SYNTH POP
It’s hard to say where synth pop began – maybe with Roxy Music and the artful wobble of Eno’s VCS 3. Kraftwerk had an undeniable influence, as did Bowie’s Low LP.
One could argue that it rose from the ashes of punk, with its emphasis on simplistic song structures and DIY ethos. Would-be post-punk popsters like Daniel Miller and John Foxx switched on to the possibilities offered by cheap, monophonic synths, tapping into their limitations to create smart, sparse arrangements – a minimalism that became a synth pop hallmark. Artists like Fad Gadget and The Human League found acceptance with the post-punk crowd, thanks to their unusual, often extreme shows, while Ultravox and Gary Numan evoked a cold intellectualism a world away from the sex-and-drug excesses of stadium rockers.
Yet as the new wave gave way to new romanticism, synth pop followed suit. The once-experimental Human League fractured, reforming as a sleek pop outfit, while former Depeche Mode synth wizard Vince Clarke re-emerged with Yazoo and Erasure, each slicker and more accessible
