Over the last several years, Tuned Up has had the great pleasure of getting to know two pillars of the Columbus local scene – Brian Skeel and Jamie Ravine. Jamie Ravine I met via Heather Evans (Heather was the very first Columbus indie release we reviewed, back in 2012!) at an event coming out of covid – I immediately knew Jamie was a hustler and a songwriter to watch. Brian I met through The Castros (here’s a tip – if you’re in Columbus and you’re ever unsure how you know a particular musician, assume its via Marco Castro). Brian has been involved in a number of projects over the years and is a very accomplished producer.

Brian and Jamie are known around Columbus for heading up the networking collective Green Room Meet-up (I recommend going, if you’re local). I feel like folks aren’t aware that they’re making some seriously badass tunes together as the synthpop duo Chroma Cloud. They came screaming out the gate with “Mine” and have been steadily churning out singles ever since. More recently, they’ve been releasing their synthwave takes on covers. Their rendition of Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia” had me losing my mind as I listened late one night on my back patio. As far as I can tell, Chroma Cloud is the only synthwave project in Columbus at the moment – we are an indie rock town through and through, so I’m stoked to see these two leading the charge to bring the vibes to the table.

I hope you’ll take a moment to dig into our interview with Brian. Perhaps stream their latest release “Find Me” while you read:

Tuned Up: What resonates with you about the synthwave/retrowave culture? What first drew you in?

Brian: There’s no denying the synthwave scene is built on nostalgia. Summer nights, midnight drives, neon lights, arcades in the shopping mall, all stuff we remember from a time where things felt simpler. Whether or not you’re an 80s kid, I feel like thematically and generally, synthwave really taps into that feeling of looking back and reminiscing. 

The music itself drew me in immediately. I love music that was produced in the 80s, but I’m also a fan of a modern production style and mix. So when I first heard music that blended these two elements together, I became obsessed right away. It was artists like Scandroid, The Midnight, FM84, and Timecop1983 that made me dive deep into this style of music, and I’m so grateful I found them. 

Is there a core memory from your childhood that you can directly tie to your creative process today?

Brian: I remember writing a song for a high school project, and attempting production on the computer for the first time. I didn’t have a sequencer like Pro Tools or Cubase; what I had at the time was a sample editor called Cool Edit 96 that wasn’t even built for song creation. There was no grid, no tempo, no midi, so I sampled drum sounds from my ancient Casio keyboard, and had to do math to figure out where each kick, snare, and sound effect needed to land. 

From there, I had a warped acoustic guitar with a terrible pickup that I recorded into Cool Edit, but the pickup was clipping so hard it ALMOST sounded like amp distortion to me, which was good enough at the time. I then recorded some crappy lines I wrote about To Kill A Mockingbird, distorted them so I didn’t sound like me, and turned it in. I think I got an A-.

I hope I never hear that song again, but looking back at that experience, it’s indicative of my creation process today. It doesn’t matter if I have my home studio with tons of plugins, keyboards, and guitars, or if all I have is a Cat Keyboard and a tape recorder. I’m gonna find was to make art and make it exciting for me.

Is there a core memory that you can tie directly to your love outrun/synthwave culture?

Brian: I was born in 1985, so I barely remember the 80s. But I’ll listen to music by a band like The Midnight, and think of late nights at my best friend’s house playing Goldenye on the N64 while gouging ourselves with pizza and mountain Dew. Or I’ll listen to Timecop1983 and remember the lonely late night drives I wanted so desperately to share with other people. 

But then when I listen to great 80s synth pop like Phil Collins, Depeche Mode, or Tears For Fears, it’ll take me back to a time when I was just discovering my love for music in beat up cars, talking with friends on the cordless phone, or swapping tapes for our Walkman cassette players. 

What drink best pairs with listening to your latest release?

Brian: Gotta be a Chocolate Bitters Old Fashioned. Perfect for sitting and reminiscing about the old days with friends, but with a dash of something new and fun that gives you an unexpected grin.

If the sky’s the limit – what would be involved in production of your live show?

Brian: I’d love to have a visually striking show with incredible projections made by a talented team of video editors, lights and lasers, and custom designed stage hardware. The show would be more like a live remix of our material to keep things interesting and engaging, and the performers would be minimal, like three or four tops. The two of us, a drummer, and perhaps a keyboard or bass player.

What creative influencer (artist, producer, or someone else) needs more recognition?

Brian: This is going to sound biased, but everyone in the wave scene needs to pay attention to my good friends in Nouveau Arcade from Seattle. I’ve been lucky enough to be working with them on the final production and mixes of their music for years, and they’ve got something truly special. Their songs are honest, catchy, full of intense emotion, and (if I’m allowed to toot my own horn, haha) sound absolutely incredible. I also attended their live show earlier this year, and their performances are completely engaging and explosive. 

Outside of synthwave, we’re huge fans of the artist Venjent. He’s a content creator that takes the most bizarre sounds he finds in the world like an excessive squeak from a door or an exotic bird call, and uses them as samples to flip for original music. His videos are hilarious, his albums are energetic and incredible, and his live shows look absolutely insane!

What excites you about the future of synthwave culture and its adjacent genres?

Brian: I think synthwave as a culture and musical genre has been played out. I feel like every trope, theme, and sound has been explored, and I’m not sure it can evolve any more from here.I believe the synthwave culture and its music will ultimately fizzle, still held onto by a niche group of fans.

However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I think some of the coolest cultures are cyclical and therefore timeless. For example, I’ve seen a resurgence of the goth scene over the past several years, and I think that the same will happen with synthwave and 80s based movements. Retro culture will look different (which is comically paradoxical), but to me, that’s far more exciting than having it stay the same forever.

That said, what excites me the most about the scene is the artists and how tight-knit the community can be. Everyone I’ve encountered in this space is so encouraging and creative, and even though I believe synthwave as a whole will inevitably lose traction to make way for something more fresh, the creativity from the artists will continue, and will be inspired by whatever grabs them in cultures outside of the 80s.

What popular song needs the synth-treatment that hasn’t yet, to your knowledge?

Brian: Chroma Cloud has several covers lined up that we can’t wait for the world to hear. That said, I would love to hear a synth treatment of something completely outside the typical synthwave go-tos from the 80s, or even metal, which lends itself extremely well to reimaginings in this genre. I think it’d be dope to hear a cover of an artist that is known first for incredible songwriting, rather than sounds and production. That could be anything like James Taylor’s “Fire And Rain”, The Beatles’” Here Comes The Sun”, or even “Rainbow Connection” by Paul Williams (made famous by The Muppets).

What is there to be excited about in your creative world, at the moment?

Brian: We’re constantly working on new material, and have the next 4-5 releases primed and ready to show the world. We’re also collaborating with some incredible people from within the synthwave scene and are so honored to be rubbing elbows with some of the coolest people in the genre. 

Additionally, Jamie Ravine is currently working on a studio album for her solo project under the same name. I’m beyond excited not to just be producing it with her, but also for the journey that Jamie is embarking on, and how her songs are taking shape in the studio. She’s gearing up to release a lot of songs under that project next year, so absolutely follow her and stay tuned for all she’s cooking.