Synthentral Top 30 Albums of 2023

As always, musicians gave us an amazing year of music!

If you missed the Top 100 & Top 50, here’s the rules I follow when putting together my lists:

1. I only rate albums: not EPs or singles. There are plenty of “top songs of 2023” lists out there.
2. I must own the album: either provided by the band/label, purchased by me, or obtained in a DJ pool.
3. The album must have at least seven original songs. Remixes, new versions, instrumentals, intro/outro/interlude, etc. do not count toward the seven songs. Compilation, “best of,” and cover albums do not count (a single cover on an album of otherwise original songs does count, though).
4. I rate each song individually, then the overall album. I rate songs and albums on listenability, danceability, club friendliness, and whether or not there are any songs I want to skip on an album.
5. Albums are weighted so an album with 12 songs doesn’t have an edge over an album with 8 songs or vice versa.
6. I post the Top 100 and Top 50 lists alphabetically by band. This way, listeners/readers won’t know who makes the next list(s). The Top 30 is posted in order from #30 to #1 and will be accompanied by a show with one song from each album.

My list is 100% subjective. I fully expect others to have different lists or disagree with my choices. I love that others have different lists and people are passionate about different bands and albums!

“LISTEN HERE” links are under each album, so give them a listen and support the bands you like!

It started with the Synthentral Top 100 for 2023.
Then it narrowed down to the Synthentral Top 50 for 2023!
Now it’s down to the Top 30, counting down from #30 to #1!
You can listen to one song from each album on my countdown show!

#30: Yota – Room 412 (NewRetroWave Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#29: Nuquatron – Gegenkraft (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

#28: Ladytron – Time’s Arrow (Cooking Vinyl Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#27: Nórdika – Ragnarök (Aquo Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#26: SoftWave – Things We’ve Done (Self Released)
LISTEN HERE!

#25: Blutengel – Un:Sterblich – Our Souls Will Never Die (Out Of Line Music)
LISTEN HERE!

#24: VNV Nation – Electric Sun (Metropolis Records)
LISTEN HERE!

23: SCALA – II (Self Released)
LISTEN HERE!

22: Kim Lunner – Into The Horizon (Town And Towers Records)
LISTEN HERE!

21: Vioflesh – Feeling You Don’t See (Mold Records)
LISTEN HERE!

20: Male Tears – Krypt (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#19: Propter Hoc False Confessions (Self Released)
LISTEN HERE!

#18: Calaverx – Calaverx (Self Released)
LISTEN HERE!

#17: NNHMN – Circle Of Doom (K-Dreams Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#16: Missing In STARS – Perfusing The Circuit (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

#15: Nuovo Testamento – Love Lines (Discoteca Italia Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#14: Schmerz – Lamentum (Infravox Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#13: Damien Hearse – Crime (Self Released)
LISTEN HERE!

#12: unitcode:machine – Critical Fault (COP International Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#11: Floating Ashes – Impulse (Grey Clover Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#10: House Of Harm – Playground (Maison du Mal Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#9: Vestron Vulture – Roll Mottle (Self Released)
LISTEN HERE!

#8: Skemer – Toasts & Sentiments (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#7: Mensa Deathsquad – Personal Book Of Spells (Gran Calavera Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#6: Italoconnection – Nordisko (Blanco y Negro Music)
LISTEN HERE!

#5: Neuroticfish – The Demystification Of The Human Heart (Non Ordinary Records)
LISTEN HERE!

#4: Sun’s Spectrum – The Silence After The Fall (Cold Transmission Music)
LISTEN HERE!

#3: Supernova 1006 – Chains (Negative Gains Production)
LISTEN HERE!

#2: Dead Lights – Glitterspit (darkTunes Music Group)
LISTEN HERE!

#1: Train To Spain – Nothing To Win (pbhmedia Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Synthentral Top 50 Albums of 2023

As always, musicians gave us an amazing year of music!

If you missed the Top 100, here’s the rules I follow when putting together my lists:

1. I only rate albums: not EPs or singles. There are plenty of “top songs of 2023” lists out there.
2. I must own the album: either provided by the band/label, purchased by me, or obtained in a DJ pool.
3. The album must have at least seven original songs. Remixes, new versions, instrumentals, intro/outro/interlude, etc. do not count toward the seven songs. Compilation, “best of,” and cover albums do not count (a single cover on an album of otherwise original songs does count, though).
4. I rate each song individually, then the overall album. I rate songs and albums on listenability, danceability, club friendliness, and whether or not there are any songs I want to skip on an album.
5. Albums are weighted so an album with 12 songs doesn’t have an edge over an album with 8 songs or vice versa.
6. I post the Top 100 and Top 50 lists alphabetically by band. This way, listeners/readers won’t know who makes the next list(s). The Top 30 is posted in order from #30 to #1 and will be accompanied by a show with one song from each album.

My list is 100% subjective. I fully expect others to have different lists or disagree with my choices. I love that others have different lists and people are passionate about different bands and albums!

“LISTEN HERE” links are under each album, so give them a listen and support the bands you like!

It started with the Synthentral Top 100 for 2023.
Now it’s down to the Synthentral Top 50 for 2023!
Then it’s narrowed down to the Synthentral Top 30 for 2023.

Beborn Beton – Darkness Falls Again
LISTEN HERE!

Blutengel – Un:Sterblich – Our Souls Will Never Die
LISTEN HERE!

Bunny X – Love Minus 80
LISTEN HERE!

Calaverx – Calaverx
LISTEN HERE!

Damien Hearse – Crime
LISTEN HERE!

Dead Lights – Glitterspit
LISTEN HERE!

Degenerated Sequences – Schism
LISTEN HERE!

Espermachine – Love Apocalypse
LISTEN HERE!

evo-lution – Mind Machines
LISTEN HERE!

Final Selection – Siren’s Call (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Floating Ashes – Impulse
LISTEN HERE!

House Of Harm – Playground
LISTEN HERE!

IIOIOIOII – Dreaming
LISTEN HERE!

Italoconnection – Nordisko
LISTEN HERE!

Kim Lunner – Into The Horizon
LISTEN HERE!

Korine – Tear (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Ladytron – Time’s Arrow
LISTEN HERE!

Lifelong Corporation – The World Of Tomorrow
LISTEN HERE!

Male Tears – Krypt (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Mensa Deathsquad – Personal Book Of Spells
LISTEN HERE!

Missing In STARS – Perfusing The Circuit (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Moonrunner83 – Electric Avenue
LISTEN HERE!

Neuroticfish – The Demystification Of The Human Heart
LISTEN HERE!

The New Division – Modern Life
LISTEN HERE!

NNHMN – Circle Of Doom
LISTEN HERE!

No – Wave Function
LISTEN HERE!

nolongerhuman – Marionette
LISTEN HERE!

Nórdika – Ragnarök (Aquo Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Nuovo Testamento – Love Lines
LISTEN HERE!

Nuquatron – Gegenkraft (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Ohne Nomen – The S-Witch
LISTEN HERE!

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Bauhaus Staircase
LISTEN HERE!

Propter Hoc – False Confessions
LISTEN HERE!

Reality’s Despair – Dystopian Variant
LISTEN HERE!

SCALA – II
LISTEN HERE!

Schmerz – Lamentum (Infravox Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Semiotics Department Of Heteronyms – Fake Is Real (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Shad Shadows – Assault
LISTEN HERE!

Skemer – Toasts & Sentiments (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

SoftWave – Things We’ve Done
LISTEN HERE!

St. Digue – Toxic Kiss
LISTEN HERE!

Sun’s Spectrum – The Silence After The Fall
LISTEN HERE!

Supernova 1006 – Chains (Negative Gains Production)
LISTEN HERE!

Train To Spain – Nothing To Win
LISTEN HERE!

unitcode:machine – Critical Fault
LISTEN HERE!

Vestron Vulture – Roll Mottle
LISTEN HERE!

Vioflesh – Feeling You Don’t See
LISTEN HERE!

VNV Nation – Electric Sun (Metropolis Records)
LISTEN HERE!

X Marks The Pedwalk – Superstition
LISTEN HERE!

Yota – Room 412 (NewRetroWave Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Synthentral Top 100 Albums of 2023

As always, musicians gave us an amazing year of music! I created my main list differently this year. I used to add every single album released in the year and then begin my rating process, which was massively time consuming. This year I only added albums which I thought had a good chance of making the Top 100 list. That made it less time consuming, but it maximized the competition and caused me to grimace quite a few times as some amazing albums did not make the Top 100. The difference between the last album to make my Top 100 and the first one which didn’t was a .01 rating. Super close!

I have several rules I follow when doing my Top 100, Top 50, and Top 30 lists:

1. I only rate albums: not EPs or singles. There are plenty of “top songs of 2023” lists out there.
2. I must own the album: either provided by the band/label, purchased by me, or obtained in a DJ pool.
3. The album must have at least seven original songs. Remixes, new versions, instrumentals, intro/outro/interlude, etc. do not count toward the seven songs. Compilation, “best of,” and cover albums do not count (a single cover on an album of otherwise original songs does count, though).
4. I rate each song individually, then the overall album. I rate songs and albums on listenability, danceability, club friendliness, and whether or not there are any songs I want to skip on an album.
5. Albums are weighted so an album with 12 songs doesn’t have an edge over an album with 8 songs or vice versa.
6. I post the Top 100 and Top 50 lists alphabetically by band. This way, listeners/readers won’t know who makes the next list(s). The Top 30 is posted in order from #30 to #1 and will be accompanied by a show with one song from each album.

My list is 100% subjective. I fully expect others to have different lists or disagree with my choices. I love that others have different lists and people are passionate about different bands and albums!

“LISTEN HERE” links are under each album, so give them a listen and support the bands you like!

It starts here with the Synthentral Top 100 for 2023 (in alphabetical order):
The it gets narrowed down to the Synthentral Top 50.
Finally down to the Synthentral Top 30.

Absurd Minds – Gravitas (Scanner Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Alien Skin – Negative Plus
LISTEN HERE!

Analog 80 – Atomium
LISTEN HERE!

Antiflvx – Dval Canvas (SkyQode)
LISTEN HERE!

Bara Hari – Lesser Gods (Re:Mission Entertainment)
LISTEN HERE!

Beborn Beton – Darkness Falls Again
LISTEN HERE!

Blutengel – Un:Sterblich – Our Souls Will Never Die
LISTEN HERE!

Breathe Of My Leaves – The Radiant Believers
LISTEN HERE!

Brigade Enzephalon – Freiheit (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Bunny X – Love Minus 80
LISTEN HERE!

Calaverx – Calaverx
LISTEN HERE!

CALM T – In Symbiosis With Evil
LISTEN HERE!

Capsules Of Energy – Kiss Me Twice
LISTEN HERE!

Centhron – Einheit C (Scanner Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Confrontational – Cut (NewRetroWave Recoreds)
LISTEN HERE!

Cygnosic – Demystify
LISTEN HERE!

Dagon – Goran Sharok
LISTEN HERE!

Damien Hearse – Crime
LISTEN HERE!

Darkness On Demand – Digital Outcast (Alfa Matrix Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Dead Lights – Glitterspit
LISTEN HERE!

Degenerated Sequences – Schism
LISTEN HERE!

Device Noize – Mutemotions
LISTEN HERE!

Electronic Frequency – Destrudo
LISTEN HERE!

Elevate The Sky – Dreaming In Color
LISTEN HERE!

Espermachine – Love Apocalypse
LISTEN HERE!

evo-lution – Mind Machines
LISTEN HERE!

Fall Shock – Universal Unit Crime (Manic Depression Records)
LISTEN HERE!

FHTH – Dictator Must Die
LISTEN HERE!

Final Selection – Siren’s Call (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Floating Ashes – Impulse
LISTEN HERE!

Fonohead – The Captain Reik Diary
LISTEN HERE!

Fractal Age – Faded Blossom (Scanner Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Fury Weekend – Afterglow
LISTEN HERE!

Gunship – Unicorn
LISTEN HERE!

Harsh Symmetry – Imitation
LISTEN HERE!

House Of Harm – Playground
LISTEN HERE!

IIOIOIOII – Dreaming
LISTEN HERE!

Intent:Outtake – Der Stille Tod (Scanner Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Italoconnection – Nordisko
LISTEN HERE!

Kim Lunner – Into The Horizon
LISTEN HERE!

Korine – Tear (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Ladytron – Time’s Arrow
LISTEN HERE!

Laura Dre – Moving Spaces II: Twilight
LISTEN HERE!

Lifelong Corporation – The World Of Tomorrow
LISTEN HERE!

Magnetic Skies – Empire Falling
LISTEN HERE!

Male Tears – Krypt (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Mensa Deathsquad – Personal Book Of Spells
LISTEN HERE!

Method Cell – Last One Standing
LISTEN HERE!

Missing In STARS – Perfusing The Circuit (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Moonrunner83 – Electric Avenue
LISTEN HERE!

The Mystic Underground – Everyone Deserves A Stage (RE:Mission Entertainment)
LISTEN HERE!

Neuroticfish – The Demystification Of The Human Heart
LISTEN HERE!

The New Division – Modern Life
LISTEN HERE!

Nite – Be Destroyed
LISTEN HERE!

NNHMN – Circle Of Doom
LISTEN HERE!

No – Wave Function
LISTEN HERE!

nolongerhuman – Marionette
LISTEN HERE!

Nórdika – Ragnarök (Aquo Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Nouveau Arcade – Dead Hearts
LISTEN HERE!

Nuovo Testamento – Love Lines
LISTEN HERE!

Nuquatron – Gegenkraft (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Ohne Nomen – The S-Witch
LISTEN HERE!

ok.i.hate.you – end.zeit (KL-Dark-Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Bauhaus Staircase
LISTEN HERE!

Petrified Entity – The Beyond
LISTEN HERE!

Presence Of Mind – Humans (Infacted Recordings)
LISTEN HERE!

Propter Hoc – False Confessions
LISTEN HERE!

Reality’s Despair – Dystopian Variant
LISTEN HERE!

Red Mecca – Stay
LISTEN HERE!

Saigon Blue Rain – Oko (Icy Cold Records)
LISTEN HERE!

SCALA – II
LISTEN HERE!

Schmerz – Lamentum (Infravox Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Séance – Dark Flow
LISTEN HERE!

Semiotics Department Of Heteronyms – Fake Is Real (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

The Seven Whores Of The Apocalypse – All Through The Waste (Scanner Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Shad Shadows – Assault
LISTEN HERE!

Signal Aout 42 – Ex+Voto
LISTEN HERE!

SINES – Gravity
LISTEN HERE!

Skemer – Toasts & Sentiments (Avant! Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Slow Danse With The Dead – Dark Ritual
LISTEN HERE!

Soft Riot – No (Wave Tension Records)
LISTEN HERE!

SoftWave – Things We’ve Done
LISTEN HERE!

St. Digue – Toxic Kiss
LISTEN HERE!

Static Architect, The – Reset.Forget
LISTEN HERE!

Strange Tales – Untold
LISTEN HERE!

Sun’s Spectrum – The Silence After The Fall
LISTEN HERE!

Supernova 1006 – Chains (Negative Gains Production)
LISTEN HERE!

System Syn – Kill The Light
LISTEN HERE!

Tension Control – Industrielle Revolution
LISTEN HERE!

thewalkingicon – We Are Memory (Negative Gain Productions)
LISTEN HERE!

Third Realm – Into Oblivion
LISTEN HERE!

Toxikk Deception – Artificial Intelligence Warfare (DSBP Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Train To Spain – Nothing To Win
LISTEN HERE!

unitcode:machine – Critical Fault
LISTEN HERE!

Vestron Vulture – Roll Mottle
LISTEN HERE!

Videotraum – Ebbe // Flut
LISTEN HERE!

Vioflesh – Feeling You Don’t See
LISTEN HERE!

VNV Nation – Electric Sun (Metropolis Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Wolfclub – Desert Hearts (NewRetroWave Recoreds)
LISTEN HERE!

X Marks The Pedwalk – Superstition
LISTEN HERE!

Yota – Room 412 (NewRetroWave Records)
LISTEN HERE!

Synthentral 20171001

New episode of Synthentral is now online!

Today’s episode features music by Vaylon, Mortal Boy, Junk Circuit, Wideband Network, Gimme Shelter, DYRCT, Flux Fin, Water Low, Jesus On Extasy, Shatoo, Dawn Of Ashes, Freaky Mind, Synesthete, Neurotech, Alien Vampires, Gateway Drugs, Tenek, Collapse Into Reason, Xuberx, Adacta, Növö, Skold, Howard Jones, Dossiers Secrets, Köln 81, Night Runner, FGFC820, and Ladytron!

Just click on the synthesizer below to listen!

Synthentral 20170709

New episode of Synthentral is now online!

Today’s episode features music by Eye Steal, Cyanide Regime, Purity Ring, Das Mörtal, Inline.Sex.Terror, Ladytron, Air, Peter Rydén & Qrs, Spreading Point, Retrogramme, Hayfield, BLSHS, Spark!, Protector 101, Schallfaktor, Jonas Seltsam, Ginger Snap5, Patrik Pistol, Hocico, Die Form, Minian Funken, Say Y, Lescure 13, Ssleeping Desiress, True Logik, Inner Conflict, Element A440, XYLE, and Finkseye!

Just click on the synthesizer below to listen!