Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop) is a type of music that became well-known in the late 1970s. It uses the synthesizer, a keyboard-like instrument that creates electronic sounds, as its main musical tool. This style was influenced earlier by the use of synthesizers in music genres like progressive rock, electronic music, art rock, disco, and Krautrock, a style made famous by bands such as Kraftwerk. Synth-pop developed as a separate genre in Japan and the United Kingdom during the post-punk era, which was part of the new wave music movement of the late 1970s.
Electronic synthesizers that could be used in recording studios became available in the mid-1960s. By the mid-1970s, musicians who created electronic art music began to gain attention. In 1979, Gary Numan’s success on the UK Singles Chart helped many artists achieve popularity with music based on synthesizers in the early 1980s. In Japan, the band Yellow Magic Orchestra introduced the TR-808 rhythm machine into popular music and influenced early British synth-pop musicians. The invention of affordable polyphonic synthesizers, the creation of MIDI (a system that connects musical devices), and the use of dance beats made synth-pop more popular and easier for people to enjoy. This led to the success of British synth-pop artists in the United States during the Second British Invasion, as the New Romantic movement and the rise of MTV helped spread the genre.
The term "techno-pop" was first used by Yuzuru Agi in 1978 when he wrote about Kraftwerk’s album The Man-Machine. This term can be used the same way as "synth-pop," but it is more commonly linked to Japan. In Europe, the term also became popular. For example, Kraftwerk’s 1986 album was called Techno Pop, and the English band the Buggles had a song titled "Technopop." The Spanish band Mecano described their music as "tecno-pop."
Sometimes, "synth-pop" and "electropop" are used as synonyms. However, "electropop" can also describe a style of synth-pop that focuses more on a strong, electronic sound. In the mid-1980s, groups like Erasure and Pet Shop Boys had great success on US dance charts. By the late 1980s, synth-pop styles from bands such as A-ha and Alphaville were being replaced by house music and techno. Interest in synth-pop returned in the late 1990s through movements like indietronica and electroclash. In the 2000s, synth-pop experienced a major revival and became widely popular again.
Some people have criticized synth-pop for being too cold or lacking emotion, and some have claimed that synthesizers themselves created the music. However, synth-pop has helped establish the synthesizer as an important part of pop and rock music. It directly influenced later genres like house music and Detroit techno and indirectly affected many other styles of music.
Characteristics
Synth-pop is a music style that mainly uses synthesizers, drum machines, and sequencers. These tools often replace other instruments. Borthwick and Moy said this genre is varied but has common features, such as avoiding rock music styles, rhythms, and structures. Instead, it uses "synthetic textures" and "robotic rigidity," which were shaped by the limits of early technology, like monophonic synthesizers (devices that can only play one note at a time).
Many synth-pop musicians had basic musical skills and relied on technology to create music. Their songs were often simple, with repeated rhythms and little musical development. Early synth-pop was described as "eerie, sterile, and vaguely menacing," using repetitive electronic sounds with little change in tone. Common themes in the lyrics included loneliness, feeling disconnected in cities, and emotions of coldness or emptiness.
In the 1980s, synth-pop changed. It added dance beats and more traditional rock instruments, making the music feel warmer and more catchy. It followed the structure of typical three-minute pop songs. Synthesizers began to copy sounds of orchestras and horns. Thin, high-pitched melodies and simple drum patterns were replaced with richer, more compressed sounds and traditional drum beats. Lyrics became more positive, focusing on themes like love, escape, and hope. Music writer Simon Reynolds noted that 1980s synth-pop featured "emotional, at times operatic singers," such as Marc Almond, Alison Moyet, and Annie Lennox. Since synthesizers reduced the need for large bands, these singers often performed in duos, with their partner handling all the instrument playing.
Although synth-pop started with punk rock, it avoided punk’s focus on authenticity and instead aimed for artificiality. It borrowed from styles like disco and glam rock, which were not widely praised. It had little connection to early music styles like jazz, folk, or blues. Instead, it focused on European, especially Eastern European, influences, seen in band names like Spandau Ballet and songs like Ultravox’s "Vienna." Later, synth-pop incorporated elements from other genres, such as soul music.
History
In the mid-1960s, electronic musical synthesizers that could be used in recording studios became available. This was around the same time that rock music started to become a separate musical style. The Mellotron, a keyboard that used both electricity and mechanical parts to play recorded sounds, was later replaced by the Moog synthesizer, created by Robert Moog in 1964. The Moog made sounds entirely using electricity. The portable Minimoog, which was easier to use, especially during live performances, became popular with progressive rock musicians like Richard Wright of Pink Floyd and Rick Wakeman of Yes. Instrumental progressive rock was especially important in Europe, helping bands like Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Can, and Faust avoid language barriers. Their synthesizer-heavy "Kraut rock," along with work by Brian Eno (who played keyboards with Roxy Music), greatly influenced later synth rock.
In 1971, the British film A Clockwork Orange was released with a synth soundtrack by American musician Wendy Carlos. This was the first time many people in the United Kingdom heard electronic music. Philip Oakey of the Human League, Richard H. Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire, and music journalist Simon Reynolds later said the soundtrack inspired them. Electronic music occasionally reached the mainstream. For example, jazz musician Stan Free, using the name Hot Butter, had a top 10 hit in the U.S. and U.K. in 1972 with a cover of the 1969 song "Popcorn," which used a Moog synthesizer. This song is considered an early example of synth-pop and disco.
The mid-1970s saw the rise of electronic art musicians like Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, and Tomita. Tomita’s 1972 album Electric Samurai: Switched on Rock included electronic versions of rock and pop songs, using speech synthesis and analog music sequencers. In 1975, Kraftwerk played their first British show, inspiring Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, who later formed the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), to switch from guitars to synthesizers. Kraftwerk’s song "Autobahn" became a hit in the U.K. and Canada. The BBC program Synth Britannia called Kraftwerk a key influence on the future of synth-pop in Britain. In 1977, Giorgio Moroder released the electronic Eurodisco song "I Feel Love" for Donna Summer. Its programmed beats influenced later synth-pop. David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy, which included the albums Low, Heroes, and Lodger, all featuring Brian Eno, was also highly influential.
The Cat Stevens album Izitso, released in April 1977, used synthesizers to update his pop rock style, giving it a more synth-pop sound. The song "Was Dog a Doughnut" was an early example of techno-pop, using a music sequencer. Izitso reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200, and another song became a top 40 hit. In the same month, the Beach Boys released Love You, which used Moog and ARP synthesizers. Though praised by some critics, the album had poor commercial success. It was considered revolutionary for its use of synthesizers.
Early punk rock, which became popular in 1976–77, was initially against the "inauthentic" sound of synthesizers. However, many new wave and post-punk bands later used synthesizers in their music. British punk and new wave clubs welcomed the "alternative" sound. The DIY attitude of punk made it easier for people to use synthesizers without years of training. The American duo Suicide used drum machines and synthesizers in their 1977 album, blending electronics with post-punk. Around this time, Ultravox member Warren Cann bought a Roland TR-77 drum machine, which appeared in their 1977 single "Hiroshima Mon Amour."
In 1978, the British band Be-Bop Deluxe released Drastic Plastic, which included the single "Electrical Language" with a guitar synthesizer and other synthesizers. The Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) released their self-titled album and Solid State Survivor (1979), creating a "fun-loving and breezy" sound with a focus on melody. They introduced the TR-808 rhythm machine to popular music and influenced early British synth-pop acts.
In 1978, the UK band the Human League released their debut single "Being Boiled," and The Normal released "Warm Leatherette." Both are considered important in the early development of synth-pop. The Sheffield band Cabaret Voltaire also influenced synth-pop in Britain. In the U.S., the post-punk band Devo began using more electronic sounds. At this time, synth-pop gained some critical attention but had little impact on the charts.
British punk-influenced band Tubeway Army originally planned to make a guitar-driven album. In late 1978, Gary Numan, a member of the group, found a Minimoog left in the studio and started using it. This changed the album’s sound to electronic new wave. Numan later described his work as turning "punk songs into electronic songs." A single from the second Tubeway Army album Replicas, "Are Friends Electric?," topped the UK charts in 1979. This showed that synthesizers could be used differently from progressive rock or disco. Numan later went solo, releasing the futuristic album The Pleasure Principle (1979), where he used only synthesizers for melodies but kept a bassist and drummer for rhythm. The single "Cars" from the album also topped the charts.
Numan was influenced by the new wave band Ultravox, led by John Foxx, who released the album Systems of Romance in 1978. Foxx left Ultravox the next year and had a synth-pop hit with "Underpass" from his solo album Metamatic in 1980.
In 1979, the UK band OMD released their debut single "Electricity," which helped launch synth-pop. They followed with hits like "Messages" and "Enola Gay" in 1980. OMD were Britain’s first synth-pop duo and one of the most influential acts of the time. Vince Clarke, who co-founded Depeche Mode, Erasure, Yazoo, and the Assembly, said OMD inspired him to become an electronic musician. OMD’s leaders, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, were called the "Lennon–McCartney of synth-pop."
In 1979, Giorgio Moroder collaborated with the band Sparks on their album No. 1 In Heaven. Around the same time, the Japanese synth-pop band P-Model released their debut album In a Model Room. Other Japanese synth-pop groups, like the Plastics and Hikashu, also emerged. This period of change in electronic music was highlighted by Trevor Horn, a future record producer, who
Criticism and controversy
Synth-pop has faced a lot of criticism and even some hostility from musicians and the press. It has been called "anaemic" and "soulless." In the late 1970s and early 1980s, early synth-pop artists like Gary Numan were criticized in the British music press for their German influences. A journalist named Mick Farren referred to them as the "Adolf Hitler Memorial Space Patrol." During the 1980s, some people criticized the quality of synth-pop songs and questioned the musical skills of the artists. Gary Numan noted that many people showed "hostility" and "ignorance" toward synth-pop, saying they believed "machines made the music, not real people."
OMD's lead singer, Andy McCluskey, said many people thought "the equipment wrote the song for you." He explained, "If there was a button on a synth or drum machine that said 'hit single,' I would have pressed it as often as anyone else—but there isn’t. It was all written by real human beings."
According to Simon Reynolds, some people saw synthesizers as tools for "fashionable but not serious" musicians, in contrast to the guitar, which was seen as a symbol of masculinity. The connection between synth-pop and alternative sexuality was shown through the images of synth-pop stars, who often changed how they looked. Examples include Phil Oakey’s uneven hair and eyeliner, Marc Almond’s "pervy" leather jacket, Martin Gore of Depeche Mode wearing skirts, and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics’ early "dominatrix" image. In the United States, British synth-pop artists were sometimes called "English haircut bands" or "art fag" music. However, many of these artists were very popular on American radio and MTV. While some audiences disliked synth-pop, it attracted people who felt left out by the mainstream rock culture, especially gay, female, and introverted listeners.
Influence and legacy
By the mid-1980s, synth-pop had made the synthesizer a key instrument in mainstream pop music. It also shaped the sound of many popular rock bands, including Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top, and Van Halen. Synth-pop greatly influenced house music, which began in the early 1980s in dance clubs after the disco era. Some DJs tried to create music that was less pop-focused and included elements from Latin soul, dub, rap, and jazz.
American musicians like Juan Atkins, who used names such as Model 500 and Infinity, and worked with the group Cybotron, created a style of electronic dance music inspired by synth-pop and funk. This style helped start Detroit techno in the mid-1980s. The impact of 1980s synth-pop continued into the 1990s, appearing in dance music styles like trance. Hip hop artists, such as Mobb Deep, used samples from 1980s synth-pop songs. Later musicians, including Rihanna, UK artist Jay Sean, Taio Cruz, and British pop singer Lily Allen on her second album, also used synth-pop sounds.
In a review for The Guardian, music critic Dorian Lynskey called 1981 the "annus mirabilis" of synth-pop, naming six important albums from that year: Architecture & Morality by OMD, Speak & Spell by Depeche Mode, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret by Soft Cell, Tin Drum by Japan, Dare by the Human League, and Penthouse and Pavement by Heaven 17. Later, Matthew Lindsay of Classic Pop agreed with Lynskey’s view.