Synth Sounds

A brief intro to synth-pop and its creators

Who influenced synth and electronic music?

Synth-pop, short for synthesizer pop, is a music genre featuring the then-revolutionary synth as the main instrument. The genre rose in prominence in the mid-70s but peaked in the 1980s with the rise of the New Wave and post-punk genres in the UK. The synth-pop genre was influenced mainly by and credited to German techno artist Kraftwerk. The first central band in the UK to feature a synth as a primary instrument was 'Star Collector' by the Monkees, released in 1967 - but way before that came Delia Derbyshire. Derbyshire is the credited creator of the original Doctor Who television theme song. The theme was among the first and most popular electronic songs broadcast on British TV in the late 1960s. This theme song influenced synth to be used by artists such as Pink Floyd, who sampled the music in their 1971 hit song "One of Those Days." 2 years later, Pink Floyd released their most renowned album, "The Dark Side of the Moon," an album with a groundbreaking use of synth music that influenced a generation of artists.

Kraftwerk

70s Germany saw the rise of Krautrock, a spacey, jazzy electronic-sounding rock music. With the rise of artists such as Can, West Berlin's Tangerine Dream and NEU! Germany was creating a sound, yet not distinct nor internationally acclaimed, until Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk was a German group formed in 1970 and primarily accredited for the beginning of electronic music. Kraftwerk had a few distinctions as a band, leading to their immense success compared to their other German bands. Kraftwerk was more inspired by American pop; they had vocals in their songs, and most importantly, their vocals were in German. At the time of Kraftwerk and Krautrock's rise, Germany was going through an identity crisis; post-war Germany had a loss of national identity with the split of the country and any nationalism being frowned upon. Many Germans, especially artists and those in the media, made their work more acceptable by making it available in English, French, or sometimes Italian. In a sense, this filled the cultural void of having no German identity. Then came a duo from Düsseldorf, near West Germany's capital, Bonn.

Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider formed Kraftwerk and daringly included "Germaness". This was not because they were patriotic or proud; it was the opposite. Instead, they said their Germaness came from a lack of identity - a gap that had to be filled. However, Kraftwerk's lyrics and style focused on post-war European urban life and technology. After recruiting two more members and a few years of experimenting, the quartet of electronic musicians solidified their ground-breaking sound. Unlike other German artists singing in English, they did not try to hide what Germany was like but showed it off with their song Autobahn, which literally speaks of travelling by car on Germany's large highways. Kraftwerk has an entire album named "Trans-Europe Express," which talks about European rail travel. An important part of this in-work German identity was feeling European. Scholar Uwe Schütte says, "Germany’s identification with the idea of Europe provided a way out of the moral and political disrepute into which it had fallen. The country was eager to show that it no longer aspired to supremacy but to cooperation – peace rather than war and territorial expansion. Kraftwerk is a case in point for this German trait; their 1977 album, Trans-Europe Express, which celebrates trans-European train travel and cultural exchange, is the clearest indicator of the inherent European identity that defines the work of the band. " They developed a uniquely German and robotic style of music, which luckily took off worldwide. Repetitive sounds and chopped-up words created their sound - techniques created by Kraftwerk and passed on through generations of musicians. David Bowie and many other musicians credit their sound to Kraftwerk, such as The Weeknd, Aphex Twin and even Björk. Check out 'Autobahn' and 'Uranium' by Kraftwerk - New Order sampled Uranium for their hit song 'Blue Monday.'

Yellow Magic Orchestra

80s synth-pop was also largely influenced by Japanese synth music. The Japanese trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, formed in 1978, not only influenced major British artists such as Duran Duran and introduced a new synth machine, the TR-808. This drum machine became one of the most influential machines of the 80s in music and was heavily used in early hip-hop. YMO is also credited for early house and dance music! Check out Rydeen, YMO's biggest hit (and a personal favourite)!

Gary Numan

Though there is no synth-pop in the UK without Gary Numan. Gary is a controversial figure in pop culture because of his attitude towards fans and critics, but he is considered an electronic music pioneer. After releasing two albums in the band Tubeway Army and moving on to solo projects, Numan has gathered a large following and praise as the first 'synth-pop' artist to reach mainstream popularity. Numan's work was impressive. He rapidly introduced and accelerated the inclusion of synths into music while creating a new sound by feeding heavy synthesizer hooks into guitar effect pedals. Check out the revolutionary 'Cars' by Gary Numan!

Tangerine Dream

Tangerine Dream is another legendary German electronic ensemble formed in 1967, and my dad's favourite. The band has had many member changes throughout the years, and the only original member who had constantly taken part in the band was the band's creator, Edgar Froese. Froese unfortunately died in 2015. Fans of Tangerine Dream say their early 1970s lineup with Froese, Frank and Baumann is their best and when their greatest music was created. Unlike other electronic bands, Tangerine Dream has created a big name by producing largely film soundtracks! They created the soundtracks for over 60 movies throughout their years together, most notably Risky Business (1983) starring Tom Cruise, and they created over 35 hours of electronic and ambient music for the video game Grand Theft Auto V! In 1973, the band signed to Virgin Records. The band's "Virgin Years" is the highest spoken of, especially with their album "Phaedra" reaching number 15 in the UK charts. Though Tangerine Dream may not be as big as the previous article in this article, their impact has not gone unsung; with songs in today's most popular video games and major shows such as Stranger Things, Tangerine Dream goes on to create amazing electronic songs today with new members and influences.

Brian Eno

Last but not least, we have synth-pop's credited co-pioneer, Brian Eno. Starting off his career with the famous band Roxy Music, Eno became a huge pioneer in the rock and electronic world. Roxy Music was a glam-rock band where Eno played the synth and co-wrote many of the band's hits with lead singer Bryan Ferry. However, Eno had a different sound in mind for his music (especially since he studied experimental music at Winchester School of Art) and left Roxy Music as their synth player after two albums. Like Brian Eno, Roxy Music continued to chart and create chart-topping and best-selling records. Eno released many "pop" solo albums in the 70s, though later coined these albums as ambient music rather than pop. Ambient Music for Airports is a great example of his early ambient and synth music.

Eno was also known for his great collaborations; David Bowie was a massive fan of electronic albums, specifically the music of Brian Eno. "The Berlin Trilogy" is a three-album collection of Bowie's more electronic and ambient music produced by his good friends Brian Eno and Toni Visconti. Bowie, influenced by Krautrock and his experiences in Berlin, called on his two electronic-music-making friends to help him produce these albums away from his drug-fuelled life in America. These albums received mixed reviews and not much acclaim. However, as the years pass, these albums age like wine and continue to influence musicians for ages to come. Listen to one of three Berlin trilogy albums here: Low.

Eno is acknowledged by many artists as a major influence in the music scene; film producer John Brion stated, "I think he's the most influential artist since the Beatles." The New Yorker has referred to him as "The Ambient Genius." Other prominent artists, such as David Byrne, Devo, and Phil Collins, have all recognized Eno as a master and pioneer in electronic, rock, and ambient music.

In 2019, Brian Eno was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with Roxy Music and received the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science and Communication in Music and Arts.

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