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Synth Pop

 
 

Description of Synth Pop

 
Synth (or synthesizer) Pop reigned supreme throughout most of the 1980s, claiming one superstar band (Depeche Mode), one mass critical favorite (New Order), and a huge crop of acts with large cult followings (Yaz, Human League, Heaven 17, Bronski Beat, Thomas Dolby, etc.) among its ranks. Synth Pop artists took initial cues from '70s synthesizer rock, fusing that style's tech-savvy instincts with its own danceable rhythms and melodies. The result was a style of music that was ideally suited to the slick, polished inclinations of the era. Synthetic in nearly every sense of the word, Synth Pop relied heavily upon various keyboard textures as the backbone of its sound. Some bands like Depeche Mode and New Order brought elements of guitar into their music, but it was almost always the synthesizer that drove the melodic grooves home.
 

Filed Under

 
Alt/Punk  >  New Wave  >  Synth Pop
 

Synth Pop Key Artists

 
Animotion

Synth pop group whose
erotic/robotic track,
"Obsession" was a hit back
in 1985.

Art of Noise

Art Of Noise were a
forward-thinking, Synth Pop
group who managed to be
successful with tracks like
"Moments In Love." The c...

Berlin

Berlin were known for
their sexy New Wave pop
songs and managed to hop
on the charts with "Take My
Breath Away" in '86. This...

Book of Love

Breathy vocals, Casio riffs
and tinny, electronic drums
define Book of Love's
candy-coated dance pop.
Only in the '80s!

Bronski Beat

Bronski Beat was known for
their synth-laden,
falsetto-driven dance songs
as they were for their open
sexuality. Bronski Beat's...

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode's romantic,
gloomy, synthetic pop has
made them one of the first
New Wave acts to find
arena-sized success. Tho...

Erasure

At their peak in mid-1980s,
Erasure made some of the
best and most joyous synth
pop imaginable. Even jocks
liked it. Before Erasure, p...

Gary Numan

Best known for the hit
"Cars," Gary Numan's
detached electro-pop has
proven to be influential to
today's retro-futurists. His...

Information Society

Synth Pop late bloomers
who hit big with 1988’s
"What's On Your Mind (Pure
Energy)."

Marc Almond

Former frontman with Soft
Cell, Almond's solo material
was cut from the same
sleazy lyrics and
cabaret-meets-disco clot...

New Order

This synth pop band formed
from Joy Division's remains
has always kept one foot in
the mainstream and the
other underground. New...

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)

This synth pop band's
somber, atmospheric album
cuts sometimes come as a
surprise to fans of those
sugary singles. OMD are pr...

Pet Shop Boys

Synth-pop duo Pet Shop
Boys -- Neil Tennant and
Chris Lowe -- are one of the
most reliably successful
acts in pop music. Their fi...

Soft Cell

The ever-dramatic Soft Cell
are most famous for their
cover of "Tainted Love."
Their debut LP, "Non-Stop
Erotic Cabaret" remains a...

The Human League

Releasing their first single in
1978, Human League were
the first international synth
pop stars. Human League's
early lineup formed a dar...

Thomas Dolby

This computer egghead
used keyboards and
synthesizers to create his
quirky Dance Pop. Who
blinded whom with scien...

Ultravox

Ultravox were a suave and
svelte electro-pop/new
romantic outfit from the
U.K. who hit the pop scene
in the late '70s.

Yaz

This synth-pop duo, fronted
by the throaty Alison
Moyet, had four British hit
singles in their two years
together. Co-founder Vin...

Yello

Pioneering Swiss electronic
duo Yello's career was
boosted after "Oh Yeah"
was featured in Ferris
Bueller's Day Off.

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