Name	Synthpop
Bgcolor	silver
Color	black
Stylistic origins	New waveDiscoPost-punkGlam rockPopKrautrockElectronic
Cultural origins	Mid-late 1970s/Early 1980s in Europe, Japan
Instruments	Synthesizer – Drum machine – Bass Guitar – Tape loops – Drums – Guitar – Sequencer – Keyboard – Vocoder – Sampler – Vocals
Popularity	Large, worldwide, 1980s (first wave) and very large, worldwide 2010s (second wave)
Derivatives	Electroclash, ambient pop
Subgenrelist	List of electronic music genres
Subgenres	Electropop, futurepop
Fusiongenres	Synthpunk
Regional scenes	Coldwave

Synthpop is a genre of music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It originated as part of the new wave movement of the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, and it has continued to exist and develop ever since. The genre has seen a resurgence in popularity in the late 2000s/early 2010s.

Characteristics

While most current popular music in the industrialized world is realized via electronic instruments, synthpop has its own stylistic tendencies which differentiate it from other music produced by the same means. These include the exploitation of artificiality (i.e., the synthesis of sounds from waveforms) where the synthesizers are not used to imitate acoustic instruments, the use of mechanical sounding rhythms, vocal arrangements as a counterpoint to the artificiality of the instruments, and ostinato patterns as an effect. Synthpop song structures are generally similar to those of other popular music.

History

Influences

Mid-twentieth-century avant-garde and musique concrète composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen were pioneers in the development of electronic music. However, the instruments were originally large, highly complex, temperamental, and expensive.

The British progressive rock group Emerson Lake and Palmer were commercially successful with their song Lucky Man which featured a solo using the moog synthesizer. Rock musicians of the 1970's embraced the synthesizer because it was something new and the synthetic sounds it offered weren’t previously available through any other source. Notably David Bowie, Roxy Music, and Kraftwerk influenced the first wave of British Synthpop.

First wave: 1977–1990

, one of the first bands to popularize synthpop.]] Giorgio Moroder paired up with Donna Summer in 1977 to release the electronic disco song "I Feel Love". While a disco song first and foremost, the programmed, arpeggiated beats had a profound impact on the bands which would soon be known as synthpop. That same year, Ultravox member Warren Cann purchased a Roland TR-77 drum machine, which was first featured in their October 1977 single release "Hiroshima Mon Amour".

In 1978, the first incarnation of The Human League of Sheffield, England released their debut single "Being Boiled". In the United States, Devo, who had been using synthesizers since their beginnings in 1975, moved towards a more electronic sound.

In the UK, the original synthesizer bands had a sound that was generally dark, moody and robotic and were more founded in an avant-garde, art rock aesthetic. In 1979, Tubeway Army, a little known outfit from West London, who dropped their initial punk rock image and topped the UK charts in the summer of 1979 with the single "Are Friends Electric?" and their album Replicas. This prompted the singer/songwriter, Gary Numan to go solo and in the same year he released the Kraftwerk inspired album, The Pleasure Principle which was another number one album, and he topped the singles charts for the second time with "Cars".

This Zeitgeist of revolution in electronic music performance and recording/production was encapsulated by then would be record producer, Trevor Horn of The Buggles in the international hit "Video Killed the Radio Star".

Giorgio Moroder collaborated with the band Sparks on their album, No. 1 In Heaven. Others were soon to follow, including Frank Tovey, who performed under the name Fad Gadget. Tovey who was signed to Daniel Miller's Mute Records and made use of "found objects" in his recordings such as bottles and razors. Daniel Miller himself had a role in the emerging futurist movement as a performer under the name The Normal which released a one-off single Warm Leatherette. Although the single did not chart, it became a cult favorite and has been covered by many artists since its release, including Grace Jones, Duran Duran and Nine Inch Nails.

, one of the most successful synthpop bands of all time.]] The sounds of synthesizers came to dominate the pop music of the early 1980s as well as replacing disco in dance clubs in Europe. Other successful synthpop artists of this era included Alphaville, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode The Human League, Pet Shop Boys Japan, Tears for Fears Thompson Twins, Eurythmics, a-ha, Modern Talking, Real Life, Camouflage, Bananarama, Celebrate The Nun and others are bands of the Synthpop style. Polyphonic analogue synthesizers were used during this period and the use of synthesizers were associated with the New Romantic movement. According to music writer Simon Reynolds the hallmark of original synthpop was its "emotional, at times operatic singers" such as Marc Almond, Alison Moyet and Annie Lennox.

Throughout the United States, where synthpop is considered a sub genre of new wave,

At the end of the 1980s with the help of a gay audience Erasure, Information Society, Anything Box, and Red Flag made headway on the United States dance charts.

Synthpop hiatus: 1991–2008

By 1991 in the United States synthpop was losing its commercial viability as alternative radio stations were responding to the popularity of grunge rock. Exceptions during the decade were Savage Garden, The Rentals, and Moog Cookbook. In Europe underground and counterculture bands loosely labeled as electronic body music The band Freezepop gained popularity in the video game market.

By the end of the 1990s many of the 1980s acts had been dropped by their labels and added other elements to their sound.

Second Wave: 2009–present

, a Canadian synthpop singer who became popular in the late 2000s.]] Acts described as synthpop in recent years include Hot Chip, Junior Boys, LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, Hurts, Mike Posner, Lights, Chromeo, Metric, Little Boots, Owl City (who achieved a number 1 US single), Ladytron, Phoenix, Passion Pit, The Presets, Ladyhawke, Crystal Castles, La Roux, Robyn, Röyksopp, Tesla Boy, and Shy Child.

Artists

See also

Darkwave

Schaffel beat – triplet feel popularized in electronic music by acts like Depeche Mode, Erasure, Covenant, The Knife, and Goldfrapp.

References

External links

Synthpop resources on the net

Online directory of synthpop web resources

Category:Synthpop Category:Rock music genres Category:Electronic music genres Category:1970s in music Category:1980s in music Category:1990s in music Category:2000s in music Category:2010s in music

Name	Classix Nouveaux
Background	group_or_band
Origin	London, England
Genre	New Wave, Post-punk, New Romantic
Years active	1979–1985
Label	EMICherry Red RecordsESP Records
Associated acts	Sal SoloThe NewsX-Ray SpexNeo
Current members	Sal SoloMik SweeneyJak Airport aka Jack StaffordB. P. Hurding
Past members	Gary SteadmanJimi SumenRick DriscollPaul TurleyPandit DineshS Paul Wilson

Classix Nouveaux were a 1980s new wave band from England. They had number one hits in Poland, Portugal, former Yugoslavia, Israel, Iceland, and other countries. In the UK they had various Top 50 hits but only one Top 20 hit with "Is It A Dream" which peaked at #11 on UK Singles Chart in April 10, 1982.

Biography

Formation

The break up of X-Ray Spex triggered an advertisement to be placed in Melody Maker, searching for a new lead singer. Sal Solo (formerly with The News) answered the advertisement. Jak Airport and B. P. Hurding left X-Ray Spex to form Classix Nouveaux with Mik Sweeney and Sal Solo. Their first gig was on 25 August 1979 at Camden Palace. With publicity growing for the band, their dramatic and heavily made up image helped quickly associate them with the New Romantic movement, alongside bands like Japan and Ultravox. In 1980 the band recorded a four track session for Capital Radio and one track, Robots Dance, was picked up and played regularly by DJ Nicky Horne. This got the interest of A&R; at United Artists, but as negotiations dragged on Classix decided to release the track as their debut single on their own ESP label. "Robot's Dance" was released on August 29 and, when negotiations with UA were finalised, by EMI. They also performed for the first time on television on Thames TV in London. "Robot's Dance" spent 11 weeks on the indie charts, reaching number 22, and became a popular alternative dance floor track. The groups second single "Nasty Little Green Men" followed on November 10, 1980.

Night People

In 1981 the band released their debut album, Night People, featuring the single "Guilty".

La Verité

Releasing their next album La Verité in 1982, led to the release of their highest UK charting single, "Is It A Dream". The band toured worldwide.

Secret

In 1983 was released the album Secret, produced by Alex Sadkin, featuring tracks such as "Never Never Comes" and "Heart From The Start". They become one of the first modern bands to perform in communist Poland.

Breakup

Band members continued to come and go, and by the end of the band's existence Sal Solo was the only original member remaining.

Solo went on to become heavily involved in Catholicism, releasing several Christian-oriented albums after Classix Nouveaux's break up.

Mik Sweeney went on to move to Los Angeles, California where he built fretless basses and recorded studio session work; he currently lives in Ireland. Gary Steadman went on to join A Flock of Seagulls. Jimi Sumen became a record producer in Finland and released a number of successful solo works there.

The first Classix Nouveaux compilation album was released in 1997 via EMI Records and was reissued with a slightly different track listing in 2003. Beginning that same year, the band's original albums saw reissue on CD by Cherry Red Records. In 2005 River Records released The River Sessions, a live album recorded at Strathclyde University in 1982 and in January 2010 all the band's singles and associated b-sides saw release as The Liberty Singles Collection, again via Cherry Red Records.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Curiosities

"Guilty" - silver disc in Yugoslavia, #66 in "Billboard" Club Play Singles (US).

Gold in Portugal with #1 single ("Never Again"), album ("La Verité") and video.

No. 1 in Poland with "Heart From the Start" (1984) and "Shout Shout" (1985).

"San Damiano" by Sal Solo in UK Top 20 (1984), and #1 in Poland (1985).

See also

One-hit wonders in the UK

List of New Wave bands and artists

O.T.T.

List of Liberty Records artists

References

External links

http://www.salsolo.com/classix.html

Category:British New Wave musical groups Category:1980s music groups