2024. A new spacesynth album drops on Bandcamp - and the cover looks like a Laserdance sleeve from 1987: starfield, neon spaceship, purple-blue palette. But the track was recorded not on an 80s analog synthesiser but in a DAW on a laptop. New space disco is a genre that lives at the intersection of nostalgia and modern technology: the same sound, the same aesthetic, but different instruments and a different audience. We break down what is happening in space disco today, where revival ends and synthwave begins, and which projects are worth listening to.
Space disco and spacesynth: a short definition
Space disco - a subgenre of disco that emerged in the late 70s: Giorgio Moroder, Cerrone, Space, Rockets. Cosmic aesthetic, synth pads, long instrumental tracks. More in the space disco guide. Spacesynth - the further development of the genre in the 80s: Koto, Laserdance, Michiel van der Kuy. Formula: 125-135 BPM, synth arpeggio, eighth-note bass line, no vocals, cosmic melodies. More on the genre's flagship in the Koto profile and the Laserdance deep dive.
Today both space disco and spacesynth continue to exist - but in a different context. In the 80s this was commercial music sold on vinyl and played on radio. Today it is a niche genre with a global but small community: a few hundred active listeners, dozens of artists, regular releases on Bandcamp and SoundCloud.
Revival versus synthwave: where the boundary lies
Modern electronic music inspired by the 80s splits into two directions: revival (literal continuation of the genre) and synthwave (reimagining the 80s aesthetic in a new context). The boundary between them is the question this article's angle poses.
- Space disco/spacesynth revival - artists who make tracks by the 80s formula: arpeggio, eighth-note bass, cosmic melodies, no vocals. Instruments are modern (DAW, plugins), but the structure and timbre are as in 1987. The goal: recreate the sound of Laserdance and Koto with new technology.
- Synthwave - artists who use elements of the 80s (synthesisers, drum machines, reverb) but in a different structure: slower, with cinematic pads, with guitar solos, with vocals. The goal: not to recreate a specific genre but to create a retro-futuristic sound. The Midnight, Gunship, Carpenter Brut are examples of synthwave.
The difference is in the attitude to the original. Revival says: "I do what Koto did, but on modern equipment." Synthwave says: "I am inspired by the 80s, but I make something new." Space disco revival is conservative. Synthwave is creative. Both have a right to exist, but they are different genres despite shared roots.
Modern space disco projects
Modern space disco/spacesynth is a niche but active scene. Projects worth knowing:
- Koto - the Italian project that continues to release music. Anfrando Maiola, the original Koto author, returned to active work. Releases on ZYX Music and other labels. Sound - closer to the original 80s Koto, but with digital production.
- Laserdance / Michiel van der Kuy - the Dutch producer, author of most Laserdance hits. Continues to work as a solo artist and producer. His modern sound is closer to the original Laserdance but with updated timbres.
- Roma - a spacesynth project releasing music on Spacesynth Records. Sound - in the Laserdance tradition: arpeggio, bass, cosmic melodies.
- Hypnosis - a project reviving the Hypnosis tradition of the 80s. Cosmic pads, arpeggio, no vocals.
- Marky Marc - a European spacesynth artist releasing tracks on Bandcamp. Sound - in the style of classic spacesynth.
- Transient Force - a spacesynth label releasing modern artists in the 80s tradition.
This is not an exhaustive list - the spacesynth scene lives on Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and specialised forums. New artists appear regularly, and each is part of a global community held together by love for one specific sound.
Technology: from analog to DAW
The main difference between modern space disco and the 80s original is technology. In the 80s, Laserdance was recorded on analog synthesisers (Roland Juno-60, Korg M1) and drum machines (Roland TR-808, TR-909) connected via MIDI sequencers. Today most spacesynth artists work in a DAW (Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro) with software emulations of those same synthesisers.
This is not necessarily worse. Plugins like Arturia V Collection, u-he Diva, TAL-U-NO-LX (a Roland Juno emulation) give a sound close to the original. But there is a difference in "feel": an 80s analog synthesiser is a physical object with knobs and buttons that must be programmed by hand. A DAW is a software environment where everything is done with a mouse. The result may sound the same, but the process is different.
Some modern spacesynth artists use a hybrid approach: analog synthesisers for timbres + DAW for sequencing and mixing. This gives the best of both worlds: the warmth of analog and the convenience of digital production.
Community and distribution
Modern space disco does not live on radio or in charts. It lives on the internet. Bandcamp is the main platform: artists upload albums, listeners buy digital copies or vinyl. SoundCloud - for streaming and demos. YouTube - for videos and compilations. Specialist labels - Spacesynth Records, Transient Force, ZYX Music - release physical media (CD, vinyl) for collectors.
The community is small but global. Spacesynth listeners live in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, the US. They communicate on forums, in Discord servers, in Bandcamp comments. This is not a mass audience - it is hundreds, maybe thousands of people worldwide who love one specific genre and support the artists who make it.
More on who makes italo disco and related genres today in the new wave of italo disco. Space disco is part of this broader retro scene that includes italo disco revival, synthwave, retrowave, and other genres inspired by the 80s.
The Japanese market: where spacesynth lives longest
Japan is the one country where spacesynth and eurobeat never died. Avex Trax, the label that licensed Italian eurobeat for the "Super Eurobeat" series from the late 80s, continued releasing compilations into the 2000s and 2010s. Spacesynth, as a derivative genre, found a second audience in Japan: listeners raised on Para Para and eurobeat accepted cosmic spacesynth as a natural continuation.
Some modern spacesynth artists target the Japanese market specifically: releasing tracks with Japanese titles, using anime and manga visual aesthetics, licensing music for Japanese video games. This is not a mass market - but it is stable and paying, which for a niche genre matters more than scale.
Vinyl and CD: physical media in the digital age
The paradox of modern space disco: a genre born on vinyl in the 80s continues to be released on physical media in the 2020s. Labels like Spacesynth Records and Transient Force release CD and vinyl in limited runs - 200-500 copies, sold through Bandcamp and specialist shops. For collectors this is not just a medium - it is an artefact: a cover with cosmic graphics, a booklet with lyrics and photos, a physical object you can put on the shelf next to the original Laserdance vinyl.
Digital releases are for listeners. Physical ones for collectors. This model works for niche genres: an artist sells 100 digital copies at 5 euros and 200 CDs at 15 euros. Total revenue - 3,500 euros, enough to cover studio equipment costs and the next album release. Space disco is not a business but a craft, and this craft economy allows the genre to survive.
Why space disco did not die
Space disco of the 2020s is not mainstream. It does not play on radio, does not enter Spotify playlists with millions of followers, does not sell out stadiums. But it lives - because the 80s sound created by Moroder, Koto, and Laserdance was too distinctive to disappear. Arpeggio on an analog synth, eighth-note bass, cosmic melody without vocals - a formula that works regardless of era. Give someone who loves electronic music a Laserdance track "Humanoid" (1987) and a modern spacesynth track from 2024 - and they most likely cannot tell them apart without a hint.
This is the definition of revival: a genre that sounds as if time stopped. Not because the artists cannot do otherwise - but because this specific sound needs no updating. It was perfect in 1987, and it remains perfect in 2024. Twelve modern projects prove: space disco is not a relic but a living genre. Just - a small one.