About Synthpop

Synth pop 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.

The Wikipedia lists these bands as Synthpop artists:

A Covenant of Thorns A Flock of Seagulls a-ha Alice in Videoland Alphaville And One Anything Box Apoptygma Berzerk Ayria B! Machine Beborn Beton Elliott Berry Björk Blutengel Book of Love Brand New Idol The Bravery Bronski Beat Camouflage The Capricorns Cetu Javu Client Colony 5 Cosmicity Covenant Cue to Recall Daft Punk The Daily Worker De/Vision Dekoy Depeche Mode Thomas Dolby Erasure Eurythmics The Echoing Green The Faint Fairlight Children Harold Faltermeyer Fey Fischerspooner John Foxx Freezepop Frozen Plasma Furniture Future Bible Heroes Goldfrapp Paul Hardcastle Hot Hot Heat Human League I SATELLITE Norman Iceberg In a Sense

Indochine Iris Howard Jones Joy Electric Kraftwerk Ladytron Lowe Leiahdorus Melotron Men Without Hats Mesh Moenia Moev Monofader Moulin Noir The Mystic Underground Naked Eyes Neuroticfish New Musik New Order Gary Numan Nine, The OMD Pet Shop Boys Planet Funk Printed Circuit Real Life Tony Reed S.P.O.C.K Peter Schilling Shiny Toy Guns Sista Mannen På Jorden Soft Cell Spleen United Spray T.O.Y. Talk Talk Taxi Girl Tears for Fears Terminal Choice Thompson Twins Tumor Ultravox Univaque Universal Poplab Vive la Fete Wave in Head Welle:Erdball When In Rome Wolfsheim Yazoo Yello

Synthpop can be very good name for general electronic music that was not House or Techno. The "pop" in "synthpop", however, puts a bad taste in some artists mouths. Some bands one would call Synthpop are as far from "pop" as they can be. Some want to distance themselves from the "bubblier" Erasure, or the "trendier" Depeche Mode. Dozens of other names exist and people cling to them, but Synthpop will almost always fit.

With so many other names for electronic music, it can be hard to define which are synthpop and which are something else. Some bands on the list above, like Erasure, are no question synthpop. Others, like Iris or Camouflage, can sometimes fit better in different genres.

It's up to you to define Synthpop.

What's my definition? I use Synthpop broadly. I use it as one would use Rock. Rock can include Queen, Poison, or Green Day - three VERY different bands playing very different music. Sure, there are other Rock genres they'd fit into - classic rock, metal, and alternative - but they are still Rock.

About Fanlistings