step towards expanding his own songwriting and advancing the project beyond its current sound.

In a cabin near Tahoe last winter, Zac and Scott began fleshing out the structure of the new record, but it wasn’t until they set up shop in the hills of Santa Cruz with Rory that it all fell into place. “It crystallized the vision of how the drums would come to the forefront on this record,” says Hansen. The sound was much more stripped-down and concise with more organic instruments in the fold. Songs like “Montana” and “Awake” are a departure from Tycho’s previous material – unique to the group effort poured into the songs on the new record – while “See” and “Dye” echo ideas from previous works, bridging a middle ground between the old and new. Working with Count Eldridge, who also engineered Dive, the team could fixate on the pulses that Tycho might previously layer under synthesizers and exhume them with distinct bass and guitar patterns.

Also known for his design work as ISO50, Hansen’s visual and sonic efforts have dovetailed throughout the course of his career. “This is the first time in my life I've dropped everything to focus on one artistic pursuit,” notes Hansen. Previous Tycho releases came to fruition when an amalgam of songs were nearing completion, but Awake is where music becomes the focus and true expression becomes the result.

WEB - www.tychomusic.com 
TWITTER - www.twitter.com/iso50 
FB - www.facebook.com/tychomusic 
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/iso50 
INSTAGRAM - @iso50

Awake

Featured on Retro Future SynthWave:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGX0vSZ_lbA

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PurZynth Rekords is proud to present CHRYSALIX, our first Chillwave compilation featuring exclusive top producers from Latin America. This collection marks a milestone within the spanish-language retro-futuristic electronic scene, consolidating a vibrant creative producers community that had previously remained scattered. Through 12 carefully selected tracks, CHRYSALIX offers a sonic journey that traverses melancholic landscapes, nostalgic synths, and immersive beats, with the unique sensibility unveiling emerging Chillwave artists from the hispanic world.

Artists in this edition: Prophylaxis, ØFFalling, Cenit85, Do You Remember Love?, Voyager, Otrebor, Evertt, StarLink, Dug Masters, Neon Vice 83, Accura Dreams, Cloned Clouds

Bandcamp

Evertt - Crimson Tide

08 Dug Masters - Mysterious Girl

Cenit85 - Spectral Gate

Voyager - Magnetar

Through The Rainbow

Geogaddi

Gyroscope

Toe Cutter

Amber

Night Rotation (Album On Bandcamp)

A Walk

Daydream

Dive

Record Label based in Mexico for #Synthwave #Cyberpunk #Chillwave #Darksynth #Spacewave. Contact: music@purzynthrekords.com

Cenit85 - Spectral Gate

PürZynth Rekords