the.com/electropop
pop music that traded its guitar for a synthesizer and never looked back
means A style of pop music built on synthesizers, drum machines, and electronic production, keeping the catchy hooks while swapping out traditional band instruments for circuitry.
from A straightforward blend of "electro" (from "electronic," itself from the Greek "elektron," meaning amber — the stuff that sparked when rubbed, giving us the very word for electricity) and "pop" (short for "popular"). The compound emerged as the synthesizer reshaped popular music in the late 20th century, with the "electro-" prefix already doing similar duty in cousins like "electronica" and "electroclash."
- early pioneer
- Gary Numan's 1979 hit ran on cold machines
- synth roots
- owes everything to Kraftwerk's robotic experiments
- 2000s revival
- La Roux and MGMT made it mainstream again
- vocal trick
- often drenched in autotune as an instrument
- genre blur
- sits between dance, pop, and electronica simultaneously
kraftwerk — german band formed 1970, pioneers of electronic pop with hits like 'the robots' and 'autobahn'
daft punk — french duo active 1997-2021, defined electropop with 'discovery' (2001) and 'homework' (1997)
depeche mode — english band formed 1980, electronic pop pioneers with 'violator' (1990) selling 3+ million copies
pet shop boys — british duo formed 1984, electropop icons with 'it's a sin' and over 50 million records sold