Cyberpunk Music: Synthwave, Industrial, Samurai and a Playlist to Build

Where it starts: Vangelis#

Vangelis, the Greek composer, scored Blade Runner on synthesizers in 1982, fresh from winning the Oscar for Chariots of Fire. The result was a dark, melodic mix of classical composition and electronics that matched the film's retro-futurist noir. Demis Roussos contributed vocals.

The official soundtrack album came out more than a decade after the film, which fed a bootleg scene. If you've ever heard "⁠cyberpunk⁠" as a sound, it's probably this, plus rain. See Blade Runner lore for the film.

Industrial: the noise side#

Industrial music emerged in the mid-to-late 1970s, inspired by industrial society and drawing on avant-garde and early electronic music. Early acts like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire used tape editing, stark percussion and distorted loops. Later offshoots include EBM, dark ambient and power noise.

It's the sound of the punk half of the genre: machines, shock tactics and transgressive subjects. Opinion: if you want a setlist for a Rockerboy, start here, not at synthwave.

Synthwave: the neon side#

Synthwave grew in the mid-to-late 2000s from French house producers and younger artists inspired by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Reference points included John Carpenter, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis's Blade Runner score.

Kavinsky and College were among the earliest names. The 2011 film Drive used Kavinsky's "⁠Nightcall⁠" and College's "⁠A Real Hero⁠" (with Electric Youth) and pushed the genre into the mainstream. Our read: it's the sound of a cyberpunk that wants to be liked. It's good for driving, and it doesn't hurt anyone.

Samurai and Cyberpunk 2077#

In the tabletop games, Samurai is Johnny Silverhand and Kerry Eurodyne's band. In Cyberpunk 2077, its music is performed by the Swedish punk band Refused, and Dennis Lyxzén's vocals cover both Johnny and Kerry. CD Projekt Red announced the partnership in July 2019.

"⁠Chippin' In⁠" is one of the Samurai songs. Keanu Reeves plays Johnny on screen, but the singing is Refused's.

The 2077 radio stations#

The game launched with 11 stations, and Patch 2.0 added three more. A few that matter:

• 107.3 Morro Rock Radio: Rock, hip-hop and pop, with many Samurai songs. Mike Pondsmith voices the DJ, Maximum Mike. See Mike Pondsmith.
• 89.7 Growl FM: A pirate station in Dogtown, hosted by DJ Ash, added free with Patch 2.0.
• 96.1 Ritual FM: Extreme metal: black metal, death metal and others.
• 103.5 Radio PEBKAC: Techno.
• 89.3 Radio Vexelstrom: Mostly electronic music, with genres alternating.
• 107.5 Dark Star: Moody, dark tracks from around the world. It includes two tracks by Idris Elba, who plays Solomon Reed.

Edgerunners and Akira Yamaoka#

Akira Yamaoka scored Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. He is better known for the Silent Hill games, and early in his career at Konami he worked on the music for the PC Engine and Sega CD versions of Snatcher, a cyberpunk adventure on our best cyberpunk games list.

The series' songs are covered on the Edgerunners soundtrack page.

Build a playlist#

Use this as a recipe: one slot per mood, and don't put the same genre twice in a row.

• 1. Open on the film score: Vangelis, Blade Runner. Rain-on-glass music.
• 2. Add one industrial track: Throbbing Gristle or Cabaret Voltaire, if you like it raw.
• 3. Drive: Kavinsky, "⁠Nightcall⁠". The neon section.
• 4. Go loud: Samurai, "⁠Chippin' In⁠", for the punk.
• 5. The 2077 pick: Run the Jewels, "⁠No Save Point⁠", written for the game.
• 6. The 2 a.m. track: Rosa Walton, "⁠I Really Want to Stay at Your House⁠".

Fixer's notes#

Opinion: the best cyberpunk music is the stuff that sounds worried. For the look to go with it, see Cyberpunk Aesthetic.