Modello Zero — Horizon (Slowed): A VHS-Infused Trip into Imaginary Nostalgia

Growing up in the VHS era, listening to Chillwave can sometimes be genuinely painful. Its nostalgic sound has a way of hitting right at the heart of your childhood. Today, I was “hurt” by a track from Modello Zero titled “Horizon,” specifically the Slowed version. But I was hurt in the best sense of the word.

Sound Architecture

The first thing I realized was how completely I dissolved into the synthesized pads. Their nostalgic sound can be compared to that very first console game your parents bought you for finishing a semester with good grades. This sound is deeply captivating and calming at the same time. Gradually, “dusty” analog drums emerge with a characteristic electrical echo. It seems there is nothing new about them—similar drums are in every chillwave track—yet they still play a leading role in shaping nostalgia every single time.

Thanks to the airy arps, a sense of movement is created, transitioning from a more ambient sound dominated by pads and drums to a rhythm more characteristic of Synthwave. This adds even more nostalgia, which is directly embedded in the genre’s DNA. Combined with the pads, it creates an interesting aftertaste of both the future and nostalgia for the past at the same time.

Why Listen?

This is exactly why “Horizon” is felt very differently by different generations. For those who grew up in the 80s and 90s, this track can evoke a longing for a childhood that, in fact, never actually had tracks like this. Rather, it is the atmosphere itself created by the combination of analog sound. For the younger generation, this track can trigger a longing for a past they never had, but through this track, they can dive into an ideal imaginary time when we weren’t chasing anything and simply wanted to live well.

“Horizon” is a high-quality chronicle of “transcendence.” It is the sound of a machine learning to generate beauty without needing to know pain.

P.S. If you want to dive deeper into the philosophy of Chillwave and understand why this genre affects us so deeply, check out our piece on a true classic.