Neon Notes — Week [7]
I wasn't always into electronic music.
Don't get me wrong, there were some great Synthpop and New Wave songs that I loved from the 80s, but I was more into Rap and R&B at the time.
That all started to shift in 1999, when Slipknot's first album came out. I had listened to some rock over the years, but Slipknot was an awakening.
After my short experiments with MTV Music Generator in the early 2000s, I had all but moved away from anything that didn't have distorted guitar. I couldn't get enough. It was like a drug, and I had to find music that was heavier and heavier just to get my fix.
To me, 2005 was a golden year in metal. So many bands were making their mark, and I was there for it. The Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage, and As I Lay Dying, just to name a few. That's when I decided to get a guitar. I thought, if I couldn't find the next heavy song, I'd just make my own heavy riffs.
So that's what I did. When I wasn't listening to heavy metal, I was writing riffs. I had no formal training, just a guy with a guitar, figuring it out. At first it was all power chords, no nuance, just right to the face. Then it became palm-muted, chuggy riffs that had groove but still sounded angry. Lots of hammer-ons and pull-offs, keeping the riffs tight and melodic.
But then another shift happened. I discovered Dubstep. It was raw, and it appealed to my love for distorted guitar. It was a short stint, but it was enough to nudge me back toward electronic music.
That's when I heard a few songs from Ladyhawke. They were rock, but they had a retro sound. I couldn't quite place them into a genre in my head, and that led me to my first real synthwave experience. "Collateral" by The Midnight was the first time I heard anything like it, and I was enamoured all over again. I all but moved away from metal this time and had to consume more and more of this newfound love.
Fast forward to the present day, and all those experiences helped shape the way I write music. Instead of a guitar, I use a synth, and instead of distortion pedals, I stack synth layers.
I may not consume as much metal as I used to, but it's still with me when I write synth melodies and in the way I program my drums. I still think in riffs and technical drum fills. I use repetition with intention, and I still try to keep the melodies tight.
Even when I’m writing shimmering leads or thick synth basslines, there’s still a part of me thinking like a guitar player. I’m looking for that moment where a section locks in and I get goosebumps. I want the drums to hit with purpose. I want the melody to feel like it could stand on its own, just like a good riff.
The sounds changed. The mindset didn’t.
Metal taught me about energy. About commitment. About not holding back once you find something that works. Dubstep reminded me that texture and grit matter. And synthwave showed me that atmosphere and melody can carry just as much weight as distortion.
So how did I get here?
Not by abandoning what I loved before. Not by randomly jumping genres.
I got here by following whatever moved me at the time.
Every phase left something behind in my writing. You can hear metal in the way I structure sections. You can hear electronic influence in the sound design. You can hear nostalgia in the melodies.
The guitars might not be front and center anymore.
But the riffs never really left.
Now Creating
- Remastering some older songs
- Working on a new and improved website
- Finishing up some songs for Electric Skyline Volume 2
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If any part of it resonated with you, I am always happy to hear your thoughts. Whether you are making music or something completely different, I hope you keep following whatever feels honest to you.
This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. New posts go live every Wednesday.
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