Marcel Winatschek

When Pop Met Synth

Another 80s party looming, and I’m already dreading the playlist. Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Europe—the same five songs on repeat until someone cranks Final Countdown and you consider faking your own death. I needed something else.

Found this YouTube channel called TRONICBOX that takes modern pop and remixes it as 80s synth-rock. Ariana, Katy, Justin Bieber—all of it runs through that glitzy synthesizer filter, and suddenly you’re in a music video from 1987. The whole thing shouldn’t work, but it does.

They don’t have a massive library yet (presumably it takes time to send songs through a time machine and back), but what’s there is solid. Somebody I Used to Know as a synth anthem. Firework pumping through those drums and keyboards. The usual suspects sound weirdly… better? More fun, at least.

It won’t solve the actual problem of having to make small talk at parties, but at least the background music won’t drive you insane. That’s something.