PatternShift is the project of Benjamin Kamphaus, a Colorado-based multi-instrumentalist whose work sits at the intersection of synthwave, ambient, and cinematic score. His sound is heavily informed by his background as a classically trained percussionist and his later immersion in indie shoegaze.
This unique trajectory manifests in music that combines the rhythmic precision of electronic workstations with the wall-of-sound depth of guitar-based textures. His primary influences include the synth-heavy scores of Vangelis and Brad Fiedel, as well as the modern atmospheric work of M83. PatternShift is notable for its transmedia approach, often releasing albums alongside science fiction novels that share the same narrative universe. This 'world-building' ethos has earned the project a dedicated following within the 'synthwave' and 'space ambient' communities on YouTube and Bandcamp. Critically, the project is praised for evolving the retrowave genre beyond simple nostalgia into a more sophisticated, progressive form of electronic storytelling.
Shares synthwave, ambient techno, progressive rock (subgenres); instrumental_only (vocal style)
Shares synthwave, ambient techno, darkwave (subgenres); instrumental_only (vocal style)
Shares synthwave, ambient techno, darkwave (subgenres); analog_warmth, reverb_heavy, layered_dense (production style)
Shares synthwave, ambient techno, darkwave (subgenres); analog_warmth, reverb_heavy, layered_dense (production style)
Shares instrumental_only (vocal style); synthwave, ambient techno, progressive rock (subgenres)
Shares analog_warmth, layered_dense, reverb_heavy (production style); ambient techno, synthwave (subgenres)
Shares synthwave, darkwave (subgenres); instrumental_only (vocal style)
Shares synthwave, ambient techno, darkwave (subgenres); analog_warmth, reverb_heavy, layered_dense (production style)
Shares synthwave, ambient techno, darkwave (subgenres); instrumental_only (vocal style)
Shares synthwave, mysterious, progressive rock, ambient techno (subgenre)
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