“What you need to know about the most breathtaking and evocative cyberpunk music.”

What You Need to Know About The Most Breathtaking & Evocative Cyberpunk Music

That’s right; it’s time for another blog post on everything that has to do with the fabulous cyberpunk genre!

Cyberpunk is a genre of science fiction in which advanced technology is combined with a dystopian or “decadent” setting, usually with a high level of technology and a low level of law and order, as well as prominent use of cybernetics. The word punk was coined in the 1980s to refer to the socially conscious dark-and-gritty use of punk music as opposed to the mainstreaming style known as the new wave.

The term cyberpunk was first used in the mid-1980s and became popular in science fiction and fantasy circles after the release of “Neuromancer” by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling in 1984. You can find out more about cyberpunk, where you will find a link to the newly updated Wikia’s entry for Cyberpunk.

OK, on to the lists!

Cyberpunk Music, on the other hand, is something very different. These lists are largely devoted to music that has some sort of cyberpunk-inspired atmosphere (i.e. cyberpunk lyrics or imagery), or which is best described as “cyberpunk-influenced” (i.e. the cyberpunk genre itself but without any specific references).

The latter category includes such styles as future funk, bounce music, and trip-hop. The former category mostly includes songs otherwise considered techno/electronic or straight-up prog rock/pop/indie rock (which I know about, but we’re going somewhat off the beaten track here).

Here are some basic rules for what I consider cyberpunk music:

• Cyberpunk is both a visual and an auditory experience. In other words, cyberpunk isn’t just a genre of media, it’s a genre of art. Cyberpunk is also a collection of moods, themes, and feelings.
• Cyberpunk music does not have to beelectronic to be considered cyberpunk music.
• Cyberpunk is NOT just cyberpunk music that is meant to emulate the genres that inspired it (i.e. Kraftwerk, DAF). Post-cyberpunk music (like Faithless) doesn’t count because it is aping the genres that inspired cyberpunk.
• Cyberpunk music is both story-driven and beat-driven, so it can cross boundaries of genres. The beat defines the structure of a song, and the lyrics and story define its narrative.
• A good cyberpunk song must have at least one line which makes me think “cyberpunk” or “cyber” when I hear it. It can be a lyric, a sample, an image, etc.

The Vangelis effect

During the early 80s, the popularity of the concept of cyberspace was at its peak. The idea of a global, virtual shared space was solidifying in the minds of computer users and creators alike. Thanks to that, many electronic musicians at that time were trying to create music that would represent this fictional place through electronic sounds. It was very unusual then, but the same thing is happening now with up-and-coming musicians who are inspired by cyberpunk themes.

So, if you want to know how some of these artists got their start in music, just listen to their songs. You will find out right away that the unique genre of the song is hard to describe; it simply has an electronic sound with lots of vibrancy and excitement. But when I see their names, I can see the emotions they are trying to convey.

Although the music is electronic, there are no electronic elements that dominate or overshadow the other elements in this cyberpunk song. It doesn’t have that hard/fast edge that is usually prevalent in many songs inspired by cyberpunk themes. Vangelis’s Blade Runner Soundtrack (Remastered 2017) amazing score for Blade Runner only has a few very brief moments where it feels like he guns down some robots with an acoustic guitar. Generally speaking, the song is soothing, relaxing, and melodic.

This is one of the most well-known cyberpunk songs. This song feels like it’s straight out of a cyberpunk movie because of its driving bass synth line which creates an enrapturing atmosphere. There are no lyrics in this song but I do hear voice samples like “time to say goodbye” and “do you hear me”. The voice samples are perfect for this song because they give the song a sense of urgency.

This is another song from Vangelis that has a cyberpunk vibe. Although the lyrics are not cyberpunk, they do contain a lot of staples that can be found in cyberpunk music. For example, the words “but you’re still on your way” and “I will come to you” can be found in lots of cyberpunk songs.

The lyrics of this song are cyberpunk-themed. The song has a fast, hard edge to it which is a staple of cyberpunk-inspired music. The theme is a love story from the point of view of someone who wants to save their lover from the corporations that rule their lives.

Instrumental music is perfect for stories like this one because there’s no way to interpret the emotions behind the music as anything but those of a person entranced by love.

A lot of people will tell you that this is the best Blade Runner-inspired Memories Of Green song out there. If you want to find out for yourself, listen to it and see if it gives you the same feeling as the movie.

The Best of the Best

As you probably noticed by now, not all cyberpunk songs are created equal. Some are very well done, while some are quite bad. Either way, there are some songs that are better than others. If you want to be a connoisseur of cyberpunk music, you should listen to all these songs.

So, to conclude this article with the most important rule of all cyberpunk music, remember this:

Cyberpunk music shouldn’t necessarily make you want to dance. Cyberpunk music shouldn’t necessarily make you want to shout out loud. Cyberpunk music should simply make you think “cyberpunk” or “cyber” when you hear it.

If it does that for you, then that’s great! If not, then listen to the other songs on this list until you find the one that makes your mind go into the cyberworld.

Thanks for reading! I hope you learned something from this cyberpunk music article. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment in the comment section below!

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