forgedinneon
- Jan 23, 2022
- 1 min read

FORGED IN NEON - TOP TRAX | 2301

Updated: Jan 24, 2022

We're back back baaaaaaack! And what a time it's been up to my waist wading through the neon ball-pit that has been the volume of tracks that had been released since we signed off at Christmas.

Nevertheless its always a joyous time discovering new tracks and more often than not new Artists and this particular round of picks is no different!

So who nabbed our first hot top spot of the year? Let's go find out....

	LET EM RIOT \| MOVE & TURN What a joyous romp this track actually is. A mood enhancer at no mistake and solidifies for me what a fantastic producer this guy truly is! Dare I say that there's shades of Yacht Rock in this track and whether it's by accident or design it's full of flavour and a direction I'm fully invested in. There'll be no doubt more to enjoy from this Artist in 2022. Track available now for streaming!
	PLYTHE \| THE FATALIST Rising from the sewers of Sweden we have a new darksynth player in the game in the form of Plythe. This track 'The Fatalist' is a narrative of the state of the world as it is now and the crisis it finds itself in currently. The twisted mettalic sounds that scorch the earth beneath this track are above all very listenable, bold and futuristic. I feel we're witnessing what to some are the embryonic stages of what could amount to be a prolific Darksynth Artist in our cyber futures.
	NOIZZ FACTOR \| ORANGE 12 " MIX Not the first time that Noizz Factor have appeared on my Top Trax list and to be fair if they keep churning out hits like this then expect to see them again and again. It's blissful to listen to and it's so 80's it hurts! The production and quality of this track are sublime and a must for any discerning DJ to have his his or her bag of tricks because one this if for sure you're bound to fill the dancefloor with this one!
	GOST \| STRANGULATOR Terrifyingly brilliant mix of STRNGR & DESTROYER's 'Night at the Grindhouse' that'll live rent free in the shadows of your Darksynth soul. I really don't know what I like more in this track, the fact that GOST completely re-invented it whilst paying real homage to the original or the frayed leather thread of the Non-Paradisi vibes that stitch this track together. You can't spell GOST without OG and now we know why!
	CYBERWALKER AWAKENING OF THE MIND It's fairly rare that I don't enjoy the ear movies that this guy creates from the hive of his mind palace. This is another one I really enjoyed. It's sinister chill sits in the pocket and almost lulls you into a false sense of security. The track is over 6 minutes long but bizarrely doesn't feel it. A must for your playlists and its a straight up vibe!
	TLF & LUKHASH ACID FOR THE CHILDREN Taken from the Album 'Planet Sadness' this track speaks to me in waves. His teaming with Chiptune Maestro LukHash was inspired & has vibes for days. TLF is a relative newcomer to the scene but you wouldn't think it with such a stellar release as this whole album is. Having peaked at #1 on Bandcamp Top Retrowave & Synthwave Album Sales Charts he'll be around for some time to come.
	DEFENDER FIVE - DECIMATOR Dark electro for the synth gods Defender Five goes hard in a track that is present from the very first bars. I've loved this guys approach to producing for quite some time now so I wasn't disappointed at all in the 5 track self titled EP he brought out this week! Straight on to my darksynth playlists and for those of you who like a touch of shade to their synth will no doubt do the same

	LET EM RIOT \| MOVE & TURN What a joyous romp this track actually is. A mood enhancer at no mistake and solidifies for me what a fantastic producer this guy truly is! Dare I say that there's shades of Yacht Rock in this track and whether it's by accident or design it's full of flavour and a direction I'm fully invested in. There'll be no doubt more to enjoy from this Artist in 2022. Track available now for streaming!
	PLYTHE \| THE FATALIST Rising from the sewers of Sweden we have a new darksynth player in the game in the form of Plythe. This track 'The Fatalist' is a narrative of the state of the world as it is now and the crisis it finds itself in currently. The twisted mettalic sounds that scorch the earth beneath this track are above all very listenable, bold and futuristic. I feel we're witnessing what to some are the embryonic stages of what could amount to be a prolific Darksynth Artist in our cyber futures.
	NOIZZ FACTOR \| ORANGE 12 " MIX Not the first time that Noizz Factor have appeared on my Top Trax list and to be fair if they keep churning out hits like this then expect to see them again and again. It's blissful to listen to and it's so 80's it hurts! The production and quality of this track are sublime and a must for any discerning DJ to have his his or her bag of tricks because one this if for sure you're bound to fill the dancefloor with this one!
	GOST \| STRANGULATOR Terrifyingly brilliant mix of STRNGR & DESTROYER's 'Night at the Grindhouse' that'll live rent free in the shadows of your Darksynth soul. I really don't know what I like more in this track, the fact that GOST completely re-invented it whilst paying real homage to the original or the frayed leather thread of the Non-Paradisi vibes that stitch this track together. You can't spell GOST without OG and now we know why!
	CYBERWALKER AWAKENING OF THE MIND It's fairly rare that I don't enjoy the ear movies that this guy creates from the hive of his mind palace. This is another one I really enjoyed. It's sinister chill sits in the pocket and almost lulls you into a false sense of security. The track is over 6 minutes long but bizarrely doesn't feel it. A must for your playlists and its a straight up vibe!
	TLF & LUKHASH ACID FOR THE CHILDREN Taken from the Album 'Planet Sadness' this track speaks to me in waves. His teaming with Chiptune Maestro LukHash was inspired & has vibes for days. TLF is a relative newcomer to the scene but you wouldn't think it with such a stellar release as this whole album is. Having peaked at #1 on Bandcamp Top Retrowave & Synthwave Album Sales Charts he'll be around for some time to come.
	DEFENDER FIVE - DECIMATOR Dark electro for the synth gods Defender Five goes hard in a track that is present from the very first bars. I've loved this guys approach to producing for quite some time now so I wasn't disappointed at all in the 5 track self titled EP he brought out this week! Straight on to my darksynth playlists and for those of you who like a touch of shade to their synth will no doubt do the same