DNA Productions presents

LIONEL COHEN

He makes 80s music. Period.

Cinematic synth. Synthpop. Synthwave. Cartoon adventure scores. Old-school hip-hop. Industrial body music. Retro production cues. It doesn't matter which corner of the decade you're standing in — Lionel Cohen has already built a studio there. Eight aliases, eighteen releases, one uninterrupted decade.

One Decade. Every Style.

The Manifesto

Most composers pick a genre and stay there. Lionel Cohen picked a decade — and then went looking for every door into it. Wide-screen cinematic synth for film and TV. Glossy synthpop hooks for a Hollywood duo. Crystalline synthwave for a robot from the future. A full cartoon adventure score. SP-1200 boom bap from the South Bronx and South Central. Cold industrial body music built from film dialogue. Sync-ready cues engineered to feel pulled straight from a 1985 vault.

Different names. Different studios. Different decades-within-the-decade. But pull back far enough and it's all one body of work — the sound of the 1980s, made new, on repeat, on purpose.

Cinematic Synth Synthpop Synthwave Cartoon Synth Score Old-School Hip-Hop Industrial / EBM Neon Noir Instrumental Retro Production Music

The Wall

27 Covers · 8 Aliases · 1 Decade

Hover (or tap) any cover to see what it is and who made it. Click to jump to it in the full catalogue below.

The Catalogue

27 Releases · One Body of Work

Every release lives in the same list, on purpose. The names, eras-within-the-era, and styles change — but it's all one composer's answer to the same question: what did the 1980s sound like, and what could it still sound like?

Cinewave, Redux 1 album cover

Cinewave, Redux 1

Cinematic Synth
as Lionel Cohen · Vol. 01 · 20 tracks · 35:55

The opening statement — wide-screen and searching. A protagonist arrives in a city that doesn't know his name yet. Part of a four-volume modular soundtrack system; no canonical order.

View tracklist
  • 01 Night Of The Female1:39
  • 02 Revolution Comes In The Strangest Way1:47
  • 03 The Fisting of Life2:30
  • 04 I Am With Name1:38
  • 05 It's Happening Now2:13
  • 06 The Pain And Blade2:26
  • 07 Innocence Passed Me By2:08
  • 08 No Enemies Of My Own2:19
  • 09 Forget My Name1:24
  • 10 I Should Live My Life1:39
  • 11 These Cerulean Skies1:42
  • 12 Make Somebody Move1:46
  • 13 The Talk Of Your Life1:48
  • 14 Left At The Crossroads1:52
  • 15 A Kind Of Living2:05
  • 16 There Was Only Something Between Us1:57
  • 17 On The Fires Of Night2:12
  • 18 They Fall on Today1:58
  • 19 Are These Really The Days2:02
  • 20 For Tomorrow's Man2:40
Cinewave, Redux 2 album cover

Cinewave, Redux 2

Cinematic Synth
as Lionel Cohen · Vol. 02 · 20 tracks · 38:39

Deeper into the night — slower pulse sequences and an atmosphere of beautiful menace.

View tracklist
  • 01 Dazzled By The New2:20
  • 02 This Goddamned Starving Life2:05
  • 03 A Safety Zone1:39
  • 04 If Time Had Not Stood Still2:08
  • 05 Cold Winter Bleeds1:57
  • 06 The World Of Today1:49
  • 07 Breathing In Only Doubt2:14
  • 08 Every Single Move's Uncertain1:37
  • 09 There's No More Of Me2:10
  • 10 Good Time Drone2:00
  • 11 Night Fear2:55
  • 12 Unbearable Lives2:27
  • 13 Blank Screen TV1:52
  • 14 The Diamond Friendly1:33
  • 15 Extremes Of My Sex1:47
  • 16 When The Nightmare Comes1:44
  • 17 Complex Fashion For A Simple Man2:12
  • 18 20th Century Dies2:31
  • 19 It's Confusing These Days1:40
  • 20 Back To When It All Began2:03
Cinewave, Redux 3 album cover

Cinewave, Redux 3

Cinematic Synth
as Lionel Cohen · Vol. 03 · 20 tracks · 38:30

The pivot — chase sequences, revelations, confrontations at dawn. Propulsive arpeggios and escalating tension.

View tracklist
  • 01 This Chaos Is Killing2:04
  • 02 Call It A Day2:22
  • 03 All The Concrete Dreams1:45
  • 04 Tapping Out Your Memories1:54
  • 05 Where Have All The Flowers Gone1:35
  • 06 The Rain Sets In2:10
  • 07 Re-Exposing You2:32
  • 08 Nothing Is Vanity1:57
  • 09 Stare At The Sun2:28
  • 10 Anxiety Descending2:00
  • 11 Majesty Of A City Landscape1:50
  • 12 Twitch & Stream1:39
  • 13 We Light Up Our Lives1:37
  • 14 Back Away From The Light2:12
  • 15 The Fabric Of Time Itself1:47
  • 16 The Young Advance2:17
  • 17 Looking Through Windows For Demons2:05
  • 18 Forbidden Words2:59
  • 19 Me Exploding You1:31
  • 20 Flames Burn My Body1:40
Cinewave, Redux 4 album cover

Cinewave, Redux 4

Cinematic Synth
as Lionel Cohen · Vol. 04 · 20 tracks · 35:33

The end credits roll — a melancholic, expansive finale carrying the weight of a journey completed.

View tracklist
  • 01 The Sober Philistine1:36
  • 02 Tell The Others2:02
  • 03 Beat on the Outside2:18
  • 04 Deeply Felt Age2:23
  • 05 A Zero On Everything2:12
  • 06 Punks Burning In Their Glue1:52
  • 07 A Fantastic Death1:08
  • 08 Wishful Beginnings1:36
  • 09 Some Kind Of Future2:08
  • 10 The Clutch Of Life1:33
  • 11 A Reject From The World1:56
  • 12 Rings Of Flesh1:45
  • 13 Thin & Frail2:32
  • 14 Blended Sunrise1:41
  • 15 Poor Bruised Passivity1:58
  • 16 It'll End In Chrome2:13
  • 17 My Days Are Numbered1:33
  • 18 Remind Them Again And Again2:30
  • 19 A Millennium Fetish1:39
  • 20 It's The Angel-Man2:07
The Fascinated self-titled album cover

The Fascinated

Synthpop Album
Beki Colada & Lionel Cohen · 2015 · 11 tracks · Los Angeles

The self-titled debut that launched the duo into the international synthpop conversation — shimmering, driving 80s-infused electro-pop. Praised across electronic music press. Also home to all their singles (see below).

Home single by The Fascinated cover

Home

Single · 2015
as The Fascinated · Jan 2015 · Debut single

The debut single — a laid-back, dreamy opener that introduced the world to Beki Colada's voice and Lionel Cohen's shimmering production touch.

Running Away from Love single cover

Running Away from Love

Single · 2015
as The Fascinated · Jun 2015 · Breakout single

The infectious dancefloor anthem that put The Fascinated on the global synthpop map — praised by ElectRow, ElectroWow, and Glitter & Stilettos.

The Way That You Talk single cover

The Way That You Talk

Single · 2017
as The Fascinated · Aug 2017

New-wave hooks and shimmering synth basslines, built for neon-lit nights out.

All of the Nights single cover

All of the Nights

Single · 2019
as The Fascinated · Mar 2019

Euphoric late-night synthpop — pure movement, pure neon.

Paradise single cover

Paradise

Single · 2019
as The Fascinated · Aug 2019

A sun-drenched, synth-soaked daydream — the Hollywood version of an 80s beach movie montage.

Familiar Strangers single cover

Familiar Strangers

Single · 2020
as The Fascinated · May 2020

Moody synthpop about people who used to know each other — new wave with a chill running through it.

Ghost single cover

Ghost

Single · 2021
as The Fascinated · Nov 2021

Haunted synthpop with a shimmer that lingers long after it ends.

You Let Me Go single cover

You Let Me Go

Single · 2022
as The Fascinated · Nov 2022

Aching new-wave heartbreak wrapped in polished 80s production.

Tipsy (Love Drunk) single cover

Tipsy (Love Drunk)

Single · 2024
as The Fascinated · Jul 2024 · Latest single

The most recent transmission from the Hollywood duo — glittery, propulsive, and unapologetically 80s.

Homo Electro album cover

Homo Electro

Electro / Synthwave
as RoBOT LIKE ME · 2007 · Debut Album

The debut statement. Raw, unpolished electro energy that laid the DNA for everything that followed.

The Killing Boys Club album cover

The Killing Boys Club

Dark Electro-Pop
as RoBOT LIKE ME · 2013

Dark synth-pop and minimal electro — brooding beats and an ice-cold emotional charge.

I Miss Everywhere I'm Not album cover

I Miss Everywhere I'm Not

Electropop
as RoBOT LIKE ME · 2014

A melancholic drift through analog nostalgia and sleek electropop architectures.

Futurewave Vol. 1 album cover

Futurewave, Vol. 1

Synthwave
as RoBOT LIKE ME · Series 1 of 3

Where the future-retro template began — analog pads, drum machine pulse, and icy architecture forging the Futurewave sound.

Futurewave Vol. 2 album cover

Futurewave, Vol. 2

Synthwave
as RoBOT LIKE ME · Series 2 of 3

Chapter two — deeper grooves, bolder synth textures, and an expanding Futurewave universe.

Futurewave Vol. 3 album cover

Futurewave, Vol. 3

Synthwave
as RoBOT LIKE ME · Series 3 of 3

The trilogy concludes — every element refined, every beat engineered for maximum analog impact.

Synthwave City album cover

Synthwave City

Synthwave · Latest
as RoBOT LIKE ME · Latest Album

The newest transmission from the grid — a full-length journey through neon-soaked cityscapes and retro-futuristic beats.

Old School Beats by Jaxon Evans album cover

Old School Beats

Old-School Hip-Hop
as Jaxon Evans · 2020 · 24 tracks

A time machine to the block parties and spray-painted walls of the 1980s — from South Central Los Angeles to the Grand Concourse in the South Bronx. Boom bap before boom bap had a name.

View tracklist
  • 01 Concord Avenue 🔥2:07
  • 02 Brook Avenue2:19
  • 03 Grand Concourse 🔥2:16
  • 04 Prospect Avenue1:57
  • 05 Sedgwick Avenue2:01
  • 06 Southern Boulevard2:06
  • 07 Morris Avenue 🔥2:16
  • 08 Jackson Avenue2:24
  • 09 Cedar Playground1:48
  • 10 Willis Avenue1:34
  • 11 Crotona Park 🔥1:59
  • 12 Bruckner Boulevard2:09
  • 13 Jefferson Boulevard1:52
  • 14 South Central Avenue 🔥1:31
  • 15 Vernon Avenue1:49
  • 16 Crenshaw Boulevard 🔥1:40
  • 17 Adams Boulevard1:40
  • 18 Lewis Avenue1:34
  • 19 Hooper Avenue1:50
  • 20 E 103rd Street 🔥2:22
  • 21 Rosecrans Avenue1:43
  • 22 Figueroa Street1:36
  • 23 Pico Boulevard1:40
  • 24 Compton Boulevard 🔥1:31
Left of the Left by The Filth Foundation album cover

Left of the Left

Industrial / EBM
as The Filth Foundation · 2018 · Debut Album

Driving instrumental electronic body music rooted in late-80s industrial — film dialogue and sound design woven in as melodic and rhythmic leads.

Extremely Right by The Filth Foundation album cover

Extremely Right

Industrial / EBM
as The Filth Foundation · 2026 · 120–180 BPM

Fresh instrumental industrial grooves built for the body. The machine evolves — the discipline remains absolute.

Are We Connected? by Nile Neon album cover

Are We Connected?

Neon Noir Instrumental
as Nile Neon · 2025 · 20 tracks · 41:11

Signal received. A charged, cinematic run of 80s instrumentals moving from urban paranoia to artificial euphoria and back again.

View tracklist
  • 01 A Club That Doesn't Exist
  • 02 The Order of Silence
  • 03 Rearview Reflections
  • 04 From the Edge of Ordinary
  • 05 Powdered Promises
  • 06 Subterranean Dose
  • 07 A Synthetic Eden
  • 08 The Doctrine of Dust
  • 09 Heroin Horizon
  • 10 Twilight Stimulants
  • 11 Plastic Highs
  • 12 The Last Word Is Never Spoken
  • 13 Midnight Injection
  • 14 Architects of Tomorrow
  • 15 Compass of Night
  • 16 Everything Changes in the End
  • 17 Whispers Behind the Curtain
  • 18 An Agenda Behind the Agenda
  • 19 Veilkeepers
  • 20 Instructions from the Invisible
Signature 1985 album cover

Signature 1985

Retro Production Music
as The L.A. Film Collective · 2026 · Sync Ready

Engineered to feel pulled directly from a 1985 film score vault. Lush analog synthesizers, driving electronic drums, and the unmistakable neon atmosphere of the mid-decade — built for film, TV, ads, and games.

Heroine by Zed & Zero album cover

Heroine

Cartoon Synth Score
as Zed & Zero · 2016 · 15 tracks · 43:14

A full synth score built in the spirit of 1980s adventure cartoons — fifteen levels, one continuous quest, zero compromises.

View tracklist
  • LVL 01 States of Misfortune2:11
  • LVL 02 Summoned for Exploration2:00
  • LVL 03 Right of Refusal1:48
  • LVL 04 The Chance Encounter3:06
  • LVL 05 Threshold3:31
  • LVL 06 First of Failures2:02
  • LVL 07 Friends & Foes3:14
  • LVL 08 The Innermost Chamber3:42
  • LVL 09 A Shadow Self2:29
  • LVL 10 Against Time and Space3:52
  • LVL 11 The Harrowing of the Soul3:00
  • LVL 12 Rewarded3:33
  • LVL 13 Rescue from Without3:34
  • LVL 14 Masters of Many Worlds2:48
  • LVL 15 Over Again3:04

The Composer

New York → Los Angeles

Lionel Cohen built his ear in New York City. After studying cinema, photography, and fine art in Montreal and Toronto, he moved to Manhattan to study audio engineering and stayed for over sixteen years — playing in industrial and rock bands, scoring his first short films, and starting dna-productions as a small graphic-design studio that designed record sleeves for local artists. It was in that East Village world of tape machines, drum boxes, and DIY studios that his fascination with the analog synthesizer sound of the 1980s really took root.

In 2004, dna-productions became a record label. In 2013, Cohen relocated the whole operation to Los Angeles, settling into a Hollywood studio where it's been based ever since. From there, he's spent over a decade building out an entire roster of 80s-rooted aliases and collaborations — not as separate careers, but as separate rooms in the same house.

Across the catalogue, Cohen's influences span John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, and Harold Faltermeyer — composers who proved synthesizers could carry the full emotional weight of human drama — alongside the SP-1200 boom-bap of golden-era hip-hop and the cold machine pulse of Nitzer Ebb and Front 242. Same decade, eight different doors into it.

“People keep asking what my sound is. I don't have one. I have a decade.” — Lionel Cohen
Montreal / Toronto

Heavy metal and punk bands, then film, photography, and fine-art studies — learning to think like a director first.

New York City — 16+ Years

Audio engineering, industrial bands, first scores, and the founding of dna-productions as a graphic design studio.

2004 — The Label is Born

dna-productions becomes a full record label, releasing albums across genres from a New York base.

2013 — Los Angeles

Relocates dna-productions to Hollywood, where the 80s-rooted roster of aliases takes shape and grows.

By The Numbers

80s Forever
8
Aliases & Collaborations
27
Releases
300+
Tracks
2
Coasts (NYC → LA)