Synthpop is a style of popular music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. While it might be argued that most current popular and commercial music in the industrialized world is realized via electronic instruments, synth pop has its own stylistic tendencies which differentiate it from other music produced by the same means. These include: the exploitation of artificiality (the synthesizers are not used to imitate acoustic instruments), the use of mechanical rhythms and "feel", the use of vocal arrangements as a counterpoint to the artificiality of the instruments, and the use of ostinato patterns as an effect. Synth pop song forms are generally the same as in "regular" pop music. Lyrically, synth pop has an affection for science-fiction themes. Electronic art music is a regrettably vague term for the formal and primarily academic branch of electronic music that is focused on extending musical capabilities through technology. ... Post-punk was a musical movement beginning at the end of the 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion. For the more recent post-punk movement in rock music, see post-punk revival. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in American, Australian, British, Canadian and European popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, growing out of the New York City punk rock scene, itself... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A classic FM synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is a device designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... Tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... In the field of electronic music, a sequencer was originally any device that recorded and played back a sequence of control information for an electronic musical instrument. ... Roland EXR-3 Keyboard The musical keyboard, also known as the piano keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers on a musical instrument which produce notes. ... An AKAI MPC2000 sampler A sampler is an electronic musical instrument that can record and store audio signal samples, generally recordings of existing sounds, and play them back at a range of pitches. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Electroclash is a marketing term describing a style of music that fuses new wave, punk, & electronic dance music. ... Contemporary electronic music includes many different styles or musical genres, such as: Ambient Ambient Dub Ambient Goa Ambient House Chillout Dark ambient Illbient Lowercase New Age Psybient Breakbeat Big Beat Breaks Brokenbeat Cut & Paste Electro Florida Breaks Grime Miami Bass Nu Skool Breaks Progressive Breaks Turntablism Downtempo/IDM Acid Jazz... Electropop (also called Technopop) is a genre of synthesizer pop music which flourished during the early 1980s, although the first recordings were made in the late 1970s. ... Electroclash is a marketing term describing a style of music that fuses new wave, punk, & electronic dance music. ... Futurepop is a recently-emerging electronic music genre, an outgrowth of EBM and Industrial music incorporating influences from synth pop (such as musical structure and vocal style) and trance (uplifting, grandiose and arpeggiated synthesizer melodies). ... Defining characteristics of synthpunk (also known as synth-punk) bands include being founded at the same time (late 1970s) and place (California) as many US punk bands, performing with those same punk bands, in those same punk clubs, with records released on those same punk labels, preferring electronic instruments such... A classic FM synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7. ... Ostinato, an Italian word meaning stubborn (compare English obstinate), is to classical music what riffs are to popular music. ... A collection of well-known science-fiction novels and magazines Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology upon society and persons as individuals. ...

Synthpop is sometimes referred to as electropop although electropop is generally regarded to be a particular style of synthpop that incorporates the more robotic elements and feel of Electro. Electropop (also called Technopop) is a genre of synthesizer pop music which flourished during the early 1980s, although the first recordings were made in the late 1970s. ... Electro is either a) a prefix used to indicate a relationship to electricity, as in electro-mechanical, or electro-magnet, or b) a stand-alone word. ...

Numerous bands in the 1980s were quite successful, however most acts of the 1990s did not have more than a modicum of commercial success in the United States though in Europe, South America, and Asia the genre was more widely accepted.

Synthpop is increasingly used in gothic and industrial circles to describe various dark electronic artists, particularly those in the electronic body music and futurepop genres. It is otherwise generally used in its more classic sense, referring to early 1980s synthesizer driven pop acts (e.g., Depeche Mode, Erasure) as well as a variety of New Romantic pop acts from the same era (e.g., Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet). Gothic rock evolved out of post punk during the late 1970s. ... Electronic body music (EBM) is a musical genre combining elements of industrial music and electronic dance music. ... Futurepop is a recently-emerging electronic music genre, an outgrowth of EBM and Industrial music incorporating influences from synth pop (such as musical structure and vocal style) and trance (uplifting, grandiose and arpeggiated synthesizer melodies). ... The bandmembers of Depeche Mode, circa 1993. ... Clarke (L) and Bell Erasure is a British synth pop duo band consisting of keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. ... New Romantic was a New Wave music subgenre and fashion movement that occurred primarily in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. ... At the height of its fame, Duran Duran (The Fab Five) was featured on the cover of the February 1984 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. ... Spandau Ballet was a popular British band in the 1980s. ...

Representative artists and ensembles

1980s

• Alphaville
• Book of Love
• Bronski Beat
• Camouflage
• Thomas Dolby
• Depeche Mode
• Devo
• Erasure
• A Flock Of Seagulls
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• Human League
• New Order
• Gary Numan
• Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
• Pet Shop Boys
• Real Life
• Talk Talk
• Ultravox
• XYMOX
• Yazoo
• Yello

Alphaville is: A German music trio. ... Bronski Beat was a popular British synth pop trio of the early 1980s. ... Anolis caroliensis showing blending camouflage and counter-shading. ... Thomas Dolby Thomas Dolby (born Thomas Morgan Robertson October 14, 1958) is a British musician. ... The bandmembers of Depeche Mode, circa 1993. ... Promotional photo distributed during Are We Not Men? era. ... Clarke (L) and Bell Erasure is a British synth pop duo band consisting of keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. ... A Flock of Seagulls. ... Frankie Goes to Hollywoods biggest selling single, Relax Frankie Goes To Hollywood (FGTH) was one of the biggest, most controversial and most marketed UK pop acts of the 1980s. ... (Left to right) Susan Ann Sulley, Phil Oakey, and Joanne Catherall on the cover of the bands 1988 greatest hits compilation The Human League was a band of the late 1970s and 1980s who made a limited comeback in the mid-1990s. ... New Order are an English rock group formed in 1980 by the surviving members of Joy Division following the suicide of singer Ian Curtis. ... Gary Numan Gary Numan (born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958) is a British singer, songwriter and electropop pioneer. ... Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark or OMD were a synth pop group from the Wirral, UK, who recorded for Virgin Records (originally for Virgins DinDisc subsidiary). ... Pet Shop Boys are a UK electronic music act, formed by Neil Tennant (born on 10 July 1954) who provides main vocals and keyboards, and Chris Lowe (born on 4 October 1959) who provides keyboards. ... For other meanings of this phrase (book and album titles etc. ... Mark Hollis, Paul Webb, and Lee Harris Talk Talk were an English synth-pop group formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis (vocals/guitar/songwriter), Paul Webb (bass), Lee Harris (drums), and Simon Brenner (keyboards). ... Ultravox (band) - Ultravox, the New Romantic band Ultravox (software) - Ultravox, the Streaming Software from Nullsoft This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The below article is about Yazoo the music band. ... Yello is a popular Swiss electronica band made up of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. ...

1990s to Present

• And One
• Anna Ranger
• Alpinestars
• Covenant
• Client
• daft punk
• De/Vision
• Faint, The
• Fischerspooner
• Goldfrapp
• i am x
• jay-jay johanson
• Ladytron
• Lovelorn Boy
• Melotron
• The Postal Service
• Preteen

And One is a German electronic and industrial band. ... Covenant is an EBM band from Sweden, comprised of Eskil Simonsson, Joakim Montelius and Clas Nachmanson. ... The term client may have the following meanings. ... Thomas Bangalter & Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Daft Punk is the main project of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (born February 8, 1974) and Thomas Bangalter (born January 3, 1975), two dance music artists from Paris. ... De/Vision is a German synthpop musical group. ... The Faint is an indie rock band. ... Casey Spooner, and Warren Fischer Fischerspooner is an electroclash bonar duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. ... Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory Goldfrapp is an electronic music group from Bath, England, United Kingdom. ... Ladytron is a contemporary British electropop band. ... Powerpop/Synth Pop solo project consisting Aner Ebken. ... The Postal Service is an indie rock electropop band featuring singer Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel and Figurine. ...

See also

• New Wave music — One of the main influences on modern synthpop
• Electroclash — A commercial blend of Synthpop and idealized 1980s style
• Electropop — Synthpop music incorporating the robotic elements of Electro
• Futurepop — EBM with stronger synthpop influences

New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in American, Australian, British, Canadian and European popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, growing out of the New York City punk rock scene, itself... Electroclash is a marketing term describing a style of music that fuses new wave, punk, & electronic dance music. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Electropop (also called Technopop) is a genre of synthesizer pop music which flourished during the early 1980s, although the first recordings were made in the late 1970s. ... Electro is either a) a prefix used to indicate a relationship to electricity, as in electro-mechanical, or electro-magnet, or b) a stand-alone word. ... Futurepop is a recently-emerging electronic music genre, an outgrowth of EBM and Industrial music incorporating influences from synth pop (such as musical structure and vocal style) and trance (uplifting, grandiose and arpeggiated synthesizer melodies). ... Electronic body music (EBM) is a musical genre combining elements of industrial music and electronic dance music. ...

External links

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Synth pop

• Synth-pop resources on the net