Synth Pop

The 'synthesiser-wielding'^[1] 'new wave' of electro-punks evolved from the English post-punk era of the late 1970s. Heavily influenced by Roxy Music, David Bowie and electronic innovators Kraftwerk^[2], bands such as Human League, New Order, Softcell and Gary Numan were instrumental in shaping the sound of electronica in the 1980s. They popularised the use of drum machines sequencers and synthesisers in pop music, largely replacing the traditional instruments of rock (guitar, bass, drums) with electronically-generated equivalents,

Synth pop's use of emerging technology allowed non-trained musicians to become 'virtuosos' on electronic instruments such as the synthesiser. This was accomplished in part by employing the (recently developed) electronic sequencer, which allowed notes to be tapped in one at a time then sped up to the desired tempo. Songwriters were no longer limited to composing songs that they could play, and consequently features such as sixteenth and thirty second-note bass lines and instrumental and melodic phrases became a prominent part of synth-pop,

The speed and complexity of these compositions was breathtaking at the time since the sequencer was able to play the notes much faster than a real human being could.Bands like The Human League, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Thomas Dolby, and hundreds more beat out traditional musicians, much to their anger and frustration^[3].

The replacement of punk rock's aggressive guitar sound with the smoother and softer timbres of the synthesiser made the music of these new wave punks more commercially viable in the mainstream pop market. One of the first new wave punks to make the transition from distorted guitar to the synthesiser was Gary Numan (b. Gary Webb, March 1958, Hammersmith, England) - described by Rolling Stone as 'a true integrator, innovator and industry legend [who] started the electropop trend'^[4]of the early 1980s. He started his career as front man of a post-Sex Pistols punk group Tubeway Army, and while recording the band's debut EP he became interested in synthesiser technology. Numan decided to adopt the new instrument and make electronics the basis of the band's sound (prompting most of the band members to leave) and Tubeway Army released its debut self-titled EP. The recording spawned the #1 single 'Are 'Friends' Electric?'. This was quickly followed by the album Pleasure Principle (1979) which spawned the #1 'United Kingdom' and USA hit single 'Cars'. These early works by Gary Numan featured android lyrics and futuristic sounds which anticipated the electro-pop trend of 1981-82.

The 'undisputed leader'^[5] of the British electro-pop movement of the early 1980s was The Human League, but it was not until the release of their third album Dare that they achieved both domestic and international success. Their work, which featured synthesiser textures and dark lyrics, is described by Rolling Stone as 'reminiscent of Kraftwerk [with] Oakey['s] ominous voice reminiscent of mid-seventies David Bowie'^[6]. 'Don't You Want Me?', the #1 hit single taken from Dare, introduced the sound of synth-pop to America, although it became only a passing fad in the US. Over the next decade the group released several more albums which achieved chart success, including the singles '(Keep Feeling) Fascination' and 'Human' (1986), which would prove to be their last big hits on the pop charts.

In 1983 New Order released 'Blue Monday', the biggest-selling 12 inch single of all time. The single led the next stage of electronic music, instigating a shift away from the pop song orientation of the early 1980s towards the dance orientation of the ensuing period. New Order, who were now seen as the pre-eminent UK independent band, collaborated with Arthur Baker (the producer behind Afrika Bambaataa's seminal hip hop 'Planet Rock') and released the single 'Confusion', followed by 'Thieves like us'. Both of these singles (over 6 minutes duration) were directed at the underground club market and unconcerned with attracting mainstream radio play.