Summertime chillin': If you are in the mood for a mental walk back to the 1980s, you should check out Poolside FM's new look. The retro radio station combines an 80s-like playlist with retro visuals and a clever website design.
You may or may not have heard of Poolside FM. It’s an online radio station that has been around since 2014. The site combines chill tunes with low-res, retro video clips from the 1980s.
Although it has been around a while, Founder Marty Bell felt it was time the site got a makeover. The site re-launched on Friday with a whole new look. The remodel emulates a retro computer desktop complete with clickable (double click) icons and a menu bar across the top. The music and video player appear as moveable windows to complete the desktop experience.
“This mix of music and care-free nostalgic visuals seems to put people in a really happy place, I love that,” Bell told The Verge.
Poolside 2.0 also allows users to change the theme of the desktop. There are currently only five themes, but designers Niek Dekker and Lewis King may add more over time.
Currently, there are about 70 video clips from the 80s and around 250 songs on three different “stations” — Poolside FM (default), Hangover Club, and Tokyo Disco. All the tunes are pulled from SoundCloud. Bell said as curator he is trying to increase the song count to around 500.
The player has a “Love” button that will add songs to a personal playlist if you register with Poolside FM. Becoming a member is free and also grants privileges to submit tracks to the playlist, save your settings, and leave notes in the guestbook. The site has about 4,000 monthly listeners and 32,000 followers on Instagram — numbers that Bell says he is actively trying to grow.
Even if you are not fond of the type of music Poolside FM offers, the website design alone is worth a look.
https://www.techspot.com/news/81167-poolside-fm-gets-80s-retro-refit-go-throwback.html
