I noticed you mentioning, how you "don't much care for popular music en masse these days." Do correct me if I'm reading too much between the lines, but I would strongly advise you to never to try imitate a production method/style or genre that you're not passionate about, or even despise- Your audience will always be able to tell, and you'll never love creating it. You might get all the synths, compression and beats right if you try hard enough, but it'll only sound like hallow flattery. Audiences/people, no matter of what genre or birth year, want honest appreciation of their culture/music, and will ignore your products/ideas until you can deliver this.