Four artists in the Frekvenci archive share a label with Mitch Murder: Timecop1983, Gregorio Franco, Protector 101 and Dav Dralleon, all through Playmaker. A shared label is a stronger lead than a plain tag match, and these four keep to the bright, tuneful 1980s-television mood his records are known for.
From G-funk to the neon age
Mitch Murder is Johan Bengtsson, a Swedish producer. Vehlinggo's 2015 interview says the project started as a hip-hop one, and that his first album, a never-released set of 1990s-style instrumental hip hop, came before the synth work.[1] He calls Rosso Corsa, the Swedish retro-synth label, his first "home".[1] That background helps explain the sound: tidy production, a hook in each track and few of the rough edges of darker synthwave.
He is also one of the scene's more film-connected names. His music is used heavily in the 2015 short film Kung Fury, including the song "True Survivor" with David Hasselhoff on vocals.[1] A fellow Swedish producer, Lost Years, told Vehlinggo that his own tracks appear in the film and in Amazon's Red Oaks.[2]
The archive lists 10 Mitch Murder releases from 2011 to 2021. Six are self-released, and the rest are spread across The Analogue Quadrant, Playmaker and Mad Decent. Several are soundtrack-shaped: Kung Fury (Lost Tapes) and Megamagic: Wizards of the Neon Age OST both come with a film or game in mind. For the larger picture of this overlap, see Synthwave and 1980s film scores: Carpenter, Vangelis and the sound of the screen and Synthwave and video games: from Out Run to Hotline Miami.
Under the same label
The Playmaker link is the thing to follow first.
- Timecop1983 (Netherlands, 23 releases, 2013–2023) ranks first in our data. Jordy Leenaerts told Vehlinggo that his ear caught Mitch Murder's work when he decided to make 1980s-style music, and that he settled on the dreamier, romantic side of it.[3] Same raw material, softer mood: Searching for Tomorrow, a 2023 album. His circle is mapped on If you like Timecop1983: artists to try next.
- Gregorio Franco (US, 15 releases, 2017–2025) files Winter Nights冬の夜 under outrun, the driving strand.
- Protector 101 (US, 14 releases, 2011–2019) has a 2019 album, KILLBOTS, tagged italo disco, a sign of a more dance-floor ear.
- Dav Dralleon (France, 10 releases, 2017–2025) has the single DAEMON DEVASTATOR as the latest record in the archive.
Where the label thread runs out
Noir Deco (UK, 2 releases, both 2011) is a deep cut from the same label: the single album is Future to Fantasy. For the Rosso Corsa side, Lost Years is the name Vehlinggo's interview puts beside Mitch Murder in Kung Fury; the label's own page is Rosso Corsa Records: label profile and where to start, and a sister guide covers its other major name at If you like Lazerhawk: artists to try next.
Closer to the catalogue than the label
These do not share Playmaker but sit near him in the catalogue data. Futurecop! (UK, 18 releases) has a synth-pop leaning, and his 2025 album Wind, Town & Flowers is on NewRetroWave. Wojciech Golczewski (Poland, 36 releases, 2013–2025) is a bigger catalogue to dig into; see Ewer City. Carlights (India, 33 releases, 2019–2025) works the same melodic corner on Neon Retro Records: A New Euphoria.
The scores come from labels, tags and overlapping years, so use them as a starting point and let your ears settle it. In the archive, a release date can be a reissue date and tags are the community's. Our Outrun music: the racing-game sound of synthwave places Mitch Murder in the driving end of the genre, and 25 essential synthwave artists, and where to start with each in the wider scene. The sunny, melodic end suits the Night Drive station (92.0 FM), and the Pop station (90.7 FM) fits if you like vocals.
Records to start with
- Mitch Murder · 2015 · self-released · LPThe sound of the film that carried his name to a mass audience.
- Mitch Murder · 2016 · self-released · LPA score-style album, built around a story world.
- Mitch Murder · 2018 · Playmaker · EPA 2018 EP on Playmaker, the label he shares with most of the leads here.
- Timecop1983 · 2023 · TimeSlaves · LPSofter and more romantic, from the artist who credits him.
- Gregorio Franco · 2025 · Inner Self Records · EPThe driving outrun strand from a Playmaker artist.
- Futurecop! · 2025 · NewRetroWave · LPSynth-pop-leaning and recent, on NewRetroWave.
- Carlights · 2025 · Neon Retro Records · LPA melodic album from a big modern catalogue.
Sources
- Catching Up With Mitch Murder, King of the 80s Revival · Vehlinggo, 26 Jul 2015
- A Quick Q&A with 80s Retrosynther Lost Years · Vehlinggo, 1 Nov 2015
- What Does the Future Hold for Timecop1983? · Vehlinggo, 1 Jul 2015