Starquake Synthmaster, a Finnish synthwave and darksynth visionary, has been electrifying the retro-futuristic music scene since 2016 with a cosmic blend of 80s-inspired synths, metal-edged guitar riffs, and nostalgic video game soundscapes. With two full-length albums—Starquake (2016, remastered 2022) and Love & Hate (2017, remastered 2022)—and the 2022 Amiga-inspired EP Space Ranger, the artist has carved a unique niche, earning praise for their varied and cinematic sound. Their latest single, ‘Galaxy Runner’ (2024), showcases a bold shift toward EDM influences, hinting at an exciting new chapter. A member of the Finnish synthwave collective Cottage Cult since 2021 and featured on Turbo Knight’s 2019 EP Citadel, Starquake Synthmaster continues to captivate audiences with their adventurous, neutron star-trembling basslines and epic compositions. Check out our full interview with them below:
Describe a pivotal music moment for you in your favourite film, television show, brand partnership etc. Has this influenced any of your own compositions?
Only thing that comes to my mind right now is the Finnish version of the Pokémon theme song which I still time to time start to randomly sing. I’m pretty sure it has left some kind of influence and impression on my composing.
What first drew you to making Synthwave/Synthpop
I guess it was when I first listened to Perturbator that I fell in love with the genre and wanted to try to make this kind of music myself also.
What does your current software/hardware setup currently consist of?
I’m using Avid Eleven Rack as my sound card and reaper as my DAW.
Who are your biggest influences, both inside and outside of the genre?
Perturbator and Carpenter Brut are the biggest influences inside of the genre. Savant is my biggest influence in the electronic music in general but most of my influences come from the old school heavy metal bands and 8bit and 16bit era video game music. There are too many metal bands to list here but I guess the biggest would be: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio and Helloween.
Outside of music, what art forms or experiences inspire you the most? Are you pulling from sci-fi films, old video games, cityscapes at night?
Old video games are a huge influence on my composing. I have faint memories from my cousin’s Amiga games but my brother had NES and that has been the first introduction to video game music that I can somehow clearly remember. Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania 1 and 2 and also Nintendo World Cup soundtracks are the ones that are still playing in my head to this day.
When you sit down to create, what’s the first thing that sparks the process? A melody? A feeling? A memory?
Usually everything starts with a good melody but sometimes I’ll try to start the composing with a catchy bassline.
Do you have any personal rituals or habits when writing or producing, things that get you in the right headspace? (e.g., late-night drives, dim lighting, a specific synth always within reach)
I don’t have any rituals for composing. Usually the ideas just pop into my head or I come up with a good melody when I’m jamming with my guitar.
Please suggest an album for us to listen to.
It’s gonna be outside the synthwave genre but Savant‘s ISM. It’s a great EDM album.
Looking ahead, what’s next? A new album? A shift in sound? Something totally unexpected?
I would like to write a full album already. And sound-wise it would be more towards the EDM style which you can already hear from my latest song ‘Galaxy Runner’.
If you could collaborate with anyone, from any era or genre, who would it be and what would that track sound like?
There are so many people that I would love to work with. Dio is one of them, but we all know that unfortunately it can never happen. It would be awesome to create some Rock/Metal music with Glenn Tipton, Buckethead, Jason Newsted and Jack Black! I would also love to make some electronic music with Savant of course.
Stream ‘Galaxy Runner’:
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