Sunshine Radio & Calypso Drip FM Present Sunlit Eighties Pop

Pexels

I like that upbeat, electronic eighties pop sound a lot and that’s what I wanted to catch in this new part of my imaginary station Sunshine Radio. I used some authentic jingles and air checks to recreate the feeling of the decade. The Calypso Drip FM intro is from an album about a fantasy station with the same name by retro wave artist Gryff. Enjoy!

"I knew I wanted a project that reminded me of radio stations of decades past... especially the type you would have on GTA: Vice City. The accessibility and discovery of lost music to the new generation deeply resonates with me." (Gryff)

Paris Is One Day Away by British band The Mood stalled at number 42 on the UK singles chart in 1982. Two places higher might have got them a slot on Top Of The Pops and might have catapulted these three good looking guys to world fame, but they did not have the same luck as Wham! Their Young Guns (Go For It) sold badly upon its initial release in November 1982, reaching just number 42 as well. However, their careers were saved when they received a last-minute call to replace someone on Top Of The Pops and the rest is history.

American brothers Ron and Russell Mael named themselves Sparks and became famous as a glam rock act in Europe. In 1974 they had massive hits with This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us and Amateur Hour. They turned into a conventional rock band a few years later, but by the end of the decade they traded guitars for synthesizers and suddenly appeared as the first electro pop duo in musical history. Soft Cell, Yazoo, Erasure and even the Pet Shop Boys learned the trick from them, musical and image wise. Sparks have an impressive over 50 years career and the duo just released a new single, Do Things My Own Way.

Tracklist:

Gryff – Give It All Up (2025)
The Limit Feat. Gwen Guthrie – Say Yeah (1984)
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Maneater (1982)
Thompson Twins – Doctor! Doctor! (1984)
The Mood – Paris Is One Day Away (1982)
Hipsway – The Honeythief (1986)
Karyn White – The Way You Love Me (1988)
Howard Jones – What Is Love? (1983)
Bryan Ferry – The Right Stuff (1987)
Icehouse – Electric Blue (1987)
Wham! – If You Were There (1984)
The Style Council – Wanted (Or Waiter, There's Some Soup In My Flies) (1987)
Wax ‎– April Lady (1981)
Pål Thowsen – (If It) Hurts Just A Little (1983)
Hot Chocolate – You'll Never Be So Wrong (1981)
Prince – When Doves Cry (1984)
Rosie Vela – Magic Smile (1986)
James Ingram & Michael McDonald – Yah Mo B There (1983)
Sparks – Let’s Make Love (1988)