Even the term "the 80s sound"... which one? There's like NUMEROUS 80s sounds. Sounds were always diverse, and it would change like every 2 years.
I am a sampled based beatmaker, in general, I can listen to an 80's song and know that it was from that era...
In general, the 80s had an "electronic/robotic sound"....
The Drums and percussions used in that era are quite distinct, and also the way reverb was used...And then there are the signature synthesizers used in the 80's...
And 80's music had very fast basslines, and the basslines had distinct patterns...
Of course, the early 80's and late 70's are kind of muddled, and also the late 80's and early 90's...
But in the height of the 80's, there is definitely an 80's sound...
Also, the 80's was an "OVER THE TOP" era...Songs from the 80's are just a salad of sounds, compared to the 90's when music became minimalist again...And synthesizers were not being excessively used like in the 80's...
Now we are back in the 80's part 2...