Naïve Magic: A Dungeon Synth Digest - Best of 2023

Taking on a project like this takes dedication. Ithildin has decided to illustrate, sonically, all of the flora in Middle Earth alphabetically based around the book Flora of Middle-Earth: Plants of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium by the botanist Water S Judd. We are at the Gs and Hs and this project could ostensibly last for quite some time. It is a massive undertaking many would understand if it was never complete but the same silently hopes for continual volumes.

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When I covered this for its release, I was genuinely ecstatic to listen to the new Maleft. At the North East Dungeon Siege, I was also excited to photograph the set. Since 2018, this artist has been wandering first paths uncovering musical ruins which are communed with as albums. Dolorous Gard is a castle and the listener is invited to delve into its interior. 

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I feel the silent success of Flickers of the Fen comes from everyone’s deep and intrinsic desire to sit at home and play Old School Runescape all day. What seemed like fleeting novelty from logo to album title turned out to be a daring dungeon synth record with the perfect amount of irreverence and whimsy. I wrote about this on release and since then have been revisiting since I feel like I need some sort of cape from my adventures. 

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When I saw Vaelastrasz play at both North East Dungeon Siege and also in Washington DC a few months after, I was pleased at the lack of equipment during the performance. Armed with more costumes than equipment, Vaelastrasz conjures a world of wonder of minimal melodies which exude a sense of loss and resolute grief. Reclaiming the Spectral Dawn just released in November of this year and seemingly came out of nowhere. This seems par for course as Vaelastrasz remains dungeon synth’s court jester leaving magical presents and running away laughing in the night.  

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Umbria has always been a surprise and shock for those who discover the music. Ornate and regal, these melodies are the soundtrack to stories of comedy and tragedy told by a storied storyteller. I wrote a review for this album which was published in the Fantasy Audio Magazine Zine but I failed to mention the addition of the 2018 demo as bonus tracks to the Gondolin release. This is a wonderful coda to the album as it shows the scope of the artist and the lands they have traveled. 

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Hole Dweller could have rested on the laurels of the comfy masterpiece Flies the Coop  or the woozy vintage hi fi spectacle of Return To Roost both released in 2019. Instead, this US based artist has released a series of music which explores both styles either veering into comfy lofi or vintage progressive electronic. With Dreams of Hereafter is similar to the later with music which could be out of a BBC television special on fairies from the late 1970’s. Though this aesthetic might be extremely specific, it is one I have crafted so I can curl up and take a nap while the rain tinkles on the thick windows. 

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Back in 2021, UK artist L A N D S R A A D (typed for aesthetic) released the Golden Path which marked the beginning of a project based around combining dungeon synth, space ambient, and the themes of the Dune book series. Mark of the Worm is the third release in that series and perhaps one of the most potent installments in the series. This is perhaps the music or the return to the simple J-card cover which evokes a sense of nostalgia and aesthetic brilliance. Whatever the case, this series music like its source material is at the precipice of the giant leap into the future.

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“Fantasy Synthesizer Music.” I am sure Quest Master did not make their most recent release specifically to appeal to fans of new age and acid washed synth music of the 1980s but we are all here regardless.  Swords And Circuitry is not only a fantastic synth record but also embraces an area of proto DS which is continuing to be uncovered and interacted with. Quest Master also gets the award for best album name as a new future tech fantasy genre which I’m sure already comes with the best paperback covers.  

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This spot is actually reserved for a label. While Dusklight’s Enchantment & Serenity is one of my favorite Windkey tapes this year, the entirety of this label is worth celebrating. Windkey Tapes is more of a studio for Evergreen (Fogweaver, Snowspire) to work out their projects most of the time solo but also through splits with other artists. All physical releases are limited and announced randomly through social media which are usually sold out by the time you get there. Windkey is perhaps one of the strongest torchbearers of the DS ideal embracing raw recordings and secretitive yet not exclusionary releases. For those interested in a longer profile on Windkey Tapes, the creator was nice enough to answer some of my questions.  For those who just want music for immersion, Dusklight is a hazy wonderland of opaque fog which forms spires in the distance.

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Erang was my introduction to dungeon synth and through continual contact through interviews and album reviews, has been a sort of guide through the entire revival. I think I can say, with some degree of certainty,  I have seen this artist’s journey through the greater landscape of dungeon synth. Erang has always been reflective using interests engrained in childhood as characters in imaginary worlds. Each release is another chapter in a musical game of pretend play building upon the lore of an imaginary world.. A Blaze In Time is a bit different as it is a tribute to the real life figures and influences in real life. Through sometimes plain references and mysterious ones, A Blaze Through Time is a solemn journey which deals with loss, grief, joy, failure, happiness and, and disappointment. These emotions are played in slideshows which encapsulate a spectrum of feelings. Dungeon synth has an innate escapism built into its psyche and when artists step out of that sometimes it is a brilliant moment of clarity.

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