Tag: John Foxx (Page 18 of 18)

GARY NUMAN, JOHN FOXX, MOTOR + MIRRORS Live at Back To The Phuture London

2 May 2011 /


Tomorrow Is Today… Back To The Phuture figurehead Mark Jones has a clear mission statement: “to join the dots on electronic music”.

He has been the driving force behind a number of exciting innovations in recent years, including the collaborations of LITTLE BOOTS with Gary Numan, and LA ROUX with HEAVEN 17 for BBC 6Music. And more recently, there was a Back To The Phuture themed night at Bestival featuring HEAVEN 17, Howard Jones and VILLA NAH.

Last year he announced his most ambitious show to date, ‘Tomorrow Is Today’, which would bring together a stellar line-up of synth acts past and present. “It’s amazing to see Back To The Phuture evolve into a live ‘happening’ and to be able to present inspiring artists that’ve paved the way for all of us alongside ace current talent”, said Jones. “Their music has never been more relevant to what’s happening – tomorrow is today.”

The venue for this very special show was The Troxy, a lavish art-deco venue in London’s East End which began its life as an upmarket art deco cinema in the 1930s. By mid-afternoon a very large queue had started to snake around the building, such was the anticipation of the evening’s events.

Electronic music fans from Germany, Finland and Italy had made the journey especially, while musicians of various standings from the genre were also in attendance.

VILE ELECTRODES and DEPECHE MODE’s Andy Fletcher were all interested onlookers, keen to be part of one of the biggest celebrations of electronic music to be ever held on British soil.

First on the bill were Brighton-based quartet MIRRORS. The smartly attired band were clearly thrilled to be sharing the stage with their electro forefathers, and they rose to the occasion, delivering a blistering set showcasing their superb debut album ‘Lights and Offerings’. As a live act, they are quite mesmerising to watch and their performance won over a legion on new admirers, as evidenced by all their CDs selling out at the merchandise stall by the end of the night.

Following a short DJ set by the irrepressible Mark Jones, it was time for the first of two synth legends to take to the stage.

John Foxx, accompanied by his band including Benge, Steve D’Agostino, Serafina Steer and Robin Simon, opened with ‘Shatterproof’ from the acclaimed new album ‘Interplay’.

Foxx exuded his enigmatic charm throughout the set, in which new material sat comfortably next to early ULTRAVOX anthems ‘Dislocation’, Quiet Men’ and ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’, plus his trio of classic solo singles ‘Underpass’, ‘Burning Car’ and ‘No-One Driving’.

Sadly, the album’s highlight ‘Watching A Building On Fire’ was absent but it was a brilliant hour of fine electro. John Foxx is a pioneer of the genre who, more than thirty years into his career, is still making music that is exciting and innovative. The ecstatic welcome he received tonight was richly deserved.

By way of contrast, the next band were Franco-American techno outfit MOTOR. With their light-sabre styled microphone stands and frantic club beats, what was not obviously apparent tonight is that the duo have moved into song based territory with their new album which is due out later this year. DEPECHE MODE’s Martin Gore, NITZER EBB’s Douglas McCarthy, ELECTRIBE 101’s Billie Ray Martin and Gary Numan will all be featuring as guest vocalists.

Following their support slot on DEPECHE MODE’s Tour Of The Universe, the future could get very interesting for Mr No and Bryan Black. MOTOR were followed by their label boss, Mute supremo Daniel Miller, another goliath of the electro world whose DJ set included his own ‘Warm Leatherette’ which started the Mute brand off, some TUXEDOMOON and the Slavery Whip mix of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Master And Servant’.

Finally it was time for Gary Numan to appear. Often referred to as the godfather of electro, as he strode onto the stage against a towering backdrop of LED screens he looked every inch the guvnor. As if to prove the point, he launched straight into three classics in a row; namely ‘Down In The Park’, ‘Films’ and ‘That’s Too Bad’, each to a rapturous reception.

To mark the special occasion, ‘Crash’ then received a rare live airing, and anyone who bought the ‘Dance’ album some thirty years earlier was singing their heart out. ‘Listen To The Sirens’ was another one getting a rare outing while for the rest of Numan’s set, vintage tracks like ‘Cars’ were interspersed with heavier brand new material such as ‘Dead Son Rising’ and ‘Splinter’ which resulted in some lost momentum.

Nevertheless, ‘I Die: You Die’ with its savage narrative on the destructive nature of the press sounded as futuristic as ever, while anthems such as ‘Pure’ and the spine-tingling Andy Gray mix of ‘A Prayer For The Unborn’ affirmed that when Numan is good, he’s very good. The set was ultimately well received by the highly enthused faithful (when was the last time the former Gary Webb actually sung the line “but are friends electric?” himself?) and provided a fitting climax to the night.

To close the proceedings, an emotional Mark Jones came out on stage to thank everyone involved, and then a veritable ‘who’s who’ of Synth Britannia took to the stage for a final curtain call: Daniel Miller, John Foxx, Gary Numan and MIRRORS. It was quite a sight to see; our friends electric! Ally Young of MIRRORS thoroughly enjoyed his evening and said: “It was a real privilege for us to be playing alongside such legends”.

MIRRORS’ singer James New went to meet fans in the merch area afterwards while nearby, John Foxx was all smiles and happily shook hands with well wishers as they expressed their grateful thanks. Via his website, Gary Numan said: “The feedback we’ve had so far has all been extremely positive which makes all the hard work that has been put in so worthwhile.”

This was a special night that brought together the electro community from far and wide. All credit to Mark Jones and Back To The Phuture for making the dream a reality.

http://backtothephuture.net

www.numan.co.uk

www.mute.com

www.metamatic.com

www.wearemotor.com

www.facebook.com/theworldofmirrors/

Text by Steve Gray
Additional material by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Mike Cooper and Richard Price
2nd May 2010

JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS Interplay

7 March 2011 /

‘Interplay’, the new album from JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS, sees a return to his ‘Metamatic’ framework, and yet oozes contemporary electro aesthetics.

Containing tracks suitable for dancefloors and yet encouraging with the seductive warmth of Benge’s magnificent analogue studio the donning of headphones in repose, this album is a marked jump into digestible territory from his recent ‘D.N.A’ release. And yet, it is classically ‘Foxx’, whilst still referencing DAF and KRAFTWERK, his early ULTRAVOX work, and nodding to the electro legacy his early work brought forth.

For appreciators of a strong synth melody this album is utter heaven, as there is no finer pedigree than vintage analogue for producing warmth and depth, and yet soaring euphoria: this album’s sonic breadth leaves weedy 21st century plug ins in the shade, and listening on a good stereo or through quality headphones is very much encouraged for the ultimate reward.

Lyrically John Foxx is in an intriguing mood: gone is his contemplation of the car crash, the urban isolationist, the failed connection, replaced throughout the album with contemplations of a more philosophical, dare one say spiritual nature. References seem to abound to mythical, mystical places, worlds beyond worlds, shadow lands, dream scapes.

Foxx is taking his imagination beyond his Plazas and grey streets, away from technology and communication, towards something more unknowable: one might almost consider he spent a summer reading Tolkien before getting to work on this album, but that’s not something we should be frightened of. In the hands of Foxx and Benge aka Ben Edwards, the unknowable idea is supported by liquid-like synthetic context, leading us into warm dream, melancholy introversion, and not always, but definitely sometimes to the dancefloor to shake out the cobwebs of stranger places.

“Songs were most often generated in response to Ben’s beautiful, rich arpeggios and patterns” recalled Foxx, “Themes basically concern a man, a woman and a city. Tried to make most of the vocals sound like a crackling phonecall from a lost city, or some sudden electrical ghost too close to your ear”. And in the ultimate compliment: “Intelligent, knowledgeable, technically blinding. He does remind me of Conny Plank. Same generosity and ability, same civilized manner – even looks similar”

Photo by Ed Fielding

‘Shatterproof’ is uncharacteristically dark and body music influenced, as though Foxx has been sitting with DAF concocting ideas in a dark club corner. Snarling vocals announce our vulnerability: we are not shatterproof.

And Foxx’s vocals are delayed, stretched, distorted. It has a menace beyond the usual clinicism… like a mad scientist, an egotistical maniac announcing his awareness of a victim’s weak points. Cowbells and claps nod to electro in a classic manner, but this could easily sit alongside recent the recent CHRIS & COSEY release on Optimo, in that it explores a darker, more uneasy sonic territory.

The vocal treatment and synth fizz and phase all sit uneasily over a dark brooding synth stab and a NITZER EBB-like arpeggio. An album standout and no better way to introduce John Foxx’s current aesthetic – the vintage / ultra-contemporary electro nexus.

Meanwhile ‘Catwalk’ seems like a more muscular version of ‘Metamatic’, of cities, of observing from a distance, a semi-critical assessment of lives lived in a big city. Specifically, this track speaks of the high-money world of a catwalk model, the fiction, the cheaply sold dreams sold on YouTube, or Fashion TV. It’s almost MISS KITTIN-esque in quality, with the repeated bassy progressions holding this track in place, with sparse drums and a relatively simple tale to tell.

It’s catchy, nods towards a dancefloor, and perhaps is as destined for the catwalk it describes, due to its almost ambivalently presented critique of glamour life. The analogue is very contemporised here, no vintage feel, and if any, this track seems to me the odd one out on the album, although ‘Shatterproof’ has also been nodded at as a-typical by some critics. But for me this seems like a far frothier souffle – not that being light hearted is a problem, it just lies far outside the metaphysical contemplation which pervades ‘Interplay’.

The very melodic ‘Evergreen’ is almost jaunty, calling to mind Foxx’s ‘In Mysterious Ways’ period with heavy vocoder, light synth wash, and tales of mythical trees. Vince Clarke can almost be perceived in the melodic counterpoint, certainly this recalled early DEPECHE MODE instrumentals more than anything.

Sentiments speak of a park, trees, a mythical forest… a physical place, almost like the Viking Valhalla or Tolkien’s Lothlorien. It’s certainly not urban, not city bound, not isolationist. “I’ll look for you and perhaps you’ll look for me”. A You… a dream place… very human. Almost looking at organic, humanist issues.

With the presence of Mira from LADYTRON, ‘Watching a Building On Fire’ could perhaps be the most anticipated track on the entire album. It opens with almost a YELLO like cabaret swagger and an odd latinesque Roland 727 style drum pattern, and then reveals itself as almost the ultimate duet. Foxx said: “I’ve wanted to do a song with her for some time. These particular circumstances seemed right – London analogue studio. We invited her to the studio. She was tough, friendly, gentle, critical and contributing. She brought in some great monosynth parts. You couldn’t fail to get something good out of them.”

We’ve heard HEAVEN 17 and LA ROUX, GARY NUMAN and LITTLE BOOTS, but both pale in comparison to these two luminaries combining. The track oozes a synthetic smokiness and more than a little camp with their duet, and then courtesy of the wonders of vocoding, Foxx almost self duets. The metaphor of a “building on fire” alludes to entropy… smoky danger, lovers. There’s almost an amusing camp to this track, and one can hear more than a touch of Boris Blank in the shadows, a digital – or should I say analogue – noir torch song in there somewhere… Mira’s role is restrained, but also a something of a kittenish burlesque turn.

The title track is downtempo, also quite theatrical, atmospheric, contemplative but almost cabaret… JAPAN or Sylvian influences abound in the space and the bass noises, where analogue sounds like rain. Foxx sings this time without the vocoder, but vocally in croon mode. This track is not far stretched from a short interlude, which given its beauty is quite a shame, lamenting that the relationship between things can often not be calculated… there is chaos, and all things that can be calculated and predicted can become uncontrolled when in ‘Interplay’. Synthesis? Human relationships? Science? Whichever it is, the Meta(matic)physics continue to dominate this albums themes.

A shuffling beat gives ‘Summerland’ contemporary references with GOLDFRAPP, LADYTRON and even some melodic German techno. The arpeggios fall without obvious force, keeping the swing soft yet insistent, ‘Summerland’ – another reference to Viking mythology, dreams: “wake me up when we arrive”.

He speaks of coincidence, leading to the sea. Is it a real place? A dream land? ‘Summerland’ for the Norse was Valhalla, the Fortunate Island. Sonically it soars, but not overbearingly. By tracks end I am, in fact, in ‘Summerland’, facing the sea.

The Running Man with its upfront instrumentation is very contemporary future pop-ish, but with a very early ULTRAVOX feel on the vocals, pacing and the feel, ‘The Running Man’ sounds push forward, seem urgent. And yet, it remains very dancefloor friendly. There’s a ‘Metamatic’ style melodic soaring, and the track’s lyric thematic link politics, science fiction, the idea of energy and intent, a metaphor for information? One of the tracks on the album that is begging a remix for clubland. The breakdown is decisively dancefloor, with shades of the very early days. It wouldn’t be out of place next to COVENANT and yet displays a classic cold-war techno-paranoia reminiscent of the classic days of ULTRAVOX and early Foxx.

An almost Bowie-esque vocal delivery, over a very quiet and contemplative classic electro background, ‘A Falling Star’ is sbout a mythic person – larger than life, linked to the elements, never changing. Another line about “no one could find you” – this album is full of references to attempting to find someone, or something. The unknown, but always here. Mysterious but present. The sonic fabric for this is soft, subtle, dreamlike but with an insistent subtle beat, like blood or heart, machine imitating the body’s mechanics.

Our ‘Destination’ is unknown… Foxx in un-vocodered full throttle, almost an Elvis like quality to his hearty singing voice, the accompanying melodics are super sci-fi, a sense of flying through space, a journey… “we leave no traces here, just pass on by”… we begin to wonder whether JOHN FOXX is considering the span of life itself, its journey, destination, meaning, and what is beyond.

Is this album possibly spiritual contemplation from Foxx? Certainly the lyrics and the sound indicate an expansive rumination, rather than the withdrawal from life, the tentative and jaundiced peer around mean cold streets – this is larger than life, both literally and metaphorically. Benge’s analogue arsenal in epic mode,

The album finishes with ‘The Good Shadow’… KRAFTWERK sounding tendrils caress the ears as this track opens with a superb arpeggio which carries this track through its small shimmers, the vocals on this one are heavily treated, to intimate an ethereal feel, as Foxx speaks of himself in the shadows… A contemplative closer, as we watch The Quiet Man close the studio door and disappear into the greying twilight, ready to appear again in another guise.

Worthy of a remix set, and with at least a couple of dancefloor gems in ‘Catwalk’ and ‘The Running Man’, and even a more boisterous EBM nuance in Shatterproof, the album is by one means singular in dimension. Foxx often finds his most effective framework in pop music, managing to make it a grander ideal than mere fodder, and ‘Interplay’ certainly manages that. This album is worthy of a permanent place in your playlist in 2011.

‘Interplay’ uses the following equipment: ARP Odyssey, ARP Omni, ARP Sequencer, Crumar Bit 01, Crumar Multiman, Crumar Roadrunner, DBX 119 compressor, EMT plate 140, Fairlight CMI, Formant Modular, Hohner Pianet T, Ibanez AD80, Korg Monopoly, Korg MS20, Korg PS3100, Lexicon 224, Linn LM1, MCI 416b console, Minimoog, Moog Modular, Polymoog, MXR flanger/doubler, Oberheim Xpander, PAiA Phlanger, Roland 100M, Roland CR78, Roland RS202, Roland SH101, Roland Space Echo 201, Roland TR808, Roland VP330, Sequential T8, Sequential VS, Serge Modular, Simmons SDS5, Studer 900 series console, Ursa Major delay, Yamaha CS30, Yamaha CS80, Yamaha Rev1.

‘Interplay’ is released by Metamatic Records on 21st March 2011

http://blog.johnfoxxandthemaths.com/

http://www.metamatic.com/

Text by Nix Lowrey
7th March 2011

JOHN FOXX Live at The Roundhouse

7 June 2010 /


Coinciding with the release of his latest 3CD collection ‘Metatronic’ and as part of Short Circuit 2010; an evening celebrating the best of British electronic music, JOHN FOXX headlined a special analogue synthesizer show to mark his 30th anniversary as a solo artist.

His solo debut ‘Metamatic’ was released in early 1980 and this mechanised electro classic has been acknowledged by artists such as APHEX TWIN, TIM SIMENON and THE KLAXONS as an inspiration. JOHN FOXX recently said himself: “There’s a great surge of interest in electronic music. I don’t know why that’s happened, but it’s fortunate for me because I did it a long time ago”

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK happened to be present for his first solo show at Hitchin Regal during October 1983. But on that occasion, JOHN FOXX appeared to have gone back to guitars, so much so that the entire ‘Metamatic’ album was omitted in a near Stalinist rewrite of history! He did however play songs from his ULTRAVOX repertoire, a body of work that influenced the young GARY NUMAN, contributing to his major success in 1979 with ‘Replicas’ and ‘The Pleasure Principle’.

But tonight couldn’t have been more different as Foxx and an ensemble of special guests: Benge (synthesizers, percussion and bass), Steve D’Agostino (synths); Serafina Steer (synths); Jean-Gabriel Becker (synths and bass); and Liam Hutton (drums and percussion) took to the stage to perform material from the ‘Metamatic’ era AND a selection of ULTRAVOX material.

Also featured in themed episodes were songs with LOUIS GORDON and new material under the moniker of JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS.

Prior to the main event, there was DJ sets by JORI HULKKONEN who finished his selection with his proteges VILLA NAH’s own ‘Ways To Be’ and Back to The Phuture’s Mark Jones who played a very electronic set ranging from THE NORMAL, CABARET VOLTAIRE and FAD GADGET to TUBEWAY ARMY, OMD and SOFT CELL. One pleasant surprise was the massive roar of approval that greeted the bleepy pulses of cult classic ‘Lawnchairs’ by OUR DAUGHTERS WEDDING, a sign that the crowd knew their synthesizer history.

To start the show, there was an overture consisting of ‘Parallel Lives’, a cut-up film of Alex Proyas’ ‘Groping’ soundtracked by a 21st Century take on ‘Underpass’ B-side ‘Film One’.

Using the machines that created the sound of the future such as the Minimoog, ARP Odyssey, Roland CR-78, Korg 700 and Roland System 100, the band took their positions but there was a lengthy silence before Foxx arrived on stage to open with ‘Plaza’. Sounding magnificent and full of body, its JG Ballard inspired line “I remember your face from some shattered windscreen” still resonates in this man machine love affair.

Accompanied by VJs Jonathan Barnbrook and Karborn stark filmic visuals throughout the show, B-side ‘This City’ comes next before an outstanding ‘Burning Car’. Taking on a hauntingly eerie significance, it recalls the autobiographical tale of an accident where everyone except the young Dennis Leigh was killed.

The analogue goodness continued with excellent run throughs of ‘No-One Driving’ and ‘He’s a Liquid’ before ending the first episode with ‘Underpass’. Unfortunately, this classic is ruined by heavy speaker distortion and is something that would intermittently ruin several tracks played this evening.

The band then vacated the stage for Foxx’s regular musical partner LOUIS GORDON to join him for three songs. Arriving to a big cheer, Gordon has to be the most enthusiastically intense synth player since Billy Currie. Bouncing around behind his keyboards, he was the total antithesis of FOXX’s largely static and cool stage persona. What they play is noisy and percussive; ‘Shadow Man’ is almost mutant EBM while ‘An Ocean We Can Breathe’ can only be described as metadelic, like an electronic version of The Fab Four’s ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’.

The band returned to play THE MATHS set for what became a very hit ‘n’ miss section of the show. The best track was a song co-written with Mira Aroyo of LADYTRON called ‘Watching A Building On Fire’. Sung with Mira on the record but voiced totally by Foxx tonight, its chattering drum machine and accessible melodies make it stand out among the variable quality of new material that is showcased. Playing anything brand new live is difficult at the best of times but the crowd were beginning to get agitated, polite applause only greeting most of the finales. So when former ULTRAVOX guitarist Robin Simon took to the stage, everyone knew it was time for some more classic material and many who had slowly disappeared for a comfort break mid-show made a surge to the front.

The seminal songs from the ‘Systems Of Romance’ album ‘Dislocation’, ‘Quiet Men’ and a superb ‘Slow Motion’ got the gig back on track to provide the end to the evening and probably got the biggest receptions of the night. Two encores followed which included a tremendous GIORGIO MORODER-esque re-working of ‘The Man Who Dies Everyday’ and the wonderfully beautiful ‘Just For A Moment’.

The evening was concluded with a DJ set from GARY NUMAN and ADE FENTON. The pull of a celebrity DJ is for all to see as half the audience remain in The Roundhouse to see Numan on his iPad with Fenton rather than leaving to beat the rush! Mixing in sections of KRAFTWERK and DEPECHE MODE to a set that included NEW ORDER’s ‘Blue Monday’ and BASEMENT JAXX’s ‘M.E.’ sampling ‘Where’s Your Head At?’, this is a sideline that provokes interest and attention from the plethora of Numanoids that have gathered.

In all, an evening of mixed emotions but all due credit to JOHN FOXX for being willing to celebrate his history while still having the motivation and aptitude to produce new material that is still both innovative and challenging.

‘Metatronic’ is released by Edsel Records

www.metamatic.com

www.thequietman.co.uk

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price
7th June 2010

SYNTH BRITANNIA

27 March 2010 /

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

Synth You’ve Been Gone…

BBC4’s marvellous ‘Synth Britannia’ celebrated the rise of the synthesizer and how it changed popular music forever, particularly in the UK. Superbly produced and directed by Ben Whalley with interlinking cultural commentary provided by ‘Rip It Up And Start Again’  author Simon Reynolds, it was an empathetic documentary that captured the spirit of a golden era.

The contributors to the programme read like a ‘Who’s Who?’ of electronic music: Wolfgang Flür; Daniel Miller; Richard H Kirk; John Foxx; Gary Numan; Phil Oakey; Martyn Ware; Andy McCluskey; Paul Humphreys, Martin Gore; Vince Clarke; Andy Fletcher; Midge Ure; Dave Ball; Alison Moyet; Susanne Sulley; Joanne Catherall; Bernard Sumner; Neil Tennant; Chris Lowe.

They were to become the heroes of the revolution, rebels with a cause, poster boys and girls of the VCO! Although there were a few errors, especially with regards dates like when OMD signed to Factory and the single of ULTRAVOX’s ‘Vienna’ was released, this was an entertaining 90 minutes.

The new attitude brought about by punk in 1977 was still a bit too rock’n’roll for some like the young Daniel Miller, learning three chords was still three too many! But armed with newly affordable silicon-chipped technology by Korg and Roland from Japan, the true DIY spirit encouraged by the new wave would be fully exploited. Wonderful and weird sounds could be made using just one finger, knob twiddling would become the new art! Daniel Miller and Martyn Ware gleefully tell of their first synth purchase, in both cases it was the Korg 700s. The accessibility of the budget priced synthesizer offered the ultimate challenge to musical convention. It was electric dreams over acoustic nightmares!

Like some on this programme, my first introduction to the sound of the synthesizer came via KRAFTWERK and Walter (now Wendy) Carlos. In the summer of 1976, my junior school teacher was the young and pretty Miss Neilson.

She’d already shown her Bohemian colours by naming our pet guinea pig ‘Bilbo’!! But one day in PE, she made Class4 interpret movement to ‘Autobahn’ and the soundtrack to ‘A Clockwork Orange’!!!

Although too young to really appreciate what was going on, my aural palette was being shaped by this fantastic cacophony of electronics. Novelty instrumental hits like Jean Michel Jarre’s ‘Oxygene Part VI’ and SPACE’s ‘Magic Fly’ soon followed and caught my pre-teen futuristic mind as I eagerly waited for the next episode of ‘Space 1999’! The importance of science fiction in the development and imagination of electronic music cannot be underestimated with ‘Dr Who’ and the writings of JG Ballard being particularly important influences.

Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ was Year Zero for modern electronic pop music as we know it. Producer Giorgio Moroder‘s throbbing sequencers and dance beats were “the future of the future”.

But Gary Numan’s first appearance in May 1979 on ‘Top Of The Pops’ was for many including myself, their ‘Ziggy Stardust’ moment in the birth of synthpop, ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ was cold and detached, the discordant Moog machinery and the haunted vocal sneer connected with many during this gloomy period in Britain. It seems unbelievable now, but it was the talk of school the following morning. Electronic music had just found its first pop star!

Unemployment in the UK was at an all time high. Margaret Thatcher was now in power while across the Atlantic, Ronald Reagan was “President Elect”! With fascist gods in motion, the Cold War had heightened to the point where no-one’s future on this earth could be guaranteed. Whilst OMD’s ‘Enola Gay’ related to the nuclear holocaust paranoia of the time via some incongruous melodic warmth, there were a number of other pop-orientated bands just around the corner.

The new Mk2 version of THE HUMAN LEAGUE, SOFT CELL and DEPECHE MODE all possessed a defiant spirit of optimism in the face of adversity because ultimately “everybody needs love and affection”! The music was emotive and avant, all at the same time! “We never wanted to be KRAFTWERK” says Phil Oakey, “we wanted to be a pop band!”

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

The use of synthesizers was a statement of intent, like an act of artistic subversion. But as Marc Almond once said, you can only truly subvert when you have access to the mainstream. How can you change the world if no-one hears you? Musically, the best way to achieve this was going to be through pop songs! Whilst owing a debt to KRAFTWERK and taking advantage of the door opened by Gary Numan, these acts managed to appeal to people who didn’t necessarily know what a Linn Drum Computer was! Joanne Catherall and Susanne Sulley amusingly recalled when the UK’s first Linn LM-1 was delivered to Martin Rushent’s Genetic Studios for the making of ‘Dare’: “They were all very excited… OK boys!”

There are several technology driven insights like Paul Humphreys playing ‘Enola Gay’ on the Korg Micro-Preset, John Foxx demonstrating the ARP Odyssey and Daniel Miller operating the ARP 2600 which was used on all the early DEPECHE MODE albums. There were often misconceptions about how this stuff worked though. “The number of people who thought that the equipment wrote the song for you: ‘well anybody can do it with the equipment you’ve got!'” remembers Andy McCluskey, “F*** OFF!!”

“You’ve got to remember it was the first time ever that someone could sit and make a record on their own” says Midge Ure, stating the recording of EURYTHMICS ‘Sweet Dreams’ in a basement on an 8 track tape machine as an example! But as the success of synthesizer continued, the backlash set in. Numan was particularly the victim of some venomous media attacks; not only was he doing electronic music but he had none of the anti-hero stance of punk… he wanted to be a popstar: “I don’t speak for the people because I don’t know them!” he exclaimed!

Andy Fletcher tells of the Battle Royale that DEPECHE MODE were always having with the press. People insisted it wasn’t proper music. The Musicians Union even tried to ban the use of synths in studios and live performance! I remember fellow classmates unceremoniously smashed up and burned a copy of ‘Cars’… AND THEN presented me with the remains! If I wasn’t already feeling isolated, then this sort of intimidation was certainly going to seal it!

Martin Gore quotes a disgruntled rock journalist who described the genre as being for “alienated youth everywhere, and Germans!” As an outsider with a typical post-war ‘Boys Own’ fascination for Airfix kits and Messerschmitts, this music would define me! What did these narrow-minded hooligans know?

Worshipping America was not what I wanted! To me, soul and jazz funk (much like R’n’B today) was the horrid soundtrack of the school bully! SYNTHPOP and its Mittel Europa romanticism appealed to my sense of elitism. I could wear my intelligence on my sleeve, it would become my badge of honour! Pretentious… MOI?

Photo courtesy of Alex Machairas

The move towards today’s electronic based dance music as pioneered by Giorgio Moroder is symbolised by the success of NEW ORDER and PET SHOP BOYS. Legend has it that KRAFTWERK were so impressed by the sound of ‘Blue Monday’, they sent an engineer down to Britannia Row Studios to check out the equipment only to find out it was comparatively unsophisticated! But ‘Synth Britannia’ actually goes on to suggest that the success of the third generation acts like Howard Jones and THOMPSON TWINS was the death of this fantastic period. “There was too much synthpop around, it was all very well being on a synth but actually the melodies and how some of the songs were structured was quite traditional and trite…” sighs Simon Reynolds, “it wasn’t that inventive as electronic music!” – he was right!

Unfortunately by the mid-80s, most of our heroes had given up the fight and went conventional. “We were all a bit lost by then” says Phil Oakey, “like we didn’t have anything to prove!” After declaring in 1980 that ‘Travelogue’ contained “synthesizers and vocals only”, THE HUMAN LEAGUE had by the disappointing ‘Hysteria’ credited Jo Callis with “guitars, keyboards, vocals”, sadly in that order!

Meanwhile OMD went from listing all their equipment on their ‘Dazzle Ships’ and ‘Junk Culture’ albums to Paul Humphreys simply being on “vocals, electronic keyboards, piano” for ‘Crush’! The lure of dollars to water down the synthesized sound for synthobic America just couldn’t be resisted anymore! This classic era of quality synthpop was sadly now over!

However, while the others fragmented, DEPECHE MODE got darker and stuck to their electronic blueprint, eventually achieving massive success in the US from 1988. So it would seem these pioneering acts’ original Eurocentric electronic manifestos had been right after all.

Their legacy is evident today: LITTLE BOOTS and LA ROUX have hit the Top 10, and collaborated on the marvellous BBC6 Music ‘Back To The Phuture’ live sessions with Gary Numan and HEAVEN 17 respectively; rock band MUSE credit “synths and programming” on their new album while featuring a song that sounds like ‘Vienna’; and a girl group cover of ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ is a ‘Comic Relief’ charity single!

Meanwhile, the synthpop era’s big international No1s ‘Don’t You Want Me?’ and ‘Tainted Love’ are still being played at weddings and night clubs, ironically often being sung along to by the same bully boys who were setting fire to Gary Numan records years earlier!! “It was exciting to be part of a musical movement that had never been done before, it was a fine time” smiles Vince Clarke.

‘Synth Britannia’ ends appropriately enough with ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ and this final quote from Andy McCluskey: “We were trying to do something new, that is specifically why we chose electronics, we wanted to sweep away all of the rock clichés! And then what happens towards the end of the 80s and even worse, the mid 90s? Everybody decides guitars are back, synthesizers are somehow old fashioned AND, we get Oasis!!”

McCluskey holds his hand to his head in despair but today, most of the acts featured in ‘Synth Britannia’ are still playing to packed audiences around the world. What was originally an electric dream is now a full blown reality. JUSTICE and a job well done 🙂

Ohm Sweet Ohm! The ‘Synth Britannia’ Soundtrack

DEPECHE MODE New Life
WENDY CARLOS William Tell Overture
WENDY CARLOS Title Music from ‘A Clockwork Orange’
KRAFTWERK Autobahn
THE CLASH White Riot
THE NORMAL TVOD
THE NORMAL Warm Leatherette
THE FUTURE 4JG
THE HUMAN LEAGUE Being Boiled
DONNA SUMMER I Feel Love
CABARET VOLTAIRE Seconds Too Late
CABARET VOLTAIRE Nag Nag Nag
OMD Messages
OMD Enola Gay
JOY DIVISION Atmosphere
JOHN FOXX Underpass
THROBBING GRISTLE Still Walking
THROBBING GRISTLE Hot on the Heels of Love
FAD GADGET Back to Nature
SILICON TEENS Memphis Tennessee
TUBEWAY ARMY Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
GARY NUMAN Cars
VISAGE Fade to Grey
THE FLYING LIZARDS Money
DEPECHE MODE New Life
DEPECHE MODE Just Can’t Get Enough
DEPECHE MODE Sometimes I Wish I Was Dead
THE HUMAN LEAGUE Don’t You Want Me
HEAVEN 17 – Penthouse & Pavement
CABARET VOLTAIRE Landslide
SOFT CELL Tainted Love
YAZOO Only You
YAZOO Don’t Go
OMD Maid of Orleans
EURYTHMICS Sweet Dreams
ULTRAVOX Vienna
KRAFTWERK The Model
DEPECHE MODE Everything Counts
DEPECHE MODE Master and Servant
PET SHOP BOYS West End Girls
NEW ORDER Ceremony
NEW ORDER Blue Monday
PHILIP OAKEY & GIORGIO MORODER Together in Electric Dreams

Text by Chi Ming Lai
27th March 2010

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