Retrofuturism in Electronic Music: A Sonic Return to the Future Retrofuturism is an aesthetic and cultural phenomenon that reimagines past visions of the future as retrograde or nostalgic longings for a bygone era's futuristic aspirations.
In electronic music, this means drawing upon the sonic landscapes of 1980s synth pop and industrial to create sounds that evoke a dystopian future while ironically referencing the optimism and naivety of earlier decades.
This phenomenon has been gaining momentum in recent years, with modern artists incorporating retrofuturistic elements into their work as a way to critique our current society's relationship with technology.