the.com/synthpop
the sound of robots learning to feel things and overdoing it gloriously
means A style of pop music, born of synthesizers and drum machines, where electronic sounds carry the melody and rhythm instead of traditional instruments.
from A simple compound: 'synth,' clipped from 'synthesizer' (itself from the Greek 'synthesis,' a putting-together), plus 'pop,' short for 'popular music.' The label rose with the synthesizer-driven bands of the early 1980s, when affordable keyboards put once-exotic electronic sound into the hands of anyone who could afford one and hum a tune.
- early synths
- Cost more than a house in the 1970s
- gary numan
- Discovered a synth left in a studio by accident
- cold tech
- Engineered to sound warm, human, and heartbroken
- comeback
- 1980s sound revived by The Weeknd, Dua Lipa
- krautrock roots
- Born from German experimental bands like Kraftwerk
depeche mode — british band formed in 1980, sold over 100 million records with hits like 'personal jesus'
pet shop boys — duo formed in 1984, had 42 uk top 40 hits including 'west end girls' and 'it's a sin'
duran duran — british new wave band from birmingham, 1978, known for 'hungry like the wolf' and elaborate music videos
new order — manchester band formed 1980 from joy division members, pioneered electronic dance-pop with 'blue monday'