Beyond Synth - 452 - Michael Oakley

Beyond Synth - 452 - Michael Oakley

From Beyond Synth by Andy Last

June 10, 2026 · 1h 56m

About this episode

Michael Oakley returns to discuss his new album Prologue and various topics related to music and creativity.

Michael Oakley returns to Beyond Synth to talk about his new album Prologue, but as usual, the conversation goes all over the place. Michael discusses the process behind the record and how he pulled early 90s Eurodance influences into his synthwave sound. Along the way, they also get into MacGyver villains, synthwave copycats, overused genre tropes, AI, social media validation, spaghetti westerns, creative burnout, and the difference between hobbyists and serious artists. Michael also talks about some of his awesome collaborators on the album including Dana Jean Phoenix, Holly Dodson, Ollie Wride, John Kunkel and working with Brad Kinnan for the World of Promises music video! If you like what you’re hearing you can support Beyond Synth on Patreon: www.patreon.com/beyondsynth or PayPal: www.paypal.com/paypalme/beyondsynth Check Out MICHAEL OAKLEY here: https://soundcloud.com/michaeloakleyofficial https://newretrowave.bandcamp.com/album/prologue https://open.spotify.com/artist/7mxepENRg71jHuLHVeK07c https://www.instagram.com/michaeloakleyofficial/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVCnbrETvgFXwgkC1JelYXQ https://www.facebook.com/MichaelOakleyOfficial/ Today’s Playlist: Michael…

People in this episode

Host: Andy Last

Guest: Michael Oakley

Topics covered

  • synthwave
  • music production
  • Eurodance influences
  • creative burnout
  • collaboration
  • AI
  • social media

Keywords

  • Michael Oakley
  • Prologue
  • synthwave
  • Eurodance
  • collaboration
  • creative burnout
  • AI
  • social media

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Prologue, Hurts Like Heaven, World of Promises, Shot To, Falling Skyward, School, Memory of You, Warriors of the Wasteland

More episodes of Beyond Synth

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Beyond Synth podcast page.