KSER radio announces new vintage synth, space, and New Age radio show hosted by Shoreline resident

Dead Electric may be the first on-air show in the US to play synth music solely from the 70s and 80s


Everett, Washington---Public radio station KSER has announced a new radio show: Dead Electric, which plays synth, space, and new age music exclusively from the 70s and 80s. But more, it might be the first radio show in the US to do so.

“Radio shows playing oldies, old school hip-hop, or classic swing or roots music are a staple of on-air programming,” said Shoreline resident David Haldeman, the show’s host. 

“Yet I couldn’t find any that are dedicated to vintage electronic music. I’m hoping the show will finally give this beautiful, fascinating period in music its due.”

In a given show, artists might include Tangerine Dream, Laurie Anderson, Giorgio Moroder, Vangelis, Kraftwerk, Clara Rockmore, Isao Tomita, Laraaji, Delia Derbyshire, Jonzun Crew, or Klaus Schulze, and genres like synthpop, ambient, electro, 8-bit Nintendo soundtracks, German kosmische, and progressive rock.

Dead Electric airs every Friday night from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on independent public radio station 90.7 KSER in Everett, Washington, and 89.9 KXIR on Whidbey Island. The station can also be heard in north Seattle and throughout Snohomish and Island counties. It can also be streamed from anywhere in the world on KSER.org . Past shows are available for listening two weeks after the initial show date.

Go to the Radio Replayer on KSER’s website to listen.

In the past several years, there has been a massive surge in interest in synthesizers and electronic music. A headline in The Atlantic magazine even read, “Buy the Hype: Why Electronic Music Really Could Be the New Rock and Roll.” 

From the wild popularity of the retro-80s synth soundtrack of the TV show Stranger Things, to the surge in sales of modular synthesizers, to 70s synth pioneers Jean-Michel Jarre and Giorgio Moroder recently packing the Neptune and the Paramount respectively, “it’s becoming clear that there is a particular fascination right now with the dusty, eerie, and beautiful sound of older electronic music,” said Haldeman.

The radio show also has a website where listeners can make requests, view playlists, read blog posts about the genre at deadelectricfm.com . The show is also on social media on Instagram and Twitter