Editing Synth-pop (section)

===Origins: New wave and post-punk (1977–1980)===
{{See also|New wave music}}
[[File:Gary Numan playing.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=A colour photograph of Gary Numan performing onstage with a guitar and microphone|[[Gary Numan]] performing in 1980]]
Early guitar-based [[punk rock]] that came to prominence in the period 1976–77 was initially hostile to the "inauthentic" sound of the synthesizer,<ref name=Borthwick/> but many [[New wave music|new wave]] and [[post-punk]] bands that emerged from the movement began to adopt it as a major part of their sound. British punk and new wave clubs were open to what was then considered an "alternative" sound.<ref>{{citation |title=The Cambridge History of American Music |author=D. Nicholls |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-521-45429-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory0000unse_y6c4/page/373 373] |publisher=Cambridge University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory0000unse_y6c4/page/373 }}</ref><ref name=Concepcion>[http://entertainment.inquirer.net/32571/%E2%80%98we-were-synth-punks%E2%80%99 We were synth punks'] Interview with [[Andy McCluskey]] by the Philadelphia Inquirer 5 March 2012</ref> The [[do it yourself]] attitude of punk broke down the progressive rock era's norm of needing years of experience before getting up on stage to play synthesizers.<ref name=SynthBritannia/><ref name=Concepcion/> The American duo [[Suicide (band)|Suicide]], who arose from the post-punk scene in New York, utilised drum machines and synthesizers in a hybrid between electronics and post-punk on their [[Suicide (1977 album)|eponymous 1977 album]].<ref>{{citation|title=Suicide: No Compromise|author=D. Nobakht |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-946719-71-6 |page=136 }}</ref> Around this time, [[Ultravox]] member [[Warren Cann]] purchased a [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] [[Roland Rhythm 77|TR-77]] [[drum machine]], which was first featured in their October 1977 single release "[[Hiroshima Mon Amour]]".<ref>{{citation|title=The Man Who Dies Every Day: Ultravox |author=T. Maginnis |url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t258253|pure_url=yes}} |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/60hsFqJKQ?url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/the-man-who-dies-every-day-t258253 |archive-date=5 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}.</ref>

[[Be-Bop Deluxe]] released ''[[Drastic Plastic]]'' in February 1978, leading off with the single "Electrical Language" with [[Bill Nelson (musician)|Bill Nelson]] on guitar synthesizer and [[Andy Clark (musician)|Andy Clark]] on synthesizers. Japanese band [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]] (YMO) with their [[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|self-titled album]] (1978)<ref name=Stout2011>{{citation|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra on Kraftwerk and How to Write a Melody During a Cultural Revolution |author=A. Stout |journal=SF Weekly |date=24 June 2011 |url=http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2011/06/yellow_magic_orchestras_ryuich.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903004312/http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2011/06/yellow_magic_orchestras_ryuich.php |archive-date=3 September 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ''[[Solid State Survivor]]'' (1979), developed a "fun-loving and breezy" sound,<ref name="Bogdanov2001p516">{{Citation |author=S. T. Erlewine |contribution=Yellow Magic Orchestra |year=2001 |title=All Music Guide to Electronica: the Definitive Guide to Electronic Music |editor=V. Bogdanov |edition=4 | isbn=978-0-87930-628-1 |page=516 |place=Milwaukee, WI |publisher=Backbeat Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT516 }}</ref> with a strong emphasis on [[melody]].<ref name=Stout2011/> They introduced the [[TR-808]] rhythm machine to [[popular music]],<ref>{{Citation|author=J. Anderson |date=28 November 2008 |title=Slaves to the rhythm: Kanye West is the latest to pay tribute to a classic drum machine |publisher=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/slaves-to-the-rhythm-1.771508 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815200628/http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/music/story/2008/11/27/f-history-of-the-808.html |archive-date=15 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the band would be a major influence on early British synth-pop acts.<ref name="Lewis2008">{{Citation|author=J. Lewis |date=4 July 2008 |title=Back to the future: Yellow Magic Orchestra helped usher in electronica&nbsp;– and they may just have invented hip-hop, too |journal=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jul/04/electronicmusic.filmandmusic11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111061211/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/04/electronicmusic.filmandmusic11 |archive-date=11 November 2011 |location=London |url-status=dead }}</ref>

1978 also saw the release of UK band [[the Human League]]'s debut single "[[Being Boiled]]" and [[The Normal]]'s "[[Warm Leatherette]]", which both are regarded as seminal works in early synth-pop.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://velvetrebelmusic.com/2021/12/seminal-being-boiled-by-the-human-league |title=Seminal: Being Boiled by The Human League |publisher=Velvet Rebel Music |date=17 December 2021 |author=Jason L. }}</ref> Sheffield band [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]] are also regarded as pioneers of the late 1970s that influenced the emerging synth-pop in Britain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/sheffields-kraftwerk-cabaret-voltaire-richard-h-kirk-put-steel/ |title=Sheffield's own Kraftwerk: how Cabaret Voltaire and Richard H Kirk put the steel into synthpop |author=Power, Ed |date=21 September 2021 |publisher=telegraph.co.uk }}</ref> In America, post-punk band [[Devo]] began moving towards a more electronic sound. At this point synth-pop gained some critical attention, but made little impact on the commercial charts.<ref name="Reynolds2005pp340&342-3">{{citation|title=Rip It Up and Start Again Postpunk 1978–1984 |author=S. Reynolds |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-21570-6 |pages=340 and 342–3 |publisher=Faber & Faber |author-link=Simon Reynolds }}</ref>

{{quote box|quote="This is a finger, this is another... now write a song"|source=—This quote is a take on the punk manifesto ''This is a chord, this is another, this is a third...now start a band'' celebrating the virtues of amateur musicianship first appeared in a fanzine in December 1976.<ref>Cateforis, pp. 168 and 247</ref>|width=30%}}

British punk-influenced band [[Tubeway Army]], intended their debut album to be guitar driven. In late 1978, [[Gary Numan]], a member of the group, found a [[minimoog]] left behind in the studio by another band, and started experimenting with it.<ref name="Reynolds2005pp278US">{{citation|title=Rip It Up and Start Again Postpunk 1978–1984 US Edition|author=S. Reynolds |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-21570-6 |page=298 US Edition |publisher=Faber & Faber |author-link=Simon Reynolds }}</ref> This led to a change in the album's sound to electronic new wave.<ref name="Reynolds2005pp278US"/> Numan later described his work on this album as a guitarist playing keyboards, who turned "punk songs into electronic songs".<ref name="Reynolds2005pp278US"/> A single from the second Tubeway Army album ''[[Replicas (album)|Replicas]]'', "[[Are Friends Electric?]]", topped the UK charts in the summer of 1979.<ref name=autogenerated3>{{citation|title=Rip It Up and Start Again Postpunk 1978–1984 |author=S. Reynolds |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-21570-6 |page= 298 US Edition |publisher=Faber & Faber |author-link=Simon Reynolds }}</ref> The discovery that synthesizers could be employed in a different manner from that used in progressive rock or disco, prompted Numan to go solo.<ref name="autogenerated3"/> On his futuristic album ''[[The Pleasure Principle (Gary Numan album)|The Pleasure Principle]]'' (1979), he played only synths, but retained a bass guitarist and a drummer for the rhythm section.<ref name="autogenerated3"/> A single from the album, "[[Cars (song)|Cars]]" topped the charts.<ref>{{Citation |author=J. Miller |title=Stripped: Depeche Mode |edition=3 | isbn=978-1-84772-444-1 |page=21 |place=London | year= 2008 |publisher=Omnibus}}</ref>

Numan's main influence at the time was the [[John Foxx]]-led new wave band [[Ultravox]] who released the album ''[[Systems of Romance]]'' in 1978. Foxx left Ultravox the following year and scored a synth-pop hit with the single "[[Underpass (song)|Underpass]]" from his first solo album ''[[Metamatic]]'' in early 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/speaking-to-the-quiet-man-john-foxx-interviewed/ |title=Speaking to the Quiet Man: John Foxx interviewed |author=Doran, John |date=24 May 2013 |publisher=vice.com }}</ref>

In 1979, [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|OMD]] released their debut single "[[Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Electricity]]", which has been viewed as integral to the rise of synth-pop.<ref>{{cite news|first= Mary |last= Harron |author-link= Mary Harron |title= Rock |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |date= 6 November 1981 |page= 11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/music/interview-gary-barlow-on-fly-songs-inspired-by-eddie-the-eagle/|title=Gary Barlow didn't just meet his '80s heroes, he made a retro album with them|last=Mettler|first=Mike|date=17 June 2016|website=[[Digital Trends]]|access-date=16 January 2023}}</ref> This was followed by a series of landmark releases within the genre, including the 1980 hit singles "[[Messages (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)|Messages]]" and "[[Enola Gay (song)|Enola Gay]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Lois |last= Wilson |title= OMD |magazine=[[Record Collector]] |issue= 498 |date= 30 September 2019 |access-date= 6 July 2021 |url= https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/omd}}</ref> OMD became one of the most influential acts of the period,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/omd-enola-gay-interview-2649875489.html|title=Popular Culture Is Eating Its History and OMD Are Not Complaining|last=Shand|first=Max|date=15 January 2021|website=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/80s-synth-pop-legends-omd-reveal-edinburgh-tattoo-inspired-landmark-album-3436393|title=80's synth-pop legends OMD reveal Edinburgh Military Tattoo inspired landmark album, Architecture and Morality|last=Rudden|first=Liam|date=29 October 2021|website=[[Edinburgh Evening News]]|access-date=20 May 2023}}</ref> introducing the "synth duo" format to British music.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Earls|first=John|author-link=John Earls|date=November–December 2023|title=Final Messages?|magazine=[[Classic Pop (magazine)|Classic Pop]]|issue=84|pages=40–45|quote=In Britain at least, OMD invented the synth duo template.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nostalgie.fr/actus/musique/orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-leurs-plus-beaux-succes-353931|title=Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Their Greatest Hits|publisher=[[Nostalgie]]|language=fr|date=5 June 2018|access-date=9 April 2025|quote=...a precursor to a whole generation of duos operating according to the same principle.}}</ref> [[Vince Clarke]], who co-founded the popular synth-pop groups [[Depeche Mode]], [[Erasure (duo)|Erasure]], [[Yazoo (band)|Yazoo]] and [[the Assembly]], has cited OMD as his inspiration to become an electronic musician.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electronicsound.co.uk/features/long-reads/vince-clarke-game-of-drones/|title=Vince Clarke: Game of Drones|last=Ilic|first=Vel|date=14 September 2023|website=Electronic Sound|access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/features/interview-vince-clarke|title=Vince Clarke|last=Nichols|first=Paul|date=27 December 2016|publisher=[[PRS for Music]]|access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> Bandleaders [[Andy McCluskey]] and [[Paul Humphreys]] have been described in the media as "the [[Lennon–McCartney]] of synth-pop".<ref>{{cite news|first=Sean|last=O'Neal|title=Paul Humphreys of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|url=https://www.avclub.com/paul-humphreys-of-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-1798214499|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=30 July 2008|access-date=20 July 2024|archive-date=27 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927214814/https://www.avclub.com/paul-humphreys-of-orchestral-manoeuvres-in-the-dark-1798214499|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music-review-omd-kelvingrove-bandstand-glasgow-268383|title=Music review: OMD, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow|date=6 August 2018|website=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=25 April 2023}}</ref>

Giorgio Moroder collaborated with the band [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]] on their album ''[[No. 1 In Heaven]]'' (1979). That same year in Japan, the synth-pop band [[P-Model]] made its debut with the album ''[[In a Model Room]]''. Other Japanese synth-pop groups emerging around the same time included the [[Plastics (band)|Plastics]] and [[Hikashu]].<ref>{{citation|title=P-Model |author=I. Martin |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p-model-p375838/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729043601/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p-model-p375838/biography |archive-date=29 July 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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 single "[[Video Killed the Radio Star]]"; the song topped the UK charts in October 1979 and it also became an international hit; two years later it was the first song aired on MTV.<ref>{{cite news |title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19791014/7501/ |access-date=30 April 2023 |work=Official Charts Company}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first= Dave |last= Simpson |title= The Buggles: how we made Video Killed the Radio Star |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |date= 30 October 2018 |access-date= 30 April 2023 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/30/the-buggles-how-we-made-video-killed-the-radio-star}}</ref> [[Geoff Downes]], keyboardist for the Buggles, states, "When we did a rerecorded version for ''[[Top of the Pops]],'' the Musicians’ Union bloke said, "If I think you’re making strings sounds out of a synthesizer, I’m going to have you. Video Killed the Radio Star is putting musicians out of business."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Buggles: how we made Video Killed the Radio Star |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/30/the-buggles-how-we-made-video-killed-the-radio-star |access-date=8 December 2023 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

1980 also saw the release of where "Video Killed the Radio Star" came from, the Buggles' debut album ''[[The Age of Plastic]]'', which some writers have labeled as the first landmark of another electropop era,<ref name="Ianpeel">{{cite web|author=Peel, Ian |date=1 January 2010 |url=http://www.trevorhorn.com/horniculture/from_the_art_of_plastic_to_the.html |title=From the Art of Plastic to the Age of Noise |publisher=trevorhorn.com|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231255/http://www.trevorhorn.com/horniculture/from_the_art_of_plastic_to_the.html |archive-date=11 November 2013 }}</ref><ref name = "Buggles Rehearsal">{{cite web|url=http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2010/09/24/buggles-rehearsal-sarm-west/|title=Buggles Rehearsal – Sarm West – Geoff Downes|publisher=sonicstate.com|date=24 September 2010}}</ref> as well as what for many is the defining album of Devo's career, the overtly synth-pop ''[[Freedom of Choice (album)|Freedom of Choice]]''.<ref>{{citation|title=Freedom of Choice: Devo |author=S. Huey |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/freedom-of-choice-r5604/review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009035500/http://www.allmusic.com/album/freedom-of-choice-r5604/review |archive-date=9 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>