The Rise of the Synths

The Rise of the Synths (Spanish: La rebelión de los sintes) is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by Iván Castell and narrated by filmmaker and composer John Carpenter. The film explores the origins and growth of the electronic music genre known as synthwave, charting its rise in popularity from the underground online music scene[1] to its recent mainstream exposure following use in retro-themed soundtracks, notably the 2011 film Drive[2] and more recently the television series Stranger Things.[3]

The Rise of the Synths
Film poster
Directed byIván Castell
Produced by
  • Ana Castañosa Bielsa
  • Javier Moreno
  • Rebeca Villar Rodríguez
  • Iván Castell
Written byIván Castell
Narrated byJohn Carpenter
Music byOGRE
Cinematography
  • Beltrán García
  • Adrián Barcelona
Edited byIván Castell
Production
companies
  • Castell & Moreno Films
  • 9AM Media Lab
Release date
  • 1 November 2019 (2019-11-01) (In-Edit Film Festival)
  • 13 December 2019 (2019-12-13) (Spain)
Running time
80 minutes
Country
  • Spain
  • United States
Language
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish
Director Ivan Castell introducing The Rise of the Synths at the UK premiere

Production

The Rise of the Synths initially began as a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in 2016[4] before later moving platforms to Indiegogo.[5] The film had its world premiere at the In-Edit Festival in Barcelona on 1 November 2019,[6] with its international premiere on 15 November in London at the Doc'n Roll Festival.[7][8] It has also been screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam[9] (Nederlands), F.A.M.E. Festival Paris (France)[10] and Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (Australia).

Cast

The film contains various interviews with both established and upcoming synthwave artists, exploring their sources of inspiration which range from early electronic pioneers such as Giorgio Moroder, Vangelis and Tangerine Dream[11] to a collective love of 1980's films and video games.[12] Artists featuring in the film include:

Reception

Reviewing the film, Cinemania said, "It will delight music lovers and fans of synthesizers".[13] Rob Dyson of ForeverSynth says director and writer Ivan Castell "hits all the right notes in terms of why and how the music and iconic imagery appeals - even to those who weren't born in the 70s or 80s."[14] Inaki Ortiz Gasoc at El Contraplano said "The aesthetic is careful and prevents this from being a classic boring documentary of talking heads" with "some fantastic film performances following the canons of the musical movement with its Delorean". Jorge Loser at Espinof commented that "Carpenter's voice serves as a connection between blocks with creative tips and reflections on his career and his role in this whole new movement."[15] The view from the Guardian's Bill Beaumont-Thomas was more mixed, with him praising the film's “admirable production values”, particularly the “impressively produced interstitial [fictional] segments”, but that the documentary was “stylish but shallow” and “trades deep analysis for platitudes and boring asides”.[16]

Soundtrack

The film's original soundtrack is composed by OGRE. In support of the film, Lakeshore Records also released an Official Companion Album in 2017 [17][18] which received positive reviews and featured exclusive music from various synthwave artists.[19][20][21][22]

Track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Deckard Returns"Chrome Canyon3:32
2."The Vale of Shadows"Gunship6:02
3."Fatal Affair"Power Glove3:26
4."Makita"Geno Lenardo2:37
5."Idle Withdrawal"Com Truise4:20
6."Lost in a Love"Daniel Davies3:44
7."Silver Shadow"Robert Parker5:34
8."A Mission to Remember"Waveshaper5:10
9."Black Rain"Code Elektro4:44
10."The Osbourne Effect"German Engineering2:24
11."Triage"Giorgio Moroder & Raney Shockne2:24
12."Night Stalker"Carpenter Brut3:41
13."Crash & Burn"John Bergin2:47
14."Dead of Night"Dance with the Dead4:06
15."A Hero's Journey"Lazerhawk6:33
16."Rebar (Prologue)"OGRE3:36
17."Fleshman"John Bergin4:49
18."Stargate"Mega Drive5:09
19."Appearance of the Mysterious Traveller"Voyag3r7:32

See also

References
  1. In-Edit. "IN-EDIT :: The Rise Of The Synths". www.in-edit.org. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  2. "Revisiting the Drive Soundtrack: The Artists Discuss the Impact of the Music". Vehlinggo. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  3. Shah, Neil (28 January 2019). "Synthwave, the Sound of an '80s Childhood, Goes Mainstream". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  4. "The Rise of the Synths (80s retro music documentary)". Kickstarter. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  5. "The Rise of the Synths". Indiegogo. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  6. In-Edit. "IN-EDIT :: The Rise Of The Synths". www.in-edit.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  7. "Doc'n Roll Film Festival - The Rise of The Synths". www.docnrollfestival.com. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  8. "UK premiere of Masterschool film THE RISE OF THE SYNTHS on 15 November in London : Documentary Campus e.V." www.documentary-campus.com. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  9. "The Rise of the Synths | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  10. "La Gaîté Lyrique | The Rise of the Synths". La Gaîté Lyrique (in French). Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  11. "The Rise of the Synths Official Companion Album Is Out Today". Vehlinggo. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  12. IFFR
  13. Bernal, Fernando (11 December 2019). "Crítica de 'The Rise of the Synths'". Cinemanía (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  14. "Rise Of The Synths". Forever Synth. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  15. Loser, Jorge (14 December 2019). "'La rebelión de los sintes': interesante documental que apunta a John Carpenter como génesis del movimiento musical de la década". Espinof (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  16. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (13 March 2020). "The Rise of the Synths review – the world's most nostalgic music scene". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  17. Records, Lakeshore. "The Rise Of The Synths (Collectors Edition) 'Trans Purple' Vinyl - VA". Lakeshore Records. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  18. "The Rise Of The Synths (Official Companion Album), by The Rise Of The Synths". The Rise Of The Synths. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  19. "Com Truise, GUNSHIP, Chrome Canyon: 'The Rise of the Synths' EP 2 Is Pure Gold". Vehlinggo. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  20. "Soundtrack Review: The Rise Of The Synths". www.soundtrackgeek.com.
  21. "Soundtrack review: The rise of the synths EP 1(2017) – Soundtrack dreams". Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  22. "THE RISE OF THE SYNTHS The Official Companion Album". THE ELECTRICITY CLUB. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
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