We are POWER GLOVE, makers of synth music and all things Blood Dragon. AMA!

So what's the deal with Powerglove the metal band that does covers of video games/cartoons? You guys ever beef over the name? I've always listened to both of you and I'm just curious if there was ever contact of connection or awareness between you guys.

Way back they tried to threaten us. We thought it was funny.

Could you explain more in detail what happened between you guys? Were they nice? Annoyed? Also, do you know who came first? If they did, did you know about the metal Powerglove band when you chose the name?

From memory they stated we should change our name... they were annoyed. We'd be annoyed too. But we had no idea they existed. All good now though.

We have no beef with you guys! -Bassil from the other Powerglove

Powerglove X Powerglove Teamup!

Umh. Yes please.

Can you guys follow me around and play your music so I appear cooler than I actually am?

Your amazing silver hair is too much cool already.

Blood dragon had an amazing soundtrack. Your music gave that game such an amazing vibe, and I love you for that. What can we expect in the future from Power Glove? Which video game would you like to have had a track on?

We have plenty on the horizon... album next. We want to tour also, perhaps next year. We always wished we could have worked on Ecco the Dolphin... or Mech Warrior II... or a brawler... Fatal Fury.. Streets of Rage II... So many!

PS. That Mech Warrior II soundtrack. A masterpiece.

Hey dudes - love your music! Blood Dragon was one of the things to really get me into synth music, and I still rock out to that main theme!

My question for you is, why do you think the whole neon-noir/synth/retrowave/neo-80s movement is getting so popular lately? Just what is it about neon lasers and pulsing beats that gets the people goin'?

Thank you! So much fun working on Blood Dragon. There's some great artists in this genre, we dig it. Honestly it's still a surprise to see how much it's blown up since 2008 or so. Not sure what it is exactly - we just started by writing music we wanted to hear.

What are some of your favorite Synthwave bands?

Lazerhawk, he was one of the originals back when we were rocking out myspace. Gatekeeper. VHS Head. Megadrive has some good stuff. Adeyhawk. College.

Loved the soundtrack to Blood Dragon, been listening to your stuff ever since, thanks for being so rad.

If CD Projekt Red were to approach you to create the soundtrack to Cyberpunk 2077, would you?

And is there any other projects you've seen coming up that you'd love to work on?

We would definitely be on board. We have this collection of cyberpunk material building up... may form a future release.

What exactly do you call your form of music? I've heard "Outrun", "Synthwave", "Retrowave" and even "Darksynth" and "Horrorsynth" (the latter two usually when talking about, say, Perturbator and Carpenter Brut). It's clearly a cohesive genre, but what would you call it?

So much waves, so many synths. Surely we'd be in synthwave, perhaps that's the umbrella genre... though we've never aimed for any genre sound particularly. It really is fascinating how humans categorise things.

Hey buds, you still need to send me the stems to Boss Fight so I can play with them.

Also, when we played together in Mexico I ate a street taco before the show and almost shit my pants on stage. Fun times.

When are you coming back to LA?

Haha. Best set ever.

Stems. Yes. We gotta chat.

Miss LA. Let's go to russia.

How did Ubisoft approach you to make the Blood Dragon OST? I think very few people had heard of you beforehand. Also, why didn't you release the Blood Dragon version of "Hunters" on the OST?

Thanks for doing this AMA, and keep up the awesome work!

Dean Evans contacted us out of nowhere and was like "guys i've got this project over at ubisoft you might like" ... think he got our details from Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun). Hunters will see the light of day - we have a b-sides EP that we've been meaning to release, will throw it on that surely.

Whats your favorite music track from a carpenter movie?

gotta be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3f7u-LFgg4

Aww, not the theme from Assault on Precinct 13?

Ah yesss surely.... too hard to pick!

Is that Juno-106 on the photo? What hardware do you use by the way and how do you make it sound THAT warm?

Juno 6. Wish we had the 106 so we can save patches. We run mixes through a reel-to-reel for some tape compression - warmth and grit.

when are we gonna get a full album? and when are gonna get this?

It's so close. Aiming for late this year. CRYPT II is on there.

Hey guys, I love your stuff. Which of the songs in the Blood Dragon OST are you most proud of and/or enjoy the most?

Love theme. Close 2nd - Cyber Commando.

I just want to say that it's a struggle now a days finding good new music. I've been listening to you guys for a little while now and I was so pleasantly surprised when I found your music.

With Kung Fury 2 being made, will you be doing any music for it? If you did I think I'd shit my pants.

Thank you!! No plans for working with the Kung Fury guys yet!

Did you guys name yourself after the nintendo powerglove by nintendo? How do you like it?

It all started with this commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93iDhnBcMGo

What is your guilty pleasure music?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZiAXUGE1cU

What videogames are you guys currently playing?

Just finished Uncharted 4. About to start Final Fantasy III.

Apart from everything thats fantastic about 80's films what other areas have inspired your work?

babes n protein shakes. And growing up in hong kong with a gameboy in our ears.

Hey guys! Your music is truly inspirational. Can You tell us what are Your favourite synths and do You use any software synths in Your tracks? Thanks!

SY99 is sacred.... that'd be our fave. So bad. Prophet5 and juno6... We use some software synths, simple poly vst's, especially when laying down ideas. QuadraSID is killer. Tho we end up going back to hardware more and more.

Have you guys ever heard of another artist called Monomer? He's freaking amazing also. The Labyrinth album is the best.

No will check it out! Album art is A+

How often do you hear this quote?

We say it with our eyes shut before every meal.

I loved the Blood Dragon OST. Why did it take so long for it to go up on Spotify? Did you or Ubisoft think it wouldn't get the response it did?

Not sure on the delay - Ubisoft handle that stuff. I don't think anyone thought it would be as big of a success as it was, though knew we were part of something unique, it seemed to hit all the right notes for people

Are you the dudes who did the Hobo With a Shotgun soundtrack? Cause that shit rocked my socks off.

Also, what sort of music do you guys listen to? For pure enjoyment, I mean.

This is us! Hobo. People walked out of the cinema in disgust. The rest cheered at the end.

We listen to a lot of soundtracks... and dorky shit like enigma and Vollenweider... Recently listening to a lot D-Train, O'Bryan... This guy called Suicide Year... has a vaporwave trap kinda sound... Stanislav Tolkachev for dark techno.

How does it work composing music for the Blood Dragon series? Are you just given a rough draft of what the game will be or do you actually get to see some gameplay footage to help get that retro goodness flowing?

Also are you pulling a Daft Punk on us, how long till we see your faces? :D

Dean Evans is the mastermind. Early on he sends us ideas and reference images - for Far Cry BD at first all we had to go on was James Cameron Future War Purple Lazers... then Michael Biehn got cast... then we knew exactly where the music needed to be

The teams at ubisoft and redlynx were sending us clips as the games were being developed - so by the end it was like scoring to film.

Hi what new music genres influence you? Darthdub? Goth dub? Blow?

Baroque Wave

Hey guys, massive fan! Great work on EPII -- E-240 (and it's close relative, 4am remix) is my absolute favorite track you guys have put out.

Can you give some insight into your production workflow? Hardware/software preferences? I think the style on EPII is distinctly different from other "outrun" style artists -- it has a darker, sort of electro RnB 90's feel to it that I haven't heard anywhere else, and can't get enough of.

Also -- have you started work on EPIII? Maybe even...LP1?

Thanks!

Thankyou!! EPII was a kind of experiment, we want to keep pushing that direction further... Next up is our album, it sort of is in a world between the two releases.

We're obsessed with dorky workstation synths, beasts like the SY99 (it has this DX7 fm synthesis built in that is a bitch to program, but amazing). And you can pick them up for cheap, ie rack mounted m1's are gold. Also hardrives full of samples ripped from old VHS tapes, movies, games etc often spur the basis for a track.

Hi! I've been a fan since I looked at the credits of ABC's of Death because the music you made for Y for Youngbuck really kicked my ass! I also watched you live in Mexico City and I want to say that your sound is so unique and powerful.

Anyway, I would like to know how all of this started? Did you pretend to sound like this when you began?

Thanks!

Cheers from Mexico, hope you come back soon!

Yo Zolotarenko! Thankyou. Started as a joke... that warped VHS world... 16bit systems... babes n muscle... Then just kept going, it's like an itch we need to scratch.

Hello Guys, i loved your Soundtrack in the Spinoff Blood Dragon. I wannaaaaa moooore ;) Your truly unique. Are u also on Spotify?

Thanks, more on the way! Here we are on Spotify - https://play.spotify.com/artist/0dalJaAT80lKfkZsC86lnW

Love you guys, have everything on vinyl and your music was the only redeeming factor of the new Trials game. Any news of a non-soundtrack full LP? Or are you sticking to the EP length?

What contemporary media do you guys like?

Is there a specific direction you want to take PG you haven't already?

Thanks Baemon! We're working on an album, is getting close, though things always take us longer than expected.

Specific direction - yes! Always. We have a bunch of ideas, we're just figuring out a way to make each release cohesive. We'd love to release a full blown ambient cyberpunk record.

Are there any videogames or movies you wish you could make music for?

We were dreaming of scoring Ready Player One. Looks like John Williams beat us to it.

Love your guy's work. I know synthwave is a rising genre, but who are some up and coming synthwave artists that you guys enjoy or think we should be aware of?

The best guys are the ones that are a bit different. Recently been into VHS Logos... MOON... Benedek... Check out PPU label.

How do you feel about vaporwave trying to hijack 80s nostalgia trip that you guys run? I feel like your genre of music isn't getting as much attention as theirs recently.

Vaporwave is the perfect background music. We know it has its nay sayers. It's doing something different than us, so we can listen to it and not hear our own shit in there. Our favourite guy is luxury elite .

Giorgio Moroder or Tangerine Dream?

TD during the day, Moroder at night.

My buddy Dean made/makes Blood Dragon. Do you know him? He's the best.

He is. Ubisoft need to give him millions and free reign.

Any movies or games coming up that you guys have worked with?

Nothing just now. Using the break to focus on our own release.

Any plans to make more music for other games in the future?

For now we're hard at work in the studio focused on our own stuff.

What do you guys eat on tour?

'Tang

I listen to you in my car all the time. Good driving music. Fits like a glove.

Finkle is einhorn, eihhorn is finkle.

What do you guys think of True Survivor? Or Kung Fury in general. But in specifically interested in what you think of the song.

It's incredible it exists.

You guys are awesome!!! Do you ever tour? When are you coming to NYC?

We definitely plan to organise a US tour

Any plans to release Hunters or Vengence digitally or physical?

Yes we have a b-sides EP of sorts, will see a release eventually!! Album first.

I'm in love with EP II and have all your albums (or at least your 3 main ones that came out on Vinyl). Can't remember how I stumbled upon you guys, but you were my introduction to Synthwave and will always have a special place in my heart for that. (I got a bit into cyberpunk related things such as Neuromancer and Shadowrun due to my interests spider-webbing off your music.)

My question for you guys is this though: I started a collab playlist on Spotify with some friends initially inspired by Shadowrun. We renamed it to The Sprawl when it started to become its own beast. You guys may have the most consistent appearance on the playlist and would love it for your own suggestions to the playlist or just add some tracks in since it's set to collab. Here's a link for it:

https://open.spotify.com/user/1244075492/playlist/18S56c9Tg2LZuVX2IVTDV3

Thanks, keep up the amazing work!

Also, will you do any live events near Northern Nevada anytime soon?

Shadowrun playlist has been on repeat all day, excellent selection, we'll think of some additions... We hope to tour US, next year looking promising!

Love the music I have the blood dragon ost on in my car quite often.

What do you think of the influx of aphex twin tunes of late?

aphex is a modern day mozart

Have you guys played through Blood Dragon or any of the other Far Cry games? By the way, I love Blood Dragons main theme! Fit the game perfectly!

Apart from Blood Dragon, we put a lot of hours into FC3, that game was classic

How did you guys come into contact with each other?

Also, what are some DAWs, recording equipment, and instruments you guys enjoy using?

Thanks!

We're brothers. The most exciting thing we're into right now is a Teac reel-to-reel tape recorder we finally got cleaned up and up and running again. And some new Yamaha monitors. Running through a dj mixer... it's a pretty ghetto setup, nothing special, though it's the little things that add so much.

What's your favorite Videogame Soundtrack so far? Also if you could take a videogame music track & remake it a la Blood Dragon which one would it be?

Columns is our fav - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=admQ2Ideh0M

have you considered venturing into prog house or techno? there was some stuff on EPII that was almost completely void of 80's vibes but i love it so much. you guys are versatile producers and i'm wet right now thinking about Power Glove techno

Techno is the ultimate. It's gotta happen. We have an idea on how to release some of it, but still fit the PG sound/idea.

I've just got into making synth music. Do you have any tips for a beginner?

Make what your ears wanna hear.

Make what your ears wanna hear.

How do you learn to make your style of music? I like the new-wave retro sound but don't know where to start as far as what equipment to play around with.

Get a pulse bass. Add a saw tooth arpegio. Add a 4/4 kick snare. Add police sirens. Profit.

Hey, I've been in love with your music ever since I heard Vengeance in the first ABCs of Death! In your opinion, which 80's movies had the most badass soundtracks?

Bloodsport - Paul Hertzog.

Hard to Kill - David Michael Frank.

Nemesis - Michael Rubini.

Presumed Innocent - John Williams.

... all on high rotation

so many though.....

Raw Deal... Running Man... No Retreat No Surrender... Akira...

Who would win in a knife fight, Com Truise or Mitch Murder?

Also, thanks for fueling my 80's-Sunglasses-in-the-rear-view-mirror drive to work and pleasure.

Com Truise has bear bod and would win.

Are you guys bummed out that Trials of the Blood Dragon sucks, or are you more hyped that pretty much everybody says the best thing about the game is the music?

Honestly we're just stoked people are digging the soundtrack. We also feel the game is fun when you take it for what it is. And working with the red lynx guys was a good chance to try a bunch of random Blood Dragon-y tunes. BD needs a sequel. We just hope Ubisoft listens. We've heard the ideas. And it's amazing.

Why is there no official release of Hunters?!! It is one of the most stellar tracks of the genre(s). I would like to give you money for it.

We get this question a lot! We plan on releasing a b-sides album eventually to get all our unreleased material out there, we'll throw Hunters in ...

Do you plan touring? Visit other countries with live shows?

Sure, though likely won't be until next year... Currently in the studio focused on some bits and pieces.