It's been a while now since cult-cool 80s references started cropping up in episodes of Family Guy. Not long after that someone called Calvin Harris sang 'Acceptable in the 80's', and a wave of retro synth pop engulfed the world. Rick was Rollin' once again. The 80s aren't getting any newer, but at the close of our own throw-back decade, there are a handful of special 'Retro Guardians' to whom we have decided to bestow the honour of being rated the top 5 preservers (or re-imaginers) of 80s culture and couture. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the past, in a new light. Think of it as stuff that happened then, now.

5. Jason Scott [link]

An undisputed king of retro regurgitation, Jason Scott's numerous, hideously designed websites archive thousands and thousands of 'text-files' from 1980s Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) which were the fore-runners of today's internet. Textfiles.com preserves these files which are of wildly varying interest and value for the modern reader. Compare these instructions for building a MIDI interface on an early Apple Mac with this ASCII art of Michaelangelo's David. Fascinatingly pointless, textfile-style archive websites are many in number. This one preserves the paraphernalia of games associated with Nintendo's groundbreaking NES home video-game system. (If you like retro games by the way, you might want to check out www.c64.com - a website devoted to the cumbersome iconicness of the Commodore 64 console).

4. The Zonders [link]

The Zonders are, in their own words, 'an international artist collective' who specialise in 80s throw-back graphic design and illustration. Their work for bands like Electric Youth, Valerie, or events organisers The Mashup is an impressive and blindingly-hued showcase of funky styles and retro grooves that tend to grab your attention with vigour and shake it violently until it bleeds. We're fans.

3. Betsey Johnson [link]

Eccentric designer Betsey Johnson has earned herself a respectable third place not only by virtue of her retro-inspired creations, but also because of a wild little soiree that took place last month in New York City called "Betsey Johnson's One Night Stand." The event was a wacky homage to the 80s and we've found some suitably illustrative photographs here and here. Johnson's been in the fashion business since the 60s and while some of her designs may be a little bit punky or, dare we say it, tacky for some, much of her output takes the form of excellently outrageous references to times gone by that just won't die.

2. Neon Neon [link]

Neon Neon's collaborative concept album, Stainless Style was a hugely significant entry into 80s rewind culture when the record was released last year. Telling the life story of iconic car creator John DeLorean, the album was an exceptional success but has left little room for a follow-up. Neon Neon have since stated that they're unsure whether they will continue to make music under the same moniker, but band members Boom Bip and Gruff Rhys are worth watching in their own right since Bip is perenially on the cusp of experimental electronica and Rhys is lead singer of the Super Furry Animals.

1. Musclebeaver [link]

Aha! A surprise winner. Musclebeaver may not be terribly well known, but in our opinion he/they combine two important essential characteristics of the best retro guardians - a compulsive fascination with pop culture's past and a willingness to re-invent and satirise whatever can be found in the kitsch-coated corridors of time. The German-based graphic designers' animations and videos are a joy to watch and in examples like the one below, they often have a lot of satirical fun with the very idea of retro obsessiveness itself.

WORLD OF VIDEO from MUSCLEBEAVER on Vimeo.