NEON PULSE is the Tokyo-based synth-pop duo of Aiko Tanaka and Yuki Sato, whose retro-futurist sound has made them one of the most internationally successful Japanese acts of the last decade. The pair met in 2017 at a vintage synthesizer fair in Akihabara and have been inseparable since.
Their music is built almost entirely on hardware synthesizers from the late 1970s and early 1980s — a collection that now numbers more than 80 instruments and is housed in a dedicated studio in Shibuya. The result is a sound that is both nostalgic and forward-looking, with a warmth and depth that software emulations struggle to match.
NEON PULSE have released four studio albums, scored two anime series, and toured across Asia, Europe and North America. Their 2024 live album, recorded at the Tokyo Dome, debuted at #1 in Japan.