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Posted by: BillyH 12th March 2017, 05:45 PM

So when exactly does a song stop being recent and become retro? What's the cut-off date between a new song and an old one?

I remember in the early days of this forum someone posting a Vengaboys song and getting somewhat slated because it wasn't seen as Retro at the time (circa 2007-08), the cut-off point seen as being around the millennium. But I think we can safely put the first half of the noughties here now, right?

For me, 2005 is the last year I genuinely see as being far off in the past, 2006 being a bit transitionary and 2007 being the start of recent music, probably because I turned 18 in late 2006 and things like Facebook and Youtube (and Buzzjack!) emerging online, meaning the late noughties seem far more familiar to me than the mid. But that must sound bizarre for someone age 20...if someone in 2008 had told me that they considered 1998 onwards to be 'recent' I'd have laughed at them! So I suppose it depends on age as well as musical trends.

Your thoughts?

Posted by: Dobbo 12th March 2017, 06:34 PM

For me retro is 80s & 90s but like you say it's difficult to pinpoint a specific cut-off point in time.

Posted by: Fuzzjack 12th March 2017, 06:58 PM

Well certainly 2007 was more modern dance wise, we saw the end of the funky house era and the start of the electro and minimal domination in dance. 2007 also saw the start of Rihanna becoming a major pop star and the arrival of Adele to the charts. We also had the rise of soft rock ballads such as Apologise and How To Save A Life becoming big hits and that translates now into the likes of Ed Sheeran and Rag n'Bone Man.

However in 2008 we had stuff that sounds retro now like the eurodance such as Basshunter/Sash vs Stunt and nothing like that could never be a hit now.

I would safely say retro ends at the end of 2008 then.

Posted by: awardinary™ 13th March 2017, 04:10 PM

I think as a general rule, anything older than a decade ago from any given year is retro?

So as it's now 2017, anything prior to 2007 would be classed as retro.

Posted by: popchartfreak 15th March 2017, 04:03 PM

I'd go with the "nostalgia factor" which is when people start looking back fondly on their childhood and early teens through the music that was around then, and that usually kicks in about ten years on, 15 at a pinch. The early noughties were a long time ago now. I joined in 2012 and retro was 90's and earlier, or 12 years back. So it should now be at least 2005 and earlier, arguably 2007...

(If I had the ability to change the forum description, I'd certainly add Early 00's to it now... )

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2017, 09:02 PM

If you watch MTV Classic anything before this century is def retro!

Funny how the younger ones on here see huge distinction between the dance genres where I just find they all sound the same but that's because I grew up in the 90s!

Posted by: Peenus Fly Trap 15th March 2017, 10:02 PM

I dunnoooo.

These Words, etc, from 2004 are not retro.

Honestly I would put anything from 2000 and down as retro. In the early 00s the cheesy 90s were already seen as retro. 2000Swere more cool and so will take longer to pass into that distinction.

Posted by: popchartfreak 16th March 2017, 01:16 PM

more cool

A1, Bob The Builder, Spice Girls, Blue, Westlife, Billie Piper, Atomic Kitten, S Club, Geri halliwell, Hearsay, Pop Idol acts, etc etc etc etc

errr not so cool at the top of the charts, any more than previous decades

Posted by: Good Old Days 25th April 2017, 04:26 PM

Based on my age, it's everything before 1999.

Posted by: Adelina555 11th July 2017, 08:10 PM

80s-90s maybe)

Posted by: Tyler 11th July 2017, 09:04 PM

I'd say it's starts at about 20 years on...

Posted by: Codybot Jansen 11th July 2017, 11:46 PM

It's interesting seeing the word "retro" developing some ambiguity now that we've reached the point where we're beginning to see people on this site who were born in the new millennium. For me, the period of "retro" music begins after like 25 years of impact/release, so given my age that would mean early 90's music is retro. Makes sense considering I call the likes of Run-DMC & N.W.A. "retro hip-hop".

Posted by: Steve201 11th July 2017, 11:53 PM

Retro is the origins of musical styles that are now pop!