Culture

Get Lost Inside A Synth Dungeon With This Dark Ambient Archive

File this one under “genres we never knew existed.”

The synthesizer has always enjoyed something of an association with high fantasy. In the ’70s, prog rock groups used synths to score operatic anthems inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien and similar writers. That current of electronic music apparently lives on today in the form of a genre called “Dungeon Synth”.

Fusing aspects of dark metal, dark ambient and lo-fi synthwave, the genre is one of the stranger things we’ve stumbled across in our journey through sound. And while the style is obscure, you can get a nearly complete overview thanks to a YouTube channel called “The Dungeon Synth Archives“. It includes full album specimens from this unusual genre that span from the ’90s to the present. It’s worth a browse just based on the album art and titles alone. Check it out below.

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.
Learn more

Load video

Always unblock YouTube

A Conversation With Filmmaker Vincent Haycock

DESIREE keeps pushing to tell her truth

Billie Eilish in Conversation With Former Telekom Electronic Beats Chief Editor

7 Electronic Music Podcasts to Keep You Entertained This Weekend

The Retro-Future is now: What the great wave of Listening Bars says about us

Telekom Electronic Beats, Native Instruments and Warp Records Launch Remix Contest

Berlin Senate Agrees to €100 Million Emergency Fund to Save Creative Culture

E-MERGING: 5 tattoo artists stirring up the scene with their unique styles

6 Essential Reads That Set the Record Straight on Dance Music History

Dance to These Live Streams Without Leaving Your House

Harry Nuriev: “I like this feeling of naive desire to change the world”

8 Podcasts about Electronic Music that are totally worth your time

Shutdown? These Free Music Resources Will Keep You Busy

E-MERGING: Ain’t No Trash gives vintage furniture a new home

Test Your Knowledge of House Classics in the New Episode of Blind Test

​Kasper Bjørke on ​Climate Change​ and the Need to ​Travel

Tommy Cash is always in his rave era

Inga Humpe Im Telekom Electronic Beats Podcast

Berlin Nightclub Griessmuehle Petitions Against Closure

E-MERGING: ‘A Song For You’ makes you feel a kaleidoscope of emotions

Telekom Electronic Beats And Boiler Room Team Up With An Event Series Across Europe

Mall Grab, DJ Plead And Others Release New Material To Aid Australian Bushfire Relief Effort

More than just merch: how fashion became electronic music’s dynamic new frontier

The triumphant of return: how Sugababes reclaim their legacy

Watch Klaus Blatter Flip His 5 Favourite B-Sides

E-MERGING: BERHASM is the Georgian fashion brand fighting for freedom

Step Into A 2020 With Loraine James’ “New Year’s Substitution 2” EP

HVOB Live In Vienna 2019

E-MERGING: JADA never lets you know her next move

Help Berlin's Archiv Der Jugendkulturen. A Unique Archive For All Things Youth Culture

Listen To Eight Hours Of Pummeling Techno From Berlin Party Collective MURTUMA

Have party collectives become more influential than clubs?

Listen To The Latest Episode Of Our Podcast Featuring Dixon

What is the future of electronic music production?

E-MERGING: Leo Costelloe’s art is a shiny love letter to loneliness

E-MERGING: These designers make knitwear with a contemporary twist

Rave For A Good Cause With Timo Maas And Tiefschwarz At Kater Blau In Berlin This Friday

E-MERGING: Illya Goldman Gubin’s art is a nostalgic snapshot in time

Ian Pooley's 5 Favorite B-Sides

Listen To An Enveloping New Ambient Album From ava* On Absurd Trax

E-MERGING: Damsel Elysium is the artist searching for deeper connection

Klaus Blatter’s New Video Tells The Christmas Story Through Acid Techno

Hot Chip Will Play At Berlin's Columbiahalle On December 3

Altered Egos

Listen To A Split EP Of Boundary-Pushing Club Music From Toxe And CRYSTALLMESS On PAN

Listen To The Latest Episode Of Our Telekom Electronic Beats Podcast Featuring Cinthie

Altered Egos

E-MERGING: Get to know Michele Rizzo and his hypnotic performance art

Kasper Bjørke on Climate Change and the Need to Travel