| Synth-Pop | |
| Stylistic origins | Disco, New Wave, Electronic Pop, Post-Punk, Glam Rock, krautrock |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s to early 1980s Japan and England |
| Typical instruments | Synthesizer – drum machine – bass guitar – tape loops – drums – guitar – sequencer – keyboard – vocoder – sampler – vocals |
| Derivative forms | House, Electro, Trance, Bit Music, Digital Hardcore, Indietronica, Electro House, Techno |
| Fusion genres | |
| Electroclash | |
| Other topics | |
| Synthpunk | |
A sub-genre of electronic pop which came from new wave in the late 70s and early 80s. New Wave emphasized short, up-tempo songs with catchy melodies and lyrics, and synth-pop adopted these general values. Synth-pop gave up more of the rock and punk elements of new wave and focused on a pure electronic pop-oriented sound. It also, however, kept new wave's 80s analog kind of sound. Artists and bands in the genre were divided into two general groups: those that used synths almost exclusively (examples included Yellow Magic Orchestra, Human League, Soft Cell, and Gary Numan), and those that used synths in combination with conventional rock instruments (such as The Fixx and The Cars).
Two factors played into the rise of synth-pop. By the late 1970s, some synth models that were produced in the early '70s were being replaced by their original owners and were becoming available at low prices on the used market. Additionally, newly developed polyphonic synths, which were more suitable for the live-performance ethic of the genre, were becoming available at lower prices thanks to the use of integrated circuits from Curtis and SSM in their designs, putting them within financial reach of younger, less wealthy musicians. The first practical drum machines were also appearing at this time, which made it possible for the all-synth bands to perform the material they wanted to do.
Synth-pop evolved rapidly until about 1988, when the entire New Wave genre began to fade in popularity. Synth-pop indirectly played into the development of electronica. How did this come about? The folk-influenced bands of the 1990s rejected synth as "unnatural". That left a lot of synth and keyboard performers, with gear, looking for something else to do, and many of them were attracted to electronic dance music.
History[]
Precursors to synthpop appeared during the 1960s to early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and the krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. Synthpop eventually arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom during the post-punk era, as part of the New Wave movement during the late 1970s to mid-1980s.
In Japan, early synthpop pioneers included the group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) in the late 1970s. Their success opened the way for synthpop bands such as P-Model, Plastics, and Hikashu.
In the United Kingdom, the bands Ultravox and the Human League were synthpop pioneers, largely using monophonic synthesizers to produce music with a simple and austere sound. After the breakthrough of Tubeway Army and Gary Numan in the British Singles Chart, large numbers of artists began to enjoy success with a synthesizer-based sound in the early 1980s, including Soft Cell, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Japan and Depeche Mode in the United Kingdom,
The development of inexpensive polyphonic synthesizers, the definition of MIDI, and the use of dance beats led to a more commercial and accessible sound for synthpop. This, its adoption by the style-conscious acts from the New Romantic movement, together with the rise of MTV, led to success for large numbers of British synthpop acts, including Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet, in the United States.
In the late 1980s, duos such as Erasure and Pet Shop Boys adopted a sound that was highly successful on the US dance charts, but by the end of the decade, synthpop had largely been abandoned. Interest began to be revived in the indie electronic and electroclash movements in the late 1990s and, in the first decade of the 21st century, it enjoyed a widespread revival with commercial success for acts including La Roux and Owl City.
Synthpop received criticism for its limited and artificial sound and for its associations with alternative sexualities. It helped to establish the place of the synthesiser as a major element of pop and rock music, directly influenced subsequent genres including house music and Detroit techno, and has indirectly influenced many other genres and individual recordings.
Examples[]
- Harold Faltermeyer - "Axel F" (Classic Synthpop)
- A-ha - "Take On Me"
- M83 - "Midnight City"
- The Weekend - "Blinding Lights" (Modern Synthpop)
Notable groups[]
- Depeche Mode
- Erasure
- Eurythmics
- Hikashu
- New Order
- OMD
- P-Model
- Pet Shop Boys
- Plastics
- Yellow Magic Orchestra