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Reference
Retro style reference
Decade-accurate production styles from 50s rock and roll through 60s soul, 70s disco, 80s synth and 90s alt.
How to use this list
Each row pairs a style term with a cue line written in the same grammar: what the music is, what plays it, roughly how fast, and how it feels. Copy the cue, then change one thing at a time so you can tell which token moved the result.
Retro cues are about recording technique: tape saturation, plate reverb, gated snares and mono mixes say more than the year itself.
Combining entries
Combine a retro production cue with a modern genre entry when you want a vintage-sounding take on a contemporary style.
If a take drifts away from what you wanted, remove tokens rather than adding more. Long prompts dilute; short, specific ones steer.
| 1950s rock and roll | 50s rock and roll, boogie piano, slapback echo vocal, upright bass walk, brushed shuffle drums, 165 BPM, energetic and vintage |
| Doo-wop | doo-wop, close four-part harmony, bass-voice 'bom' lines, triplet piano, soft snare, 70 BPM, sweet and nostalgic |
| Rockabilly | rockabilly, twangy hollow-body guitar, slapped upright bass, snare rim shuffle, hiccup vocal with echo, 170 BPM, wild and retro |
| Surf rock | surf rock, drenched spring reverb guitar tremolo picking, driving toms, instrumental, 155 BPM, sunny and adventurous |
| 60s Motown soul | motown soul, tambourine on every beat, melodic bass, baritone sax and strings, group harmonies, 128 BPM, joyful and vintage |
| 60s garage rock | 60s garage rock, fuzz guitar riff, Farfisa organ, snotty vocal, primitive drums, 145 BPM, raw and hooky |
| Psychedelic rock | psychedelic rock, phased guitars, backwards tape effects, sitar drone, hazy vocals, 110 BPM, kaleidoscopic and woozy |
| 70s funk | 70s funk, slap bass and clavinet, tight horn section, wah guitar, in-the-pocket drums, 104 BPM, sweaty and irresistible |
| Disco | disco, four-on-the-floor kick, open hi-hat eighths, octave bass, lush strings, 118 BPM, glittering and euphoric |
| Philly soul | philly soul, sweeping string arrangement, vibraphone, smooth falsetto vocal, soft four-on-floor, 108 BPM, plush and romantic |
| Yacht rock | yacht rock, glossy Rhodes chords, jazzy 7th harmony, smooth session drums, breezy tenor vocal, 98 BPM, polished and mellow |
| Classic rock | classic rock, overdriven Marshall guitars, Hammond organ, powerful belted vocal, live room drums, 128 BPM, big and timeless |
| Glam rock | glam rock, stomping 4/4 drums, fat distorted riffs, handclaps, theatrical vocal, 130 BPM, swaggering and glittery |
| Prog rock | prog rock, mellotron and Moog solos, shifting odd meters, extended instrumental suites, 120 BPM, grand and exploratory |
| Krautrock | krautrock, motorik drum pulse, hypnotic repeating bassline, analog synth drones, 135 BPM, mechanical and trance-inducing |
| New wave | new wave, bright staccato synths, clipped guitar, bouncy bass, deadpan vocal, gated snare, 140 BPM, quirky and danceable |
| 80s synthwave / retrowave | synthwave, analog saw arpeggios, gated reverb drums, neon lead melody, side-chained pads, 100 BPM, nocturnal and cinematic |
| 80s power ballad | 80s power ballad, chorused clean guitar verse, huge reverb snare, soaring guitar solo, belted chorus, 72 BPM, dramatic and emotional |
| Hair metal | hair metal, screaming guitar harmonies, gang-shout choruses, big gated drums, high-register vocal, 145 BPM, flashy and rowdy |
| Italo disco | italo disco, arpeggiated bass sequence, plastic synth lead, drum machine claps, accented vocal, 122 BPM, kitschy and hypnotic |
| Boogie / post-disco | boogie funk, slap bass, gated electric drums, vocoder accents, glassy synth chords, 112 BPM, sleek and groovy |
| City pop (80s Japan) | city pop, luxurious Rhodes and brass stabs, slap bass, crisp session drums, smooth vocal, 108 BPM, nocturnal and glossy |
| 90s R&B | 90s R&B, swung hip-hop drums, warm bass, layered harmony stacks, smooth lead vocal ad-libs, 92 BPM, sensual and lush |
| Eurodance | eurodance, hoover synth stabs, four-on-floor kick, rap verse and diva chorus, 138 BPM, euphoric and cheesy |
| Britpop | britpop, chiming layered guitars, swaggering vocal, live drums, string overdubs, 120 BPM, anthemic and nostalgic |
| Grunge | grunge, sludgy detuned power chords, loud-quiet dynamics, raspy weary vocal, thick room drums, 115 BPM, raw and disaffected |
| Trip-hop (90s) | trip hop, slow dusty breakbeat, deep filtered bass, vinyl noise, cool detached vocal, 88 BPM, smoky and cinematic |
| Y2K pop | y2k pop, plastic synth plucks, tight programmed beat, vocoder harmonies, sparkling FX, 100 BPM, shiny and futuristic |
Raw data: /guide/reference/lists/retro-music-list.json · 28 entries
FAQ
Does naming a year help?
A decade helps; a precise year usually does not. Describe the recording characteristics of the era instead.
Do I have to use the whole retro cue line?
No. The lines are built from independent tokens, so you can keep the two or three that matter and drop the rest without breaking the grammar.
Can I mix this list with another one?
Yes — keep one rhythm description, one lead instrument, one production word and a single tempo. Competing rhythm descriptions are the usual cause of muddled results.