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M83 makes music that sounds like the end credits of the best movie you have ever seen. Anthony Gonzalez’s project blends shoegaze guitars, 1980s synthesizers, dream pop and film-score grandeur into something deeply emotional. “Midnight City” made M83 famous, but the full catalog rewards anyone who loves big, beautiful sound.
| Formed | 2001, Antibes, France |
| Founder | Anthony Gonzalez (co-founded with Nicolas Fromageau) |
| Genres | Dream pop, synth-pop, shoegaze, electronic, ambient |
| Breakthrough | Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (2011) |
| Name | Taken from the galaxy Messier 83 |
Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau began recording together in Antibes on the French Riviera, naming the project after a spiral galaxy. Their early albums built huge walls of synthesizer and guitar noise. Fromageau left after the second album, and M83 became Gonzalez’s vision, often with collaborators such as Morgan Kibby.
A raw, ambient electronic debut.
The critical breakthrough, merging shoegaze and electronic music. “Run into Flowers” is the standout.
Bigger and more dramatic, with “Don’t Save Us from the Flames” and “Teen Angst.”
A love letter to 1980s teen movies and dream pop. “Kim & Jessie” and “We Own the Sky” are fan favorites.
A sprawling double album and M83’s commercial peak. “Midnight City,” with its yelping synth hook and saxophone finale, became one of the defining songs of the decade. “Reunion,” “Wait” and “Outro” became fixtures in film and TV.
A playful, retro-pop detour with “Do It, Try It.”
An ambient, instrumental sequel to an earlier side project.
A return to grand, emotional dream pop, recorded with a live band. Start with “Oceans Niagara.”
Gonzalez’s cinematic instincts led to film work, including the score for Oblivion (2013) with Joseph Trapanese and music for his brother Yann Gonzalez’s films. M83 songs have appeared in countless trailers and TV shows.
M83 helped bring shoegaze textures and 1980s synths into mainstream alternative music and influenced synthwave, indie electronic and cinematic pop. They sit naturally between The Midnight, Future Islands and The Cure on our airwaves, and “Midnight City” appears on our Electronic Rock Top 20.
The Midnight, Future Islands, CHVRCHES, Beach House, Slowdive, Tame Impala and Washed Out.
It comes from Messier 83, a spiral galaxy.
French musician and producer Anthony Gonzalez, with a rotating group of collaborators.
“Midnight City” (2011).
Yes. M83 released Fantasy in 2023 and toured it worldwide.
“Midnight City” is one of our most requested electronic crossover songs, and M83’s dreamier tracks are perfect late-night radio. Catch it on The Modern Rock Radio Show, check the radio show schedule, or press play on the live stream. Want a specific song? Send a request or dedication.
About this article: Written and fact-checked by The Alternative One editorial team, the programmers and music writers behind the station’s on-air shows. Official artist website: ilovem83.com. Last reviewed October 2, 2026. Read our editorial standards or tell us about a correction.
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