Starcadian (born George Smaragdis) was a synthwave and retro-wave musician and producer based in New York City.
Starcadian released his debut album, Sunset Blood, in 2013. The electronic music webzine Electronic Rumors described the album as âÂÂthe best Disco album of the yearâÂÂ, comparing it favourably to Daft Punk's Random Access Memories. This was followed by Saturdaze (2014) and Midnight Signals (2017), the latter of which was later described as âÂÂa retrowave classicâ by the synthwave website NewRetroWave.
In 2021, Starcadian released Radio Galaxy, which was named Album of the Year by the synthwave-focused outlet Nightride FM.
Several independent interviews and profiles have examined StarcadianâÂÂs artistic approach. In a 2017 interview, he was described as seeking to create âÂÂear-movies,â blending musical composition with cinematic ambition. A 2025 retrospective profile characterized him as âÂÂthe synthwave maverick who turns the future into funk,â highlighting his creative ambition and influence within the retro-futuristic music community.
Starcadian died in a cycling accident in Manhattan in 2025.
StarcadianâÂÂs fusion of disco, synthwave, and cinematic composition attracted attention within electronic music circles. Across multiple independent publications, he has been described as a creative and influential figure in the synthwave and retrowave scene, with his albums and stylistic approach often cited as among the genreâÂÂs most distinctive contributions.
An article published on the website of synthesizer manufacturer Arturia described him as a "synthwave legend". Following his death, local press coverage referred to him as a "top synthwave artist". Filmmaker Jake Bissen of Milwaukee described Starcadian as âÂÂone of the very few truly independent artists who created entire sonic worlds on his own.âÂÂ