Michael Oakley

Michael Oakley
Michael Oakley wearing a white print t-shirt, light-coloured pants, and dark sunglasses, standing onstage with a keyboard around his neck, speaking or singing into a microphone, with one arm held out towards the audience
Oakley performing in 2019
Background information
Born
Michael James Oakley

(1982-01-03) 3 January 1982
Glasgow, Scotland
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • music producer
Years active2016–present
Labels
  • NewRetroWave
  • TimeSlave
Websitemichael-oakley.com

Michael James Oakley (born 3 January 1982) is a Scottish synthwave producer and musician.[1]

Early life

Oakley was born in Glasgow but moved to Los Angeles in 2016, before settling in Canada in 2018.[2] He attended Williamwood High School in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire. He is a self-taught musician, having taken piano lessons for a short period in his youth.[3]

Career

Having worked in Glasgow's cover band scene for some years,[4] Oakley penned what would become his debut EP, California, in 2016.[2] Lesley Daunt of The Huffington Post wrote in 2017 of the lead single "Turn Back Time", "Oakley's captivating beats and celestial synthesizers have given a fresh approach and revival to classic pop".[5]

In 2017, Oakley released California to critical acclaim from The Huffington Post and popular YouTube channel and record label NewRetroWave.[5][6]

In 2019, the artist released his debut full-length album, Introspect, which was listed in NewRetroWave's Top 10 albums list of 2019.[7]

In 2020, Oakley issued the track "Wake Up!", featuring Ollie Wride, as part of the soundtrack to the game Wave Break: High Tides, through Funktronic Labs.[8] In the same year, he contributed an instrumental remix of his 2016 single "Rabbit in the Headlights" to the soundtrack of the mobile game Retro Drive.[9]

On 16 April 2021, Oakley announced the release of a new single, "Is There Anybody Out There", co-written by fellow labelmate Ollie Wride and produced by Jon Campbell of The Time Frequency.[10]

Oakley released his second studio album, Odyssey, on 14 May 2021, through NewRetroWave Records.[11][12] Callum Crumlish of Daily Express wrote, "The glowing eight-track record oozes style and electronica while managing to steer clear of the cliched building blocks of the genre".[13]

His third album, Prologue, was released in May 2026, and preceded by the single "World of Promises".[14]

Oakley has designed sound packs for the Reason software[1] and a patch collection for Roland's Juno-60 synthesizer.[15]

Life-saving incident

In 2012, while returning from a performance at a wedding function near Glasgow, Oakley rescued two men from a burning car.[4]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details
California (The Remixes)
Introspect
  • Released: 8 March 2019
  • Label: NewRetroWave
  • Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, vinyl (LP)
Introspect (The Instrumentals)
  • Released: 29 March 2019
  • Label: NewRetroWave
  • Formats: Digital download
Odyssey
  • Released: 14 May 2021
  • Label: NewRetroWave
  • Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, MiniDisc, vinyl (LP)
Introspect (The Remixes)
  • Released: 18 March 2022
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download
Prologue
  • Released: 29 May 2026
  • Label: NewRetroWave
  • Formats: Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, vinyl (LP)

EPs

Title Details
California
  • Released: 6 October 2017
  • Label: Timeslave Recordings
  • Formats: CD, Digital download, vinyl (LP)
Four
  • Released: 18 October 2024
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: Digital download

Singles

As lead artist

Title Album
"Rabbit in the Headlights" 2016 California
"Turn Back Time"
"Control" 2018 Introspect
"Now I'm Alive"
(featuring Dana Jean Phoenix)		 2019
"Wake Up!"
(featuring Ollie Wride)		 2020 Wave Break: High Tides (Game Soundtrack)
"Is There Anybody Out There"
(Jon Campbell Radio Edit)		 2021 Odyssey
"Glasgow Song"
(featuring Dana Jean Phoenix)
"World of Promises" 2026 Prologue
"Falling Skyward"
Title Year Album
"We Are the Dreamers"
(Elevate the Sky featuring Michael Oakley)		 2022 We Are the Dreamers

Remixes

Year Artist Song
2018 Scandroid "Afterglow"
2019 Missing Words "Break These Chains"
Scandroid "Euphoria"

References

  1. 1 2 "Artist Feature: Michael Oakley". Reasonstudios.com. 22 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 Gillian Loney (4 May 2018). "Glasgow musician Michael Oakley is back in his hometown and back to the future for retro 80s party gig". Glasgowlive.co.uk.
  3. ↑ "Michael Oakley Interview". Electricityclub.co.uk. 30 November 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Wedding singer saves pair after crash". Greenock Telegraph. 7 February 2012.
  5. 1 2 Lesley Daunt (9 January 2017). "Acclaimed Scottish new wave artist Michael Oakley premieres new video". Huffpost.com.
  6. ↑ "Top Ten Retrowave EP's of 2017". NewRetroWave.com. 28 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "Top 10 Retrowave Albums of 2019". NewRetroWave.com. 3 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "Wave Break soundtrack EP out now". NewRetroWave.com. 24 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Cameron Bald (1 May 2020). "Retro Drive is a neon-soaked arcade racer with a killer synthwave soundtrack". Pocketgamer.com.
  10. ↑ "Michael Oakley – Is There Anybody Out There". NewRetroWave.com. 22 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Vintage Synth Trumps with Michael Oakley". Electricityclub.co.uk. 7 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Scottish synthpop star Michael Oakley drops album 'Odyssey', video for patriotic anthem 'Glasgow Song'". Culturefix.co.uk. 14 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Callum Crumlish (19 June 2021). "Michael Oakley on Odyssey and how leaving his country inspired a more 'reflective' album". Express.co.uk.
  14. ↑ "Michael Oakley Prologue". Electricityclub.co.uk. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Analogue-inspired sounds for the Juno-60 software synthesizer by Michael Oakley". Roland.com. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
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